: “The Speckled Band” RFQs

Directions: Please answer the following in complete sentences in your reading composition book. You must provide evidence and the PPL (page, paragraph, and line) along with your answer.

1. How does the narrator’s relationship to the protagonist affect his perspective?

2. State the observations that Holmes makes to know that Miss Stoner is agitated? Why does Holmes then offer Miss Stoner coffee?

3. What evidence supports Miss Stoner’s fear that her sister was murdered?

4. Choose the best word to describe Dr. Roylott’s behavior when he came to visit Sherlock Holmes at 221B . And explain why that is the best word to describe Dr. Roylott. bullish [boo l-ish] adj. – 1. like a bull to obstinate furious [fyoo r-ee-uh s] adj. – 1. extremely angry taciturn [tas-i-turn] adj. – 1. dour, stern to silent in expression throttle [throt-l] v. – 1. to choke or suffocate in any way 2. to silence

5. Why does Sherlock Holmes obtain a copy of Helen Stoner’s mother’s will?

6. List at least two clues that Holmes and Watson find at Stoke Moran to support Miss Stoner’s claim, and explain how they help to support Miss Stoner’s claim that her sister’s death was not accidental.

7. List at least two elements in the story that help to create Suspense as Holmes and Watson wait to hear the whistle?

8. What is the “Speckled Band,” and how does it resolve the crime?

Sherlock Holmes: Vocabulary & Idioms Lesson 1

“The Speckled Band”

Part I. Match the word with the correct meaning.

1. deduction (n) ______someone who occupies a house or place; tenant 2. hereditary (adj) ______without mercy or pity 3. aristocrat (n) ______not obvious or easy to understand; mysterious 4. pauper (n) ______friendly, kind-hearted, nice 5. writhe (v) ______sly, tricky, clever, crafty 6. notorious (adj) ______someone who is very poor 7. sinister (adj) ______a pointed part of a roof, forming a triangle 8. bland (adj) ______appearing to be evil; threatening evil 9. amiable (adj) ______famous in a bad way; known to be bad or evil 10. gable (n) ______a guess made from facts or observations 11. cunning (adj) ______inherited; passing from parents to their children 12. occupant (n) ______ordinary, plain, not fancy 13. homely (adj) ______without sharp taste; soothing; gentle 14. subtle (adj) ______member of the upper class; a noble 15. ruthless (adj) ______to squirm, especially in pain or discomfort

Clues for Deductive Reasoning: 1. I saw roses on the table, a greeting card with a red heart on it; my deduction was that it was Valentine’s Day. 2. Both of John’s parents have read hair; therefore his red hair is hereditary. 3. Having a title given to you by king or queen makes you an aristocrat. 4. I am a pauper because I don’t even have a penny in my pocket. 5. If you catch the Stomach Flu, you will fall to the floor and writhe in agony. 6. Scarface was a notorious gangster of the early Twentieth Century. 7. Any time I have had to walk through a graveyard at night, I get a sinister sensation up my spine. 8. My grandfather does not like spicy food, so dinner at his house tastes quite bland. 9. He is such an amiable fellow, especially during the holiday season; he passes out candy to the children and money to the adults. 10. I had to climb over the gable to look at the hail damage from the storm. 11. A fox’s cunning is legendary; they elude both man and hound most days by guile alone. 12. The occupant of the room is responsible for cleaning it, since they made the mess. 13. He was never going to be a model, he was too homely. 14. The change in my appearance was so subtle that it took the students three days to realize the difference. 15. The soccer team was so ruthless that they would purposefully try to injure any rival team, just so they could win. Sherlock Holmes: “The Speckled Band” Vocabulary #1 - Part 2. Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: use your vocabulary to choose the best word that completes each sentence. You may write the word in the space, or write the correct word on a piece of loose leaf paper. You only have twenty minutes to work on this assignment. Turn it in when you are done.

1. During the French Revolution, many ______, members of the rich ruling class in France, were imprisoned or executed by the common people who seized control of the country.

2. The girl didn’t want to wear the dress her mother selected because she thought it made her look ______.

3. In one of Conan Doyle’s stories, Holmes is on the track of a ______killer who shot a man in cold blood.

4. In the same story, Holmes distracts a room full of people by falling to the floor and pretending to ______in pain.

5. The most ______of Holmes’ enemies is probably Professor Moriarty, for it is he who is supposedly responsible for the detective’s death.

6. The rich man gave all the money in his wallet to the ______he saw begging by the train station.

7. Holmes is excellent at making correct ______based on very little information; this is how he solves his cases.

8. He is indeed a very clever, ______detective, able to outwit even the trickiest criminal.

9. There seemed to be something ______about the deserted, creepy old house with its banging shutters and creaking boards.

10. Although Watson can recognize obvious clues, he is not very good at seeing the more ______, hidden ones.

11. The old-fashioned ______on that house make it look old, but in fact it was built just last year.

12. If you are recovering from an illness, it is probably better to eat only ______food, for spicy meals might upset your stomach. 13. The friendly, ______hostess showed us to our seats.

14. Blue eyes are one of many ______traits, passed down from parents to children.

15. The ______of that apartment has recently moved out, but a new tenant has already signed a lease.