The Best of Sherlock Holmes Questions and Answers
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  In the chapter "The Adventure of Beryl Coronet" in The Best of Sherlock Holmes, what was the best possible solution that Holmes was referring to? Why did Holmes think so?
  Sherlock Holmes makes this particular comment in regards to a note that Mary left behind for her uncle, Mr. Holder. In this note, she reveals that she was going away on account of a statement her...

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  What was Sherlock Holmes trying to establish when he told Mrs. Straker that he recollected the dress she had worn when he met her at Plymouth? Did Holmes really meet her at Plymouth?
  Sherlock Holmes is calculating in his use of deception. He employs trickery and misdirection for the purposes of gaining more information. In "Silver Blaze," Sherlock Holmes's conversation with...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  Why did Holmes deduce even before he had met Jacky that the boy was unusually intelligent?
  In the story "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire," Holmes is summoned to examine a case involving the second wife of a man named Ferguson. This wife, who is from Peru, has beaten Ferguson's son,...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  Which detail supports the inference that Holmes believes in the importance of reliable alliances when solving mysteries?
  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Best of Sherlock Holmes recounts some of the most iconic cases solved by Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is a noted recluse, married to the art of deduction. Holmes is obsessed...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  In your opinion, which is the best of all the Sherlock Holmes stories in terms of literary merit?
  I have always found The Hound of the Baskervilles to be the best Sherlock Holmes story in terms of literary merit. It seems like so much more than a detective novel. It breaks the pattern in many...

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  What was the one thing In Robert Ferguson's letter to Holmes which was not true? What evidence do we have of this later in the text?
  In his letter to Sherlock Holmes in "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire," Robert Ferguson claims that he is writing on behalf of someone else. Watson is taken in by Ferguson's subterfuge, but...

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  In The Sign of the Four, how does Sherlock Holmes make a good literary detective in relation to other detectives? What qualities does he have?  
  Sherlock Holmes makes a good literary detective in part because he is far from perfect. When The Sign of the Four begins, he is injecting himself with a seven-percent solution of cocaine, and he...

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  In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," what clever, logical deductions did Holmes make to arrive at the correct conclusion about the murderer and the weapon? Name and explain two of them.  
  Sherlock Holmes often explains his reasoning to Watson at the end of a tale, after the mystery has been solved and the guilty party is either dead or has been taken off to jail. Another good...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  Does sherlock Holmes actually need Watson's help?
  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's pairing of the eccentric and brilliant detective with the somewhat stuffy physician home from military service is one of the most successful in literature. Whether in the...

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  What are the facts Sherlock Holmes presented to Dr. Watson about the battered billycock in "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"?  
  The facts that Sherlock Holmes presented to Dr. Watson are that:1. There was a card on the goose's leg inscribed, "For Mrs. Henry Baker."2. The battered billycock hat had the initials H.B. in the...

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  How does Sherlock Homes contribute to the preservation of law and order in society?
  Sherlock Holmes contributes markedly to the preservation of law and order in his society because he solves cases that baffle others. His keen sense of logic and his astute skill in forensics...

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  In what ways do Doyle and Shakespeare present the foibles of human nature in Hamlet and The Best of Sherlock Holmes short stories?
  Doyle and Shakespeare both use eccentric but brilliant characters to represent the foibles of human nature in Hamlet and the Best of Sherlock Holmes through their egos. Although there do not seem...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  What are examples of how Sherlock Holmes uses his keen observation in either "A Scandal in Bohemia" or "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"?
  In "A Scandal in Bohemia," the first story in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock shows off his powers of observation by telling Watson that he's gained weight, he's...

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   Please discuss how Sherlock Holmes, the highly intelligent detective in various stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, contributes to the preservation of law and order in society.Please explain at least 6-7 lines from "the Best of Sherlock Holmes"?
  The highly astute Sherlock Holmes has an uncanny ability to reason, acute knowledge of forensics, and a talent for disguise that greatly contributes to the maintenance of law and order. Holmes's...

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  How does Sir Arthur Conan Doyle explore the genre of the Victorian detective story in his Sherlock Holmes stories? Include:-Quotations -Introduction; the social setting, jack the ripper
  Well, to be honest, mostly he does not do so—because the Victorian detective story didn't really exist as a coherent genre. There were mysteries a plenty, but they were more part of the larger...

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  Currently, the address of 221B Baker Street is in London (Westminster) NW1 6XE.  What would the full address have been in Victorian times?
  221b Baker St, Marylebone, London W1 was the official address provided by the Museum itself. This would have been the place in 1881 where Holmes, then unemployed, met Dr. John Watson and shortly...

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  Critics have stated that Sherlock Holmes became an icon among detective novel characters.  What factors made this true?
  Sherlock Holmes has many characteristics that distinguish him or even make him an icon among other detective novel characters. Certainly Arthur Conan Doyle's portrayal of the detective's superb...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  What was Julia Stoner scheduled to do a fortnight after she died in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"?    
  Julia Stoner was scheduled to get married a fortnight after she died. Helen Stoner comes to hire Sherlock Holmes because her twin sister died and she is afraid that she is next. She hears strange...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  Why does Mrs. Sinclair think that the opuim house is a terrible place?
  I think that you must be referring to Mrs. St. Clair in the story "The Man with the Twisted Lip." To me, Mrs. St. Clair only really thinks the opium den is terrible because of what she thinks has...

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• The Best of Sherlock Holmes
  Explain how Watson's habit of embellishing both helps and hinders a reader's attempt to solve the mystery before Holmes does.
  If you've ever seen the Sherlock Holmes movies you'll notice a stark contrast between Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal and the Detective on display in the books. In the books we have Watson describing...

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