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Tamil Nadu (TNBSE)Class 8 English★ 5-8 marks in the TN Class 8 English exam through comprehension, vocabulary and short answers

The Mystery of the Cyber Friend

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 English — Supplementary 7, The Mystery of the Cyber Friend by Zac O'Yeah. A study guide on this cautionary story about Shree, who chats with an online stranger who turns out to be an impostor, with the theme of cyber safety, vocabulary and the actual book-back comprehension questions and answers.

⏱ 13 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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Key points, glossary and the questions most likely to show up.

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Summarise the story of Shree and the cyber friend
2Explain the danger of online strangers
3State the theme of cyber safety
4Use the new vocabulary
5Answer comprehension questions on the text

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Why this chapter matters

The Mystery of the Cyber Friend warns students about online stranger danger and the importance of cyber safety and confiding in a trusted adult. The story and its theme are directly tested book-back content in the TN Class 8 English exam.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

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Prose 7 — Cyber Safety

Staying safe online.

The Mystery of the Cyber Friend — Class 8 English (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 English, Supplementary 7, by Zac O'Yeah. A cautionary tale about online stranger danger.

1. About the lesson

The Mystery of the Cyber Friend is an informative, cautionary story by Zac O'Yeah that warns young people about the dangers of chatting with strangers online.

2. Summary

Shree, a thirteen-year-old girl from Katpadi Junction, gets a computer from her working parents so she can learn to use it. On her 13th birthday she joins a social network called Friends Net and begins chatting with someone named "Chaitra." Over time, "Chaitra" finally asks Shree to come to the railway station to meet.

Wisely, Shree confides in a trusted adult — her aunt, who accompanies her to the station and alerts the station manager. At the station the truth comes out: "Chaitra" is really a middle-aged man pretending to be a girl — an impostor. With the station master's help the police later identify the criminal through Shree's computer. The story ends with a reminder to put up a cyber-security poster in school.

3. Theme

The story is a cautionary tale about online "stranger danger" — it teaches the importance of cyber safety and of confiding in a trusted adult rather than meeting online strangers alone.

4. Glossary

Word	Meaning
cyber	relating to the internet
impostor	a person who pretends to be someone else
confide	to share a secret with someone you trust
cyber security	keeping safe online
identify	to recognise / find out who someone is

5. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)

A. Fill in / Read and answer

Who wrote the story? — Zac O'Yeah.
Where does Shree live? — Katpadi Junction.
Which birthday did Shree celebrate? — Her 13th.
Why did Shree's parents buy her a computer? — They are both employed and wanted her to learn computers.
Where did "Chaitra" ask Shree to come? — To the railway station.

B. Think and answer 6. Who really was "Chaitra"? — A middle-aged man pretending to be a girl (an impostor). 7. What clever thing did Shree do? — She confided in her aunt, a trusted adult, who alerted the station manager.

6. Common mistakes

Mistake: Thinking "Chaitra" was a real girl-friend. Fix: "Chaitra" was a middle-aged man pretending to be a girl.
Mistake: Saying Shree went to meet the stranger alone. Fix: She told her aunt and went with an adult, alerting the station manager.
Mistake: Missing the message. Fix: The story teaches cyber safety and trusting an adult.

7. Quick revision

Supplementary 7 · The Mystery of the Cyber Friend by Zac O'Yeah.
Shree (13, of Katpadi Junction) gets a computer, joins Friends Net and chats with "Chaitra."
"Chaitra" asks her to the railway station; Shree wisely confides in her aunt, who alerts the station manager.
"Chaitra" is exposed as a middle-aged male impostor; police identify the criminal via Shree's computer.
Theme: a cautionary tale on cyber safety and online stranger danger; confide in a trusted adult.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Author / heroine

Zac O'Yeah; Shree, 13, of Katpadi Junction

Cautionary tale.

The trap

joins Friends Net; chats with 'Chaitra'; asked to the station

Online stranger.

The truth

'Chaitra' = a middle-aged male impostor

Police identify him.

Theme

cyber safety; confide in a trusted adult

Stranger danger.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Thinking 'Chaitra' was a real girl-friend

✓ 'Chaitra' was a middle-aged man pretending to be a girl.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying Shree went to meet the stranger alone

✓ She told her aunt and went with an adult, alerting the station manager.

WATCH OUT

✗ Missing the message

✓ The story teaches cyber safety and trusting an adult.

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Read and answer / Fill in

Book-back comprehension on Shree, the computer and the station.

Questions

Think and answer

The impostor and Shree's clever action.

Questions

Vocabulary

Word meanings, synonyms and antonyms.

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· Comprehension

Where does Shree live?

▶ Show solution

Katpadi Junction.

Q2EASY· Comprehension

Why did Shree's parents buy her a computer?

▶ Show solution

They are both employed and wanted her to learn computers.

Q3EASY· Comprehension

Who really was 'Chaitra'?

▶ Show solution

A middle-aged man pretending to be a girl (an impostor).

Q4MEDIUM· Short Answer

What clever and safe thing did Shree do?

▶ Show solution

Instead of meeting the online 'friend' alone, she confided in her aunt, a trusted adult, who accompanied her and alerted the station manager, so the impostor could be caught.

Q5MEDIUM· Value

What is the message of the story?

▶ Show solution

That we must be very careful online — strangers may not be who they claim to be — and should always confide in a trusted adult instead of meeting an online 'friend' alone.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Supplementary 7 of Samacheer Kalvi Class 8 English, by Zac O'Yeah.
•Shree (13, of Katpadi Junction) gets a computer and joins Friends Net.
•She chats with 'Chaitra', who asks her to come to the railway station.
•Shree wisely confides in her aunt, who alerts the station manager.
•'Chaitra' is exposed as a middle-aged male impostor; police identify him via her computer.
•Theme: cyber safety and online stranger danger — confide in a trusted adult.

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 5-8 marks across comprehension, vocabulary and short answers

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
Comprehension	1-2	3-5	Story details and characters
Vocabulary	1	2-3	Word meanings
Value / Short Answer	2	1-2	Cyber safety theme

Prep strategy

Re-tell the story in your own words
Note Shree's safe, clever decision
Remember 'Chaitra' was an impostor
State the cyber-safety message

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Cyber safety

Teaches students to handle online strangers safely.

Trust

Shows the value of confiding in adults.

Awareness

Builds caution about social media.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

Name the author and heroine
Re-tell the plot in sequence
Stress Shree's safe decision
State the cyber-safety message

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

Design a cyber-safety poster for your school.
List five rules for chatting safely online.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

TN Class 8 English ExamHigh

Digital Literacy / ICTMedium

School unit testsHigh

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Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

Because it warns young readers of a real danger — that a friendly online 'friend' may actually be a dangerous stranger — and shows the safe way to handle such a situation.

Never go alone or secretly; tell a trusted adult such as a parent or teacher, and let them decide and accompany you, because the person may not be who they claim to be.

Practice more, ask doubts, find a tutor

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) Class 8 mock tests

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