English

How did Holmes' digressions sometimes prove in the end to have a bearing on the matter on hand? - English Elective - NCERT

Advertisements
Advertisements

Question

Examine the structure of the short story ‘Adventure of the Three Garridebs’ with the help of this framework

  • The narrator of the story
  • Introduction of the topic of the story
  • Introduction of the main characters in the plot
  • Development of the plot
  • Climax
  • Resolution of the mystery.
Answer in Brief
Advertisements

Solution

  • The introduction of the story: The story opens with a faint reflection of the climax. Watson, the narrator, does not give the climax entirely. However, he does tell the reader how the experience will be in the end.
  • Introduction of the topic of the story: The narrator does not hit the nail on the head, he rather lets the reader explore the story as the situation unfolds itself. However, Watson does not make the reader wait for too long.

  • Introduction of the main characters in the plot: Watson, the narrator takes the hold of the narration in the very beginning introducing the reader to the story. However, we get to know him only once he introduces the reader to him. And it is when Holmes addresses Watson, we come to know the name of the narrator. For it is a first-person narrative, we have to wait and move as the narrator describes all the events.

  • Development of the plot: In the beginning, Holmes is talking about a person with a particular surname and that there is a need to find a person with the surname. Then he tells Watson to wait for the person who has assigned the task to the detective as Holmes wants the person in question himself to explain the situation to his friend. Then arrives, John Garrideb of Kansas, who explains the reason for why is there a need of another surname. And it is made clear why Nathan approached Holmes for the task as it was John who approached Nathan for the same reason. And then further the story unfolds and with it is the truth explored.

  • Climax: The climax is built as the series of events are described. There are clues laid for the reader to guess, yet the narrator does not give away the resolution. The reader guesses the possibilities. Ultimately a stage comes where the story reaches its height when Holmes is sure of the identity of the suspect and is sure of evil intentions and yet his motives are not clear. It is all to be discovered by the reader as he/she advances to the final tragedy.

  • Resolution of the mystery: The resolution unleashes a comical tragedy. The reader is surprised and feels funny as well, thanks to the witty detective that leads the case. A faint reflection of the emotions that the reader might go in the ending was already given in the beginning, yet the resolution was unknown. It is not just the tragedy revealed but along with it is revealed the other side of the main character Sherlock Holmes and his friendship with Dr. Watson. There is more than the expected revealed. The digressions of Holmes are justified in the end as well. It was a mystery resolved in the end.

shaalaa.com
Writing Skills
  Is there an error in this question or solution?
Chapter 1.4: The Adventure of the Three Garridebs - Appreciation [Page 54]

APPEARS IN

NCERT English (Elective) - Woven Words
Chapter 1.4 The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
Appreciation | Q 1 | Page 54

RELATED QUESTIONS

Why were the children confused about their grandfather’s claims about the war?


How was the country affected by the war?


How does the hyphen and font help to advance the theme?


Which line(s)/stanza(s) do you enjoy most? Why?


Comment on the imagery used in the poem.


How does the seemingly small incident described in the story reveal a significant truth about life?


What is the conflict and twist to the short story “Heart and Hands”?


I was laid________for three weeks with a broken leg.


Write a composition (350–400 words) on the following:

You had booked a ticket on an early morning train. However, you woke up late and missed it. You then decided to run to catch a bus to the next station, where you hoped to catch up with the train. Narrate the entire event, including how you felt, the effort you made, and how you finally caught the train. What did you learn from this stressful experience?


Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
(Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Robert Frosty)

(i) Who is ‘I’ referred to in the extract? Which season of the year is it? What evidence is there in the poem to support your answer? 

(ii) Who has made him aware of his mistake? How does it make the speaker aware of his mistake? What does it seem to say? 

(iii) What are the three sounds heard? 

(iv) What has been said earlier by the poet about the owner of the woods? 

(v) What does lovely, dark and deep suggest? What is the underlying significance in the repetition of the last two lines of the extract? Mention the moral tag that the poet attaches to the poem. 


Fill in the blank with an appropriate word: 

The paper dart went gliding  ______  the air.


Give an account of how Napoleon and his companions were unjust and cruel in their behavior towards the other animals.


Talk with your family members about elderly people who you have been intimately connected with and who are not there with you now.

Write a short description of someone you liked a lot.


How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?


The constellation Orion is associated with the legend of Osiris, the god of the afterlife.

Find out the astronomical descriptions and legends associated with the following.

(i) Ursa Major (saptarishi mandala)

(ii) Polaris (Dhruva tara)

(iii) Pegasus (winged horse)

(iv) Sirius (The dog star)

(v) Gemini (Mithuna)


What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?


The sound words


Combine the following sets of ideas to show the contrast between them.

(i) The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered.

(ii) The artist knows the way within.


Locate the lines in the text that support the title. 'The Ailing Planet'.


Use the phrase in a sentence of your own, after finding out its meaning.

blast off


What is a space shuttle? Name the shuttle which took Kalpana in space.


What do you know about Kalpana Chawla’s education? How did she become an American citizen?


Answer the following question:

“It was to be a battle of champions.” (8)
(i) What qualities did the two champions have? Pick out words and phrases from the paragraph above this line in the text and write them down.

Mongoose

Cobra
(a) ________ (a) ________
(b) ________ (b) ________
(c) ________ (c) ________

(ii) What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the fight?


