March 16, 2014

10th English Passages - Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Read the passage given below. Then answer the questions that follow it.
I was surprised to see our visitor. I had expected to see a typical country doctor. He was a very tall and thin man. He had a long nose like a beak, which jutted out between the two keen grey eyes set closely together and shining behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Though he was young, his long back had a stoop and walked with a forward thrust of his head. As he entered he spotted the stick in Holmes hand. He ran towards it with an exclamation of joy.

1. Who is the narrator?
2. Who is the visitor?
3. What was the purpose of his visit?
4. Why was the visitor happy to see the stick?
5. How did the stick come to be in Holmes’ hand?


1. The Narrator is Dr Watson.
2. The visitor is Dr James Mortimer.
3. He came to Sherlock Holmes for advice on what to do with Sir Henry Baskerville who is the next heir and the last Baskerville.
4. The stick was a gift from Charring Cross Hospital. So he loved the stick so much that he would never lose it.
5. He had visited Holmes’ house the previous evening when Holmes wasn’t at home, and forgot his stick there, Holmes was trying to make guesses about him by studying the stick.

Important questions from the chapter:

1. How does Dr. Watson guess that the visitor is a doctor? Is he right?
A: Dr.Watson guesses that the visitor is a doctor from the Degree M.R.C.S, (Member of the Royal Council of Surgeons) engraved on the stick which the visitor had left behind. His guess is right, as the visitor turns out to be a medical doctor.

2. “I wouldn’t lose that stick for the world.” Who said these words? How was the stick so important to that person?
A: Dr. James Mortimer, the stranger who came to visit Mr. Sherlock Holmes says this. The stick was a presentation to Dr. James Mortimer from Charing Cross Hospital (C.C.H). So, he treasured it and didn’t want to lose it.

3. “Some people without actually possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.” Who was Holmes referring to? What was he talking about?
A: Mr. Sherlock Holmes means that most of Dr.Watson’s conclusions were incorrect.
Holmes could work towards the truth by observing the mistakes committed by Watson.
He means that though Watson was not a genius, he had the rare capacity of making a genius out of another person.
He feels indebted to Watson because he has made himself arrive at the correct conclusion by noting Watson’s mistakes.

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