Investigating Julia’s death in ‘The Speckled Band’ | English

Starter quiz

In the story 'The Speckled Band', what did Helen hear on the night Julia died?
- A trumpet.
- A cheetah's hiss.
- A whistle and metallic sound. ✓
What did Roylott do on the night Julia died in the story 'The Speckled Band'?
- Stayed out of the house.
- Went up to his bedroom early. ✓
- Locked Julia in her room.
After hearing about Dr. Roylott's past behaviour from Helen Stoner, which word best describes Roylott?
- Violent ✓
- Meticulous
- Intelligent
In the story 'The Speckled Band', what will happen to the money that Julia and Helen's mother bequeathed to Roylott if the two girls marry?
- It will have to be saved for the girls' children.
- Roylott can use it for himself since their husbands will provide income.
- Roylott would no longer have access to a sum of the money. ✓
In the story 'The Speckled Band', what pets did Roylott keep?
- Mice.
- Cats and dogs.
- A cheetah and baboon. ✓
In 'The Speckled Band' , which character has a motive for killing Julia Stoner?
- Helen Stoner.
- Julia's husband-to-be.
- Dr. Roylott. ✓
- John Watson.

What does sinister mean?
- The person guilty for a crime.
- The reason someone commits a crime.
- Evil or harmful. ✓
In 'The Speckled Band', what sound was heard by both Julia and Helen Stoner?
- A howl of wind.
- A low whistle. ✓
- The doctor's secret phone call.
What will Sherlock do after meeting Helen Stoner and learning about the death of her sister in 'The Speckled Band'?
- Get breakfast with Helen to ask her more questions.
- Consult the police report of Julia's death.
- Visit Stoke Moran. ✓
In 'The Speckled Band', why does Sherlock Holmes want to go to Stoke Moran?
- To confront Roylott.
- To look over the bedrooms. ✓
- To question the band of people that live on the estate.
Thinking about the story 'The Speckled Band', what concrete evidence do we have to suggest Helen is in danger?
- She also heard the whistle noise that Julia reported hearing before she died. ✓
- She was not liked by Dr. Roylott all of her life.
- Her sister told her that she would be the next target of the speckled band.
What is Dr. Roylott's possible motive for wanting to kill both the Stoner daughters in the story 'The Speckled Band'?
- He wants the house to himself.
- He may be in vulnerable financial situation if the girls marry. ✓
- The girls have chosen to marry men who are friends with his enemy.

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It is likely that Julia Stoner’s death has a sinister explanation to it
Doctor Roylott is a suspect in the death of Julia Stoner as he has a clear motive
There are several pieces of evidence to consider in the case
Holmes must weigh up the evidence to make a plausible explanation about what happened to Julia Stoner

Each piece of evidence can be looked at in isolation when thinking about the crime.

Question your students' explanations to help them acknowledge where they have failed to consider certain pieces of evidence.

Sinister - If something is sinister, it is evil or harmful.
Plausible - A plausible explanation for something is a likely or fair reason for something.
Suspect - A suspect is a person thought to be guilty of a crime.
Motive - A motive is a reason for doing something.
Guilty - A guilty person is a person that is responsible for a wrongdoing.