VOCABULARY

Asperity
Severity of surroundings or personality; though it is used in Chapter One to describe Holmes’s response at hearing he is the second best detective, it could also apply to the landscape around the Hall or Stapleton’s temper, as seen in his outburst when Sir Henry tried to kiss his sister (actually his wife).

Atavism
As described in the chapter one notes, the presence of a characteristic found in remote ancestors but absent in other more recent generations; Dr. Mortimer wrote an article on this, and Stapleton, with his similarities to Hugo, proves to be a good example.

Crenellated, Mullioned
The first term refers to the notches at the top of the tower (so that it alternates between a square of stone and open space), the second to the metal separating windows into panes; the words are in reference to Hall and add to the feel of the medieval castle.

Immemorial
Beginning before record, in memory or otherwise; used as argument in one of Frankland’s cases on trespassing on an ancient path, it can describe the dwellings of Neolithic man (without an accurate date) as well.

Moor
A marshy wasteland; Sir Henry is warned, as have the Baskervilles before him, not to cross this at night.

Mire
Muddy, unsupportive ground, such as a bog; Stapleton keeps his hound and a hideout near an abandoned mine deep in the Grimpen Mire and it is while trying to reach this, that he dies.

Spectral
Ghostly, or otherwise appearing supernatural; this term is applied to the hound several times, which has had phosphorous applied to it, so that it glows and looks even more fierce.

Tor
A steep, rocky overlook; Watson spots a man (whom he later finds out was Watson) standing on this the night he and Sir Henry chase the convict.

STUDY QUESTIONS - MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ

1. Holmes and Watson are incorrect in this deduction from their visitor’s cane:

a. his occupation
b. the reason he was given it
c. where he works now
d. where he used to work

2. This person discovered and reported the death of Sir Charles Baskerville:

a. Barrymore
b. Dr. Mortimer
c. Mrs. Barrymore
d. Stapleton

3. The member of the Baskerville line that fled to South America was:

a. Hugo
b. Charles
c. Rodger
d. Henry

4. The letters of the note warning Sir Henry were cut from this newspaper:

a. unknown
b. Post
c. Times
d. Devon County Chronicle

5. The cabman reported to Holmes that his passenger’s name was:

a. Barrymore
b. Sherlock Holmes
c. Stapleton
d. Hugo

6. Watson hears this sound while he is trying to sleep on his first night in Baskerville Hall:

a. low music
b. footsteps
c. a man’s voice
d. a woman crying

7. When pressed, Stapleton says he believes the sound on the moor is this:

a. the hound of the Baskervilles
b. a horse stuck in the marshy ground
c. Selden, the criminal
d. the last of the bitterns

8. Sir Henry does this after Barrymore seems upset at his questioning over the telegram:

a. gives him a raise
b. questions him further over the reason for his uneasiness
c. tells him he can just leave if he is so unhappy
d. gave him some old clothes

9. Stapleton gives this reason for his outburst at the romance between Sir Henry and Miss Stapleton:

a. he did not want to lose his only companion
b. he did not like Sir Henry
c. he did not want his sister around a man with a family curse
d. she was his wife

10. Watson believes Laura Lyons has information on the case because:

a. she told him she did
b. Barrymore said she had come around a few times in the days before Sir Charles’s death
c. he sees a woman’s footprint near the spot where Sir Charles died
d. her initials were at the bottom of a partially-burned letter

11. Why does Frankland not report his sighting of the boy carrying food across the moor?

a. he sympathizes with the convict
b. he plans on making a case of it later, claiming that he could not report it since it would be a violation of privacy to report on others’ activities
c. he feels the authorities have not done enough to stop the protests against him
d. the authorities will no longer listen to him

12. The hound accidentally went after Selden because:

a. he was a similar size and shape to Sir Henry
b. he was wearing clothes that smelled like Sir Henry
c. he was closer than Sir Henry, and so caught his scent first
d. Selden had let the hound loose

13. This is Holmes’s final clue that leads him to the motive behind the crime:

a. Hugo’s portrait
b. Sir Charles’s will
c. Rodger’s portrait
d. Laura Lyon’s letter

14. This was what made the hound look fierce and supernatural:

a. neon
b. phosphorus
c. potassium
d. argon

15. This was Stapleton’s name and formal career immediately before coming to the moor:

a. Vandeleur, embezzlement
b. Vandeleur, ran school
c. Fraser, ran school
d. Baskerville, entomology

16. Sir Henry’s fate was:

a. he is recovering by traveling
b. the hound caused permanent injury to his throat and he died three days later
c. in his fright at seeing the hound, he ran into Grimpen Mire and is presumed dead
d. he decided to leave most of his fortune to the Barrymores and return to Canada

The Hound of the Baskervilles - Questions/Vocabulary

Visit our partner PinkMonkey.com for more online Study Guides
Privacy Policy
All Content Copyright©TheBestNotes. All Rights Reserved.
No further distribution without written consent.
58 Users Online | This page has been viewed 313 times
This page was last updated on 5/12/2008 12:40:49 AM