Q. What did Nishad give Mr. Nath? Why?

Ans. Nishad thought that poor Mr. Nath was starving. So he gave him a bar of chocolate.

Q. What is “strange” about Mr. Nath’s Sundays?

Ans. The strange thing about Mr. Nath’s Sundays is that he has a regular visitor on that day.

Q. Why did Nishad and Maya get a holiday?

Ans. Nishad and Maya got an unexpected holiday from school. It rained so heavily that all the streets were flooded. So the school declared a holiday.

Q. What does Nishad find out about Mr. Nath from Ramesh? Arrange the information as suggested below.

• What he eats
• When he eats
• What he drinks and when
• How he pays

Ans. Ramesh gives the information to Nishad that Mr. Nath eats the same food every day—two chapattis, some dal and a vegetable. He eats only two meals a day–lunch and dinner. He drinks tea, one cup in the morning and one in the afternoon. He pays cash for his meals. He pays lips generously.

Q. Why does Maya think Mr. Nath is a crook? Who does she say the Sunday visitor is?

Ans. Maya has several reasons to suspect that Mr Nath is a criminal. He has so many scars on his face. These may be the bullet injury marks. He has no friends except a Sunday visitor. He has no regular job, yet he pays cash for his meals and tea. Maya suspects that Mr Nath has lots of money or he gets a share in the loot from his Sunday visitor.

Q. Does Nishad agree with Maya about Mr. Nath? How does he feel about him?

Ans. No, Nishad doesn’t agree with Maya. He thinks that Mr. Nath is a poor, lonely, polite and friendly person.

Q. The word ‘tip’ has only three letters but many meanings. Match the word with its meanings below.

(1) finger tips	be about to say something
(2) the tip of your nose	make the boat overturn
(3) tip the water out of	the ends of one’s fingers the bucket
(4) have something on	give a rupee to him, the tip of your tongue to thank him
(5) tip the boat over	empty a bucket by tilting it
(6) tip him a rupee	the pointed end of your nose
(7) the tip of the bat	if you take this advice
(8) the police were	the bat lightly touched tipped off the ball
(9) if you take my tip	the end of the bat
(10) the bat tipped the ball	the police were told, or warned

Answer

1. finger tips – the end of one’s fingers
2. the tip of your nose – the pointed end of your nose
3. tip the water out of the bucket – empty a bucket tilting
4. have something on the tip of your tongue – be about to say something
5. tip the bot over – make the boat overturn
6. tip him a rupee – give a rupee to him, to thank him
7. the tip of the bat – the end of the bat
8. the police were tipped of – the police were told, or warned
9. if you take my tip – if you take this advice
10. the bat tipped the ball – the bat lightly touched the ball

Q. The words helper, companion, partner and accomplice have very similar meanings, but each word is typically used in certain phrases. Can you fill in the blanks below with the most commonly used words? A dictionary may help you.

1. business _____________.
2. my _____________ on the journey.
3. I’m mother’s little ___________.
4. a faithful ____________ such as a dog.
5. the thief’s ____________.
6. find a good _______________.
7. tennis/golf/bridge ________________.
8. his ____________ in his criminal activities.

Answer

1. business partner.
2. my companion on the journey.
3. I’m mother’s little helper.
4. a faithful companion such as a dog.
5. the thief’s accomplice.
6. find a good helper.
7. tennis/golf/bridge partner.
8. his accomplice in his criminal activities.

Q. Now let us look at the uses of the word break. Match the word with its meanings below. Try to find at least three other ways in which to use the word.

(i) The storm broke	could not speak; was too sad to speak
(ii) daybreak	this kind of weather ended
(iii) His voice is beginning	it began or burst to break into activity
(iv) Her voice broke and	the beginning of daylight she cried
(v) The heat wave broke	changing as he grows up
(vi) broke the bad news	end it by making the workers submit
(vii) break a strike	gently told someone the bad news

Answer

(i) The storm broke	it began or burst into activity
(ii) daybreak	the beginning of daylight
(iii) His voice is beginning to break	changing as he grows up
(iv) Her voice broke and she cried	could not speak; was too sad to speak
(v) The heat wave broke	this kind of weather ended
(vi) broke the bad news	gently told someone the bad news
(vii) break a strike	end it by making the workers submit

Q. Who do you think Mr. Nath is? Write a paragraph or two about him.

Ans. Mr. Nath is a patient of the doctor mother of Maya and Nishad. He has scars on his face. These are fire-burns. He is ashamed of moving about freely with those ugly scars. So he keeps aloof. Perhaps he is undergoing possible surgery. He is lonely. He allows only his brother to visit him on Sundays. Maya takes him for an escaped criminal. But her brother, Nishad, disagrees with her. His attitude is sympathetic and sensible towards Mr Nath.

Q. What else do you think Nishad and Maya will find out about him? How? Will they ever be friends? Think about these questions and write a paragraph or two to continue the story.

Ans. Nishad and Maya however agree to cooperate in their enquiry about Mr. Nath. They manage to get a chance to open his trunk. But they find only clothes and books in the trunk instead of money. One day they question their mother how Mr Nath got the scars, and why he was so reserved. They start a dialogue with Mr Nath also. They find the man very friendly, sweet and loving.