Sherlock

The Sign ofHolmes:

Four The Sign of Four

to Activities
DOMINOES Four
Dominoes

Key
BEFORE READING WORD WORK
1 Sherlock Holmes e b nervous

Activity
Dr Watson d c curtains
Miss Morstan a d chest
Thaddeus Sholto f e bodyguards

Answers
Major Sholto c f divide
Mordecai Smith g g painting
Jonathan Small h h terrified
Tonga b i breathe
2 Sentences a, b and c are all true. j nodded
GUESS WHAT
Activity pages 12–13 Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers
READING CHECK now. They will find out as they read that:
b3 c3 d2 e1 f2 g3 a, d and e happen in the next chapter
WORD WORK
b telegram g received Activity pages 28–29
c waste h situation READING CHECK
d retired i impatiently B2 c3 d1 e2 f3
e governess j souvenirs WORD WORK
f fingerprint 1 a thorn d laboratory
GUESS WHAT b city e twins
Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers c ladder f measure
now. They will find out as they read that: 2 b tar f examine
The things that happen in the next chapter are: a 3, b 1, c 6, d 5, e c enormous g suggest
2, f 4 d crouch down h expect
e space
Activity pages 12–13 GUESS WHAT
READING CHECK Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers
b F (he reads about Major Sholto’s death) now. They will find out as they read that the answers are:
c F (he thinks Captain Morstan visited Major Sholto) a1, b3 and c2
d T
e T Activity pages 36–37
f F (he doesn’t understand why it is important) READING CHECK
g T 1 a6 b2 c5 d3 e1 f4
h T 2 b true
WORD WORK c true (for Sherlock Holmes)
1 servant/solve/ugly/gentleman/whips/revolver/lamps/crosses/ d false (they travel by cab)
passages/sign e false (he isn’t interested in her money)
2 b gentleman g lamps f true
c revolver h whips g true
d passages i ugly WORD WORK
e crosses j servant 1
f sign
GUESS WHAT C A N D L E S F W O D S
Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers F T H P U N I S H T R E
now. They will find out as they read that:
b, c and e happen in the next chapter S T E U N T R E A D A R
Activity pages 20–21 O A S S O C I A T E S G
READING CHECK W C S J E S F O Z S N E
1 An Indian servant takes Holmes, Watson and Miss Morstan along
a dark passage to a room, where a short, ugly man is waiting for U K D R A I N P I P E A
them. He looks about thirty years old. The man introduces himself
as Major Sholto’s son, Thaddeus Sholto. He explains that Captain Y S T A N S U R E Y I N
Morstan died by accident after an argument with Major Sholto T U R K Y I L M A Z P T
about some treasure which they had acquired in India. Sholto
and his servant buried Captain Morstan’s body and said nothing O K I N T R O D U C E T
to the police. Sholto tells Thaddeus and his brother Bartholomew
about Captain Morstan’s death and the Indian treasure. Thaddeus 2 b drainpipe
goes on to explain how he and his brother searched the house c punish
for a dark hairy man, but found only a footprint. Now, after some d candles
time, Bartholomew has found the treasure. Thaddeus Sholto says e attacks
that they must go to Bartholomew’s house to ask for their part of f associates
the treasure. g tread
2 a2 b1 c3 d6 e7 f5 g4 h introduce

DOMINOES
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 Sherlock
The Sign ofHolmes:
Four The Sign of Four

to Activities
DOMINOES Three
Dominoes three

Key
GUESS WHAT g False (Holmes offers Jonathan Small a whisky and a
Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers cigarette)

Activity
now. They will find out as they read that the answers are: h False (she was very calm and not troubled)
ahj, bgl, cei and dfk WORD WORK

