NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Unit 6 Expert Detectives and Mystery of the Talking Fan

The chapter “Expert Detectives” is about two siblings who are concerned about a person whom they find very strange. The person never has visitors to his home, does not have friends, does not talk to people, is very gaunt and pays nice tips to Ramesh, who brings his food to his room. Thoughts about the strange man grow even messier when the siblings get to know that there is a specific visitor who comes every Sunday during lunchtime to meet the man.

Expert Detectives

Comprehension Check

Answer the following questions:

Question 1. What did Nishad give Mr Nath? Why?

Answer: Nishad gave a bar of chocolate to Mr Nath. He did so because of the lean appearance of Mr Nath, which suggested that he was starving.

Question 2. What is “strange” about Mr Nath’s Sundays?

Answer: The strange thing about Mr Nath’s Sundays is that a particular visitor used to visit every Sunday, and both of them used to have lunch together.

Question 3: Why did Nishad and Maya get a holiday?

Answer: Nishad and Maya got a holiday because of the bad weather. It was raining heavily, and the streets of the city were flooded with the downpour.

Working with the text

Answer the following questions.

Question 1. 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

Answer: Nishad finds out the following about Mr. Nath from Ramesh:

• He is not very particular about what he eats. He eats two chapattis, dal and a vegetable.

• He eats in the morning and evening.

• He drinks two cups of tea, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

• He pays in cash and also gives tips to Ramesh.

Question 2. Why does Maya think Mr Nath is a crook? Who does she say the Sunday visitor is?

Answer: Maya thinks that Mr Nath is a crook because he does not have any friends even after spending more than a year at the place. Also, he does not talk to anyone and has no visitors at any time except for the visitor who meets him on Sundays.

She says that the Sunday visitor is his partner in crime and visits him on Sundays to give him his share of money.

Question 3. Does Nishad agree with Maya about Mr Nath? How does he feel about him?

Answer: No, Nishad does not agree with Maya about Mr Nath. He thinks that Mr Nath is a lonely and poor person who is starving. He thinks that Mr Nath is a kind person who, despite having less money for himself, gives tips to Ramesh.

UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES BEHIND THE RISE IN CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS

Working with language

Question 1. The word ‘tip’ has only three letters but many meanings.

Match the word with its meanings below.

(i) fingertips – be about to say something

(ii) the tip of your nose – make the boat overturn

(iii) tip the water out of the bucket – the ends of one’s fingers

(iv) Have something on the tip of your tongue – give a rupee to him, to thank him

(v) Tip the boat over – empty a bucket by tilting it

(vi) tip him a rupee – the pointed end of your nose

(vii) the tip of the bat – if you take this advice

(viii) the police were tipped off – the bat lightly touched the ball

(ix) If you take my tip – the end of the bat

(x) the bat tipped the ball – the police were told, or warned

Answer:

(i) fingertips – the ends of one’s fingers

(ii) the tip of your nose – the pointed end of your nose

(iii) tip the water out of the bucket – empty a bucket by tilting it

(iv) Have something on the tip of your tongue – be about to say something

(v) Tip the boat over – make the boat overturn

(vi) tip him a rupee – give a rupee to him, to thank him

(vii) the tip of the bat – the end of the bat

(viii) the police were tipped off – the police were told or warned

(ix) If you take my tip – if you take this advice

(x) the bat tipped the ball – the bat lightly touched the ball

Question 2: 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.

(i) business ____________

(ii) my ____________ on the journey

(iii) I’m mother’s little ____________.

(iv) a faithful ____________ such as a dog

(v) the thief’s ____________

(vi) find a good ____________

(vii) tennis/golf/bridge ____________

(viii) his ____________ in his criminal activities

Answer: (i) business partner

(ii) my companion on the journey

(iii) I’m mother’s little helper

(iv) a faithful companion such as a dog

(v) the thief’s accomplice

(vi) find a good helper

(vii) tennis/golf/bridge partner

(viii) his accomplice in his criminal activities

Question 3: 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 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 to break – it began or burst into activity

(iv) Her voice broke and she cried – the beginning of daylight

(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 tell someone the bad news

(viii) (Find your expression – Give its meaning here.)

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

(viii) the machine broke down – the machine underwent a sudden physical damage

Writing

Question 1. Who do you think Mr Nath is? Write a paragraph or two about him.

Answer: I think Mr Nath is just an ordinary man who is probably not eating well. He might be an introvert which is why he does not have friends and visitors. He might enjoy being alone more than having the company of many others.

He is very lean because he does not take meals properly. He is not even particular about the food he eats. He just needs two chapattis, dal and a vegetable. He consults Nishad’s mother, who is a doctor. This means that he has some ailment. That can be another reason why he prefers to be alone.

He also has scars on his face, making people think he is a crook. But, the scars might be from some accident. The visitor who comes every Sunday might be a family member who ensures that Mr Nath is keeping well.

Question 2. 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.

Answer: I think Nishad and Maya will find out that Mr Nath is a good person and an introvert. They might even get to know that Mr Nath is working from home because he does not keep well. That is the reason he prefers being at home and not having visitors.

They might become friends later, especially Nishad can be a good friend to him because he was in his favour from the beginning. Maya would have regretted to have doubted him to be a criminal.

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Unit 5 Quality and Trees

Mystery of the Talking Fan

Working with the Poem

Question 1. Fans don’t talk, but it is possible to imagine that they do. What is it, then, that sounds like the fan’s chatter?

Answer: The noise produced by the fan’s motor with less oil sounds like the fan’s chatter.

Question 2: Complete the following sentences.

(i) The chatter is electrical because ____________________.

(ii) It is mysterious because ____________________.

Answer: (i) The chatter is electrical because the noise is being produced by the electrical motor of the fan.

(ii) It is mysterious because we cannot understand what the fan is saying.

Question 3: What do you think the talking fan was demanding?

Answer: The talking fan was demanding some oil. It was seeking the attention of the people at home to put oil into the motors. Once it got oiling, it became silent.

Question 4: How does an electric fan manage to throw so much air when it is switched on?

Answer: An electric fan manages to throw so much air when it is switched on as it has an electric motor which rotates and makes the three blades of the fan move round and round at a specified speed.

Question 5: Is there a ‘talking fan’ in your house? Create a dialogue between the fan and the mechanic.

Answer: Mechanic: Hey! I just realized that you are a talking fan.

Fan: Oh thank God! Yes, I do talk. It’s just that people don’t listen.

Mechanic: Alright, so tell me. What is the matter?

Fan: I need some oiling. My motor is struggling to rotate.

Mechanic: Oh. I will put oil in the motor now.

Fan: Thank you so much!