Vocabulary Chapter 5
audacious – bold
besmirched – smeared
dogged – followed
entailed – required
foil – a sword fighting maneuver; counteraction
imprudent – shrewd
inexplicable – unexplainable
invalid – injured or bedridden due to an illness
residue – the remainder
toff – a gentleman, dandy
venerable – elderly, patriarchal
Chapter 5 Questions
1. How does Holmes determine that the spy is not staying at the same hotel as Sir Henry?
2. Why is Sir Henry angry when Holmes and Watson arrive at the hotel?
3. What leads Holmes to suspect that the butler at Baskerville Hall, Barrymore, could be a suspect in the death or Sir Charles?
4. How does Holmes determine that Barrymore is not the spy in London?
5. What reason does Holmes give for not going to Baskerville Hall?
6. When Holmes hears the name of the bearded man from the cabman, what is his reaction?
Chapter 6
Vocabulary
injunctions – directions
bias – prejudice
arms – guns
exalted – elevated, exaggerated
austere – serious, grave
cobs – small horses
gnarled – rugged, tough
bracken – fern growth
mottled – multi-colored, blotchy
equestrian – having to do with horses
ferocity – violence
cairns – ancient stone-heaped monuments
tors – rocks on the top of a hill
malignancy – ill-will, hatred
crenelated – notched battlements
turrets – towers
mullioned – with strips on the window pane
balustraded – with hand rails and posts
buck – a high-spirited person
resonant – echoing
Chapter 6 Questions
1. What instructions does Sherlock Holmes give Watson as Watson is leaving for Baskerville Hall? What do these instructions imply about the relationship between Holmes and Watson?
2. How does the setting change as Watson, Sir Henry, and Dr. Mortimer travel to Baskerville Hall? How does the author use tone to set the moor apart from the surrounding countryside?
3. Why is the soldier patrolling the moor? How is this an example of foreshadowing?
4. What is Sir Henry’s first impression of Baskerville Hall?
5. What are the Barrymores’ plans now that Sir Charles is gone?
Chapter 7
Vocabulary
bittern – a heron-like bird
bog-hole – quicksand, swamp
credulous – trusting; believing
downs – grassy, rolling plains
efface – to erase
hamlet – a small village
irresolution – indecision
pallid – pale
ruse – a trick
sedges – swamp weeds
sinister – evil
supersede – replaced
uncanny – unlikely or strange
undulating – wavy
vexation – annoyance, irritation
wary – suspicious
wizened – shriveled
Chapter 7 Questions
1. What does Watson hear in the night? What happens when he asks Barrymore about the sound?
2. Why does Watson visit the Grimpen postmaster? What does he discover from this meeting?
3. Who does Watson meet on his way back from seeing the postmaster?
4. Describe the sound Watson hears as he is walking with Stapleton. What does Stapleton say that the sound is?
5. What does Miss Stapleton say to Watson? What mistake does she make when she first speaks to him?
6. What does Stapleton tell Watson that he did before coming to Devonshire?
7. Who meets up with Watson after he leaves the Stapleton’s house? Why do you think
8. Miss Stapleton tells Watson to disregard her earlier warning?
Chapter 8
Vocabulary
antiquarian – a person who studies the past
approbation – an approval
choleric – disagreeable
circumspectly – carefully
disapprobation – disapproval
effigy – an image, representation
exotic – unusual, charming
fortnight – two weeks
harried – persecuted
litigation – lawsuits
onerous – burdensome
stealthy – secret or sneaky
tête-à-tête – a close conversation
Chapter 8 Questions
1. Why can this chapter be called an epistolary one?
2. Near the beginning of the chapter, Watson writes, “the longer one stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into one’s soul.” (Pg. 73) What literary device is used by the author?
3. What is Stapleton’s reaction to the fact that Sir Henry and Miss Stapleton may be attracted to each other?
4. Who is Mr. Frankland? How does Watson describe him?
5. After reading about Mr. Frankland’s lawsuits, why do you think that the author decided to call his house Lafter Hall?
6. What happens to make Watson even more suspicious of Barrymore?
Chapter 9
1. How does Stapleton react when Sir Henry proposes marriage to his sister?
2. What explanation does Stapleton offer for his behavior?