English 12B Checkpoint 17

Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," which describes the storm on the night Helen's sister was murdered. It was a wild night. The wind was howling outside, and the rain was beating and splashing against the windows. Suddenly, amid all the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew that it was my sister's voice. Which option most accurately explains how the storm is relevant to the story?

The storm foreshadows the devastation and despair Helen experiences following the death of her sister, Julia.

Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." By the light of the corridor-lamp I saw my sister appear at the opening, her face blanched with terror, her hands groping for help, her whole figure swaying to and fro like that of a drunkard. Which context clues would be most helpful in determining the meaning of blanched?

"With terror" suggests that her distress has drained the color out of her sister's face.

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Dr. Roylott is portrayed as a loner with an affinity for oddities. Which passages from the text effectively support the idea that Dr. Roylott is an eccentric character? (Select all that apply.)

He had no friends at all save the wandering gipsies, and he would give these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the few acres of bramble-covered land which represent the family estate. ... AND He has a passion also for Indian animals, which are sent over to him by a correspondent, and he has at this moment a cheetah and a baboon. ...

Throughout "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes emphasizes the importance of integrity and fairness in all matters. Which option most accurately supports this inference about Holmes's sense of justice?

"In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience."

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Helen Stoner comes to Sherlock Holmes for help with solving the mysterious death of her sister. Which options effectively depict Helen's motivation to come to Holmes for help with the case? (Select all that apply.)

"But I have heard, Mr. Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold wickedness of the human heart. You may advise me how to walk amid the dangers which encompass me." AND "Alas!" replied our visitor, "the very horror of my situation lies in the fact that my fears are so vague, and my suspicions depend so entirely upon small points, which might seem trivial to another, that even he to whom of all others I have a right to look for help and advice looks upon all that I tell him about it as the fancies of a nervous woman."

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes discovers who killed Helen Stoner's sister. Which option most effectively explains Holmes's belief that no wrong deeds will go unpunished?

"Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another."

Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." I ran to her and threw my arms round her, but at that moment her knees seemed to give way and she fell to the ground. She writhed as one who is in terrible pain, and her limbs were dreadfully convulsed. Which option uses the word convulsed as it is used in this excerpt?

As Candace and her brother were lounging by the pool, he unexpectedly grabbed her and threw her in the water. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and her entire body convulsed with anger.

Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." "She had a considerable sum of money—not less than £1000 a year—and this she bequeathed to Dr. Roylott entirely while we resided with him, with a provision that a certain annual sum should be allowed to each of us in the event of our marriage." Which option uses the word bequeathed as it is used in this excerpt?

After reading her brother's will, Jennifer learned that he had bequeathed the ancient family house to her.

Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," which describes how Dr. Roylott's personality changed after his wife died. Last week he hurled the local blacksmith over a parapet into a stream, and it was only by paying over all the money which I could gather together that I was able to avert another public exposure. He had no friends at all save the wandering gipsies, and he would give these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the few acres of bramble-covered land which represent the family estate, and would accept in return the hospitality of their tents, wandering away with them sometimes for weeks on end. Which option most accurately explains what can be inferred from this excerpt?

Dr. Roylott has isolated himself from most people in his community, befriending people who are as solitary as he is.

ead the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," which explains what happens following Dr. Roylott's death. Such are the true facts of the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of Stoke Moran. It is not necessary that I should prolong a narrative which has already run to too great a length by telling how we broke the sad news to the terrified girl, how we conveyed her by the morning train to the care of her good aunt at Harrow, of how the slow process of official inquiry came to the conclusion that the doctor met his fate while indiscreetly playing with a dangerous pet. Which option most accurately explains what the excerpt implies about the official investigation into Dr. Roylott's death?

No one told the police what really happened at the house, so the officials focused on Dr. Roylott's death, and not on his involvement in his stepdaughter's death.

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Holmes carefully listens to Helen's account about the murder of her sister, Julia. As he listens, he occasionally interjects to clarify the complex case being presented to him. What option most effectively explains that Holmes is certain there is much more to the murder than initial appearances indicate?

"These are very deep waters," said he; "pray go on with your narrative."

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Dr. Grimesby Roylott murders one of his stepdaughters and almost succeeds in murdering the second. Which option most accurately explains Dr. Roylott's motive?

Dr. Roylott will lose money when his stepdaughters marry.

"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" presents many uncertainties, one being the exact nature of the "speckled band" in Helen's story. Which option most accurately explains how Helen's mention of a "speckled band" heightens the mystery in this story?

Multiple elements of the story, such as the gypsies who wear spotted handkerchiefs, might be interpreted as being related to a "speckled band," providing an intriguing set of possible answers.

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes determines that Dr. Roylott is responsible for killing his stepdaughter. Which options provide the most effective evidence to support Holmes's conclusion that Dr. Roylott is guilty of murder? (Select all that apply.)

"An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in the habit of standing on it, which of course would be necessary in order that he should reach the ventilator." AND "The idea of using a form of poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern training."

Which option most effectively justifies the author's decision to have John Watson narrate the story rather than Sherlock Holmes?

Holmes states, "I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room." This proves that Holmes often knows more about the case than he expresses, so the mysteries would be spoiled for the reader if he were the narrator.