The Speckled Band Questions
The Speckled Band
An inference, sometimes called a deduction, is a reasonable conclusion about a character or event drawn from the limited information presented by an author. The character Sherlock Holmes is famous for using deduction or inference to try to figure out his clients and their problems.
- In what condition is Helen Stoner when she first meets Holmes?
- Why did Miss Stoner’s stepfather go to India? What prompts his return to England?
- What does Holmes learn from reading Mrs. Roylott’s will?
- What arrangements do Holmes and Watson make with Helen Stoner after they arrive at Stoke Moran?
- What is the “speckled band”?
- Who is the narrator of the story? How does he help the reader to better understand the story?
- What changes in Helen Stoner’s life took place in the month prior to her visit with Holmes?
- Describe the behavior and interests of Dr. Roylott upon his return to Stoke Moran.
- How does Holmes react to Dr. Roylott’s visit?
- Why did the coroner rule Julia’s death accidental?
An inference, sometimes called a deduction, is a reasonable conclusion about a character or event drawn from the limited information presented by an author. The character Sherlock Holmes is famous for using deduction or inference to try to figure out his clients and their problems.
- Describe the series of inferences that Holmes draws about Helen Stoner’s method of traveling on the morning that she calls at his house.
- Just as Sherlock Holmes erroneously inferred at first that the Band referred to a band of gypsies, virtually everyone has had the experience at some time of drawing a faulty inference about a person or event. In three or four paragraphs, describe a time when you drew such an inference. Before you write, ask yourself these questions: About whom or what did you draw the faulty inference? When or where did it occur? Were others involved? What led you to the error in your thinking? What led you to correct or modify your thinking? What was the final outcome?