illustration of Sherlock Holmes in profile looking across a cityscape with a magnifying glass in the distance and a speckled band visible through the glass

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes identifies crucial clues to solve the mystery of Julia Stoner's death: a ventilator connecting her room to Dr. Roylott's, a dummy bell-rope,...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes uses deductive reasoning to solve the mystery of Julia Stoner's death and prevent her sister Helen's murder. Key clues include Dr. Roylott's...

17 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Dr. Grimsby Roylott is depicted as a violent and aggressive man with a history of abusive behavior. His fate is sealed when his own scheme backfires; attempting to murder his stepdaughter with a...

8 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Holmes initially considers Julia Stoner's last words about a "speckled band" a potential clue pointing to gypsies, but he is more intrigued by the mysterious...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Julia Stoner's life and mysterious death in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" involve her living with her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, in a decaying mansion. She died shortly before her...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In Dr. Roylott's bedroom, Holmes discovers several clues: a saucer of milk, a leash tied to a bell-pull, a bed clamped to the floor, and a ventilator connecting to the adjacent room. These findings...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle unfolds with Helen Stoner visiting Sherlock Holmes, fearing for her life after her sister's mysterious death. The rising action includes...

6 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Helen Stoner is initially presented as terrified. However, it soon becomes clear that the situation in which she finds herself would terrify anyone and that...

5 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Holmes finds several suspicious details in Helen's story, including her account of a whistling sound and a metallic clang before her sister's death, which she cannot confirm due to the stormy night....

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The red herrings in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" include references to a band of gypsies and to a baboon that is kept at Stoke Moran.

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Sherlock Holmes notices several suspicious details in Julia's room, including a bell-pull that doesn't work, a ventilator connecting to the next room, and a bed clamped to the floor. These anomalies...

4 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

On the night that Holmes and Watson stay in Helen’s sister’s room in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” the two men hear the same low whistling sound that Helen had described. However, only Holmes...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Dr. Roylott's death in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is primarily due to his own malevolent actions. His plan to murder his stepdaughters using a venomous snake backfires when Sherlock Holmes...

6 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Dr. Roylott's motive for his crimes is financial gain; he wants to prevent his stepdaughters from marrying to avoid paying their inheritance. His plan backfires when Sherlock Holmes uncovers his...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

This statement means that what goes around, comes around. Dr. Roylott has lived by violence, and now he has died by violence, a fitting end to the life of a thoroughly evil man.

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Sherlock Holmes asked Dr. Watson to carry his revolver when they traveled to investigate the case, as a precaution against Dr. Roylott, who had shown his formidable strength and violent temper by...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The dummy bell rope, ventilator, and anchored bed in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" are part of Dr. Roylott's plan to murder his daughters using a trained snake. The snake enters through the...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Before Julia Stoner's death, she heard a low whistling sound at around 3 AM, which she reported to her sister, Helen. On the night of her death, Julia mentioned these sounds, speculating they might...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The "speckled band" in the story's title refers to a poisonous snake, specifically a swamp adder, used by Dr. Roylott to murder Julia Stoner. Julia's delirious description of the snake as a "speckled...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," the setting shifts between London and Surrey, England. The story begins in Sherlock Holmes's quarters on Baker Street, where Helen Stoner consults Holmes. The...

8 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The speckled band from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" refers to a fictional snake, but in the context of the story, it is a swamp adder, described by Holmes as the deadliest snake in India.

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Holmes brings a "long, thin cane" that he places on the bed next to himself and Watson in Ms. Stoner's room. Holmes also has a box of matches and a candle...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Helen initially believes her sister Julia's death was caused by fright from mysterious circumstances. However, the true cause is revealed to be a venomous...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes resolves the mystery of Julia Stoner's death by discovering that her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, used a trained swamp adder, referred to...

5 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Foreshadowing in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" occurs through various clues, such as the mention of Dr. Roylott's exotic pets, the dangerous swamp adder, and the strange whistling sounds heard...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Sherlock Holmes in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is portrayed as highly observant, logical, and compassionate. He uses his keen powers of deduction to solve the mystery and shows empathy...