Answers
b fire e speed
Activity pages 42–43 c furious f companion
READING CHECK d race
b2 c1 d2 e2 f1 g3 GUESS WHAT
WORD WORK Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers
b coal e exhausted now. They will find out as they read that the answers are:
c launch f committed a1 b3 c2 d2 e3
d leader
GUESS WHAT Activity pages 70–71
Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers READING CHECK
now. They will find out as they read that the answers are: 1 a3 b1 c6 d2 e4 f5 g9 h8 i7
a Wiggins arrives at Baker Street with ten or more other boys. 2 a Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar, Jonathan Small
b Holmes asks the Baker Street boys to find the Aurora. b For the murder of Achmet. For life.
c Mordecai Smith is not found. c Major Sholto and Captain Mostan.
d Watson takes Toby back to his owner. d Playing cards.
e Mrs Hudson is worried about Sherlock Holmes. e Two maps of the Agra fort.
f Major Sholto
Activity pages 48–49 g With the help of Tonga.
READING CHECK WORD WORK
b The boys are dressed in dirty clothes. 1
c Holmes explains that the Aurora is a black boat.
d Holmes tells the boys to search the banks. M A R G L F O R T D
e Jonathan Small’s associate kills people with poisoned thorns. E R E B E L S P U I
f People from the Andaman Islands are very short.
g Watson falls asleep in his chair. R D X D E F E N D S
h Watson decides to visit Miss Morstan in Camberwell.
i Miss Morstan is worried about Thaddeus Sholto. C S U T A U H T T G
j Holmes talks to himself in a strange way. H C O U S I N S R U
WORD WORK
b disappointed e natives A P P L U N G E I I
c cannibals f delays
d thrilled g muttering N D S U W I A I C S
GUESS WHAT T G G U I L T Y K E
Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers
now. They will find out as they read that the answers are: F E S J E W E L S D
a4 b1 c5 d2 e3 F I N A N C I A L S
Activity pages 56–57 2 b disguised h cousins
READING CHECK c rebels i plunge
1 b ‘Is Mr Sherlock Holmes here?’ d jewels j gate
c ‘Do you have a revolver?’ e guilty k defend
d ‘Are you all right?’ f financial l merchant
e ‘Perhaps you’d like a glass of whisky?’ g trick
f ‘Your friend Mr Holmes is a wonderful man.’ WHAT NEXT?
2 a2 b4 c5 d1 e6 f3 1 Open answers.
WORD WORK 2 Open answers.
1 crew/repairs/whisky/cigar/wig/tower/remind/certain/give up
2 b wig f whisky Project A pages 72–73
c give up g certain 1 a Major John Sholto
d repairs h tower b Yesterday evening
e remind i crew c At his home – Pondicherry Lodge
GUESS WHAT d 68 years old
Encourage students to guess but do not tell them the answers e His sons
now. They will find out as they read that the answers are: f He’d fallen seriously ill
a and c g Because of his very poor health
h For five years
Activity pages 62–63 i He worked as an officer in the British army in India and the
READING CHECK Andaman Islands
b True j His twin sons – Thaddeus and Bartholomew
c False (he thinks he can see a dog)
d True
e False (he shoots a poisoned thorn)
f True

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 Sherlock
The Sign ofHolmes:
Four The Sign of Four

to Activities
DOMINOES Three
Dominoes three

Key
2 Possible answer: 2 Devil’s Island is one of three islands in the Caribbean Sea near
At about midnight last night Mr Bartholomew Sholto was French Guiana. In 1852 a prison was opened on Devil’s Island – in

Activity
discovered dead by the famous detective Sherlock Holmes in the Caribbean Sea near French Guiana – by the French Emperor
his room at his home, Pondicherry Lodge, in Norwood, south Napoleon III.
London. He was 32 years old. He was alone when he died. Mr From 1852 to 1938 over 80,000 French prisoners were sent to

Answers
Sholto had recently discovered some valuable Indian treasure in the island. Many were never seen again. A lot died of terrible
the house. It is believed that he was murdered in order to steal illnesses. Few prisoners escaped. The only ways out were
this treasure. He had lived in Pondicherry Lodge since his father, through the jungle or by boat.
Major John Sholto, died. Years ago Major Sholto hid the treasure In 1854 a new law meant that Devil’s island prisoners had to stay
in a secret room in the house. Mr Sholto leaves one twin brother on in French Guiana for the same time again as they had been in
behind him – Thaddeus. prison – or for life if they had been there for over eight years.
3 a Just after the sun went down. In 1885 a new law meant that criminals who were guilty of a
b On the launch the Aurora in the river Thames. number of smaller crimes were sent to the island, too. A few
c He was shot dead by Holmes and Watson and he fell into the women were also sent to French Guiana. The idea was for them
river. to marry some of the men after they left prison. In 1907 this plan
d His friend, Jonathan Small, Mordecai Smith – the captain of was stopped.
the Aurora – and a small boy. In 1895, the French army captain Alfred Dreyfus was sent to
e He had tried to kill Holmes and Watson with poisoned thorns. Devil’s Island on January 5th as an enemy of France. He was
f He had killed Bartholomew Sholto with a poisoned thorn and innocent.
taken the treasure from him with Johnathan Small. A plan to send women prisors to French Guiana was stopped in
g He had helped Johnathan Small to escape from the Andaman 1907.
islands. In 1938 the French government stopped sending prisoners to
h His friend, Johnathan Small, Mordecai Smith, the small boy, Devil’s Island, and in 1952 the prison was closed. Most of the
and the empty treasure chest. prisoners went to France, but some decided to stay in French
4 Open answer. Guiana.
3 Open answers.
Project B pages 74–76
1
Timeline of the Andaman Islands’ History
200 BC People were living on the Andaman islands.
The 9th century The name ‘Andaman’ was first used by Arab
travellers.
1290 Marco Polo wrote about the islands, but
perhaps only saw them from a ship.
1789 A prison was built by the British in Port Blair.
1796 The prison closed.
1839 Dr Helfer, a German visitor, was killed.
1858 A second British prison was built.
1872 Lord Mayo was murdered by an island
prisoner.
1896 The British started building a new prison –
the Cellular Jail.
1902 The Cellular Jail was finished.
1942 The Japanese army attacked the islands.
1945 The Japanese army left the islands.
1947 The Islands became part of newly independent
India
2001 The island population was about 315,000
2004 A 10 metre high Tsunami hit the Andaman
islands. 7,000 people were killed.

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