4 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Helen Stoner visits Sherlock Holmes due to her fear that she might be murdered like her twin sister Julia. Both sisters were engaged to be married, which...

12 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes is the detective, and Dr. Watson is his assistant. Helen Stoner seeks their help due to fears for her life after her sister's mysterious...

18 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Dr. Roylott attempted to murder Helen Stoner by using a deadly snake, the swamp adder, to bite her in her sleep. He facilitated this by creating a ventilation shaft between their rooms and using a...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Holmes needs precise details about Helen's sister's death to show he is attentive and to break up Helen's long back story, making it more conversational. This technique helps to keep the reader...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes deduces that Dr. Roylott used a poisonous snake to murder Julia Stoner and attempted to do the same to Helen. Holmes discovers key evidence,...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," the central conflict revolves around Helen Stoner's fear that her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, intends to murder her, as he did her...

4 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," the Roylott family lost its wealth through a succession of poor heirs who, across the span of a century, squandered the family fortune, leaving the family in...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The line "I can not say this death will weigh very heavily upon my conscience" is spoken by Sherlock Holmes, who feels no guilt for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death. Holmes had provoked the snake Roylott...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Holmes is interested in the ventilator because he suspects it is part of the method used to commit the crime. He deduces that the ventilator connects to the...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Dr. Roylott is depicted as a violent and intelligent suspect. His violent history includes beating a man to death and having a volatile temper, evident in his...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Dr. Grimesby Roylott visits Sherlock Holmes to confront him about his stepdaughter Helen Stoner's consultation. Roylott's interaction with Holmes is...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Dr. Roylott kept two exotic mammals: a cheetah and a baboon. These animals were part of his collection of Indian animals, reflecting his passion for such...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Holmes wants Miss Stoner to temporarily stay in her room to avoid arousing Dr. Roylott's suspicion and potential violence after she consulted Holmes. He knew about the ventilator because Helen's...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The poisonous swamp adder was in the bed with Julia and/or Helen on three nights in a row before it killed Julia. It also spent an entire night with Helen but did not bite her. We do not know whether...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," the gypsies are used as a red herring by being initially suspected of causing Julia Stoner's death. The victim's last words about a "speckled band" and the...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Dr. Roylott opposes his stepdaughter's marriage because it would reduce his access to her inheritance. To prevent this, he devises a plan to murder her using a venomous snake, ensuring her death...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The fact that Mary's death was caused by asphyxiation, and not by poison as had been believed, is key to understanding the case. In addition, her body being in the same position as her sister Julia's...

6 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Helen Stoner describes her stepfather, Dr. Roylott, as a violent and quarrelsome man who became a terror in their village after moving to Stoke Moran. His aggressive behavior, coupled with the...

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Sherlock Holmes makes two key observations about his client, Helen Stoner. First, he deduces she traveled by train and dog-cart due to the train ticket stub in her glove and mud spatters on her...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Helen Stoner heard the whistle because she had moved into the room where her sister Julia died, due to repairs in her own room. The whistle, used by Dr. Roylott to train a snake, was originally heard...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The revelation of the truth about Julia's death brings relief and sadness to Miss Helen Stone. She is relieved because her stepfather, Dr. Roylott, who posed a threat to her life, is dead, allowing...

1 educator answer

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The "speckled band" is a deadly swamp adder snake used by Dr. Grimesby Roylott to murder Julia Stoner. Holmes discovers the snake's role in the mystery and indirectly causes Roylott's death by...

3 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Sherlock Holmes earns a living primarily through payments from wealthy clients or official institutions, like governments and royalty, allowing him to take on cases for poorer clients without charge....

2 educator answers

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," verbal irony is evident in Sherlock Holmes' interactions with Dr. Grimesby Roylott. Holmes responds with ironic politeness to Roylott's threats, such as...

1 educator answer