Complete the following web diagram.


If you see someone lonely or sad you will – 

  1. _______________________
  2. _______________________
  3. _______________________

Refer to a standard dictionary and find out the meaning of the following word:

Reporter


Make a paraphrase of the poem ‘Leisure’ in your own simple words. Write it down in your notebook.


Consult the thesaurus and note down synonyms for 'ordinary'.

  1. One synonym of the ordinary is banal.
    Eg. He finds English poetry very banal.
  2. Similarly, find the meaning and make use of the words trite, routine, cliched, and regular in your own sentences.

Write down the consequences of the following occurrences with the help of the play.

Mayor Peter Stockmann persuades Mr. Hovstad and Mr. Billing from printing the article.


Divide the class into groups of 4-6. Each group selects for itself, one of the difficult situations listed below. Each group imagines itself to be in that situation.

(a) marooned on an island

A group of passengers is marooned on an island in the middle of the ocean.

(b) lost in a forest

A group of pilgrims walking through a thick jungle have lost their way.

(c) stranded on the highway

A team of players from an office has got down at the wrong place on a highway at night. It is a lonely spot.

  1. Describe their surroundings in 4-5 sentences.
  2. Write the reactions of the companions using exclamations.
  3. Using your imagination, write what is the only ray of hope for them.
  4. Two members of the group are going out to try to get help. They can take any five things with them. Write what they choose, and why they choose it.

Write a letter from Abdul to the Emperor, requesting the Emperor to give Abdul a suitable job.


Write in your own words:-

Which two facts show that the poet is confident of overcoming his irrational feeling?


Maintain a diary at least for a week. Write about your interactions with other people in your surroundings in 3-4 lines. Also write whether you find the interactions happy unhappy, satisfactory-unsatisfactory, enjoyable-stressful, etc.


Write the reason in your own words.

After the song, Ostad had vanished.


Expand the theme in a write -up of about 20 lines.

‘Rumours are spread by fools and accepted by greater fools’.


Prepare a set of questions to interview-

a person who has recently scaled Mt. Everest.


Write a news report on the ‘Environment Day’ celebrated in your school.


Create a poster for the following.

You are Raja/ Ranjani. Draft a poster to create awareness about the harmful effects of using plastics, in not more than 50 words.


Fill in the blank by choosing the preposition from the option.

The frogs jumped ______ the well.


Fill up the withdrawal form to withdraw Rs.200 from your Savings Account.


Write about yourself using the following expressions (do you play in the park, go to bed late, fuss over food, study hard, etc.?)

always frequently usually
often sometimes rarely

For example - I always do my work neatly.

  1. ____________
  2. ____________
  3. ____________
  4. ____________
  5. ____________

Two stories got mixed up. Sort them out and write them in the appropriate boxes.

  • We thought the lion had eaten someone.
  • Suddenly the kite lifted him off the ground and took him over the treetops.
  • He saw a shoe in the lion's cage.
  • Finally, the kite brought him back to the park.
  • Our class had gone to the zoo.
  • Puran was flying the brand new kite in the park.
  • Some children stood and screamed, and some ran to the Director of the zoo.
  • Puran was frightened and excited.
  • The lion had not eaten anyone, because the shoe was one of the lion's toys.

Punctuate the following sentence.

the dog wags its tail when its pleased but a cat waves its tail when its angry.


Answer the question by looking at the picture.

Example: What is happening in picture 5?

The girl is diving into the water.
What are the boys doing in picture 1?
______ are ______

Complete the following stories by using an appropriate word from the box given below –

my, his, he, your

Sitting on a tree a crow was enjoying a piece of bread. A hungry fox wanted to have that bread. said very sweetly, “Dear brother, I've heard that ______ voice is very sweet. Please sing a song for me.” The foolish crow opened ______ beak and the piece of bread fell down. The fox picked it up in ______ mouth and ran away.


How is school education in the village different from that in the city?


Lack of adequate financial resources and sponsorships often affect sportspersons. How is this evident from Mary Kom’s life?


Given below are hints about a renowned British science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. Write a biographical sketch on the author in not more than 80-100 words based on the information given below.

Name Arthur C. Clarke
Pen names Charles Willis, E.G.O’Brien
Birth 16 Dec 1917, England
Career novelist, television host, inventor, and film screenwriter.
Genre Science-Fiction, Television series, Film screenplay
Awards and Honours 1961, Kalinga Prize - an award given by UNESCO for popularising science Hugo and Nebula Awards Chairman of the Interplanetary Society Highest Civil Honour of Sri Lanka – ‘Sri Lankabhimanya 2005’
Titles Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov – ‘Big Three’ of Science Fiction ‘The Prophet of the Space Age’
Famous Works Childhood’s End 2001: A Space Odyssey Rendezvous with Rana

Bring out the people’s reaction to the noises from the surgery.


What angered the author?


How does nature communicate with the poet?


You have planned to organize a health camp at school. Write a letter to the Manager of a supermarket requesting sponsorship for the event. Name the event and explain how it will benefit both the community as well as the supermarket.


Write a short note on your mother tongue and the attempts you make to study it well.


Write a composition (in approximately 400-450 words) on the following subject:

During the summer break, you joined a group of young people who read to the elderly at a senior citizens home. Narrate your experience of reading to the elderly and the interactions you had with them. How did this experience impact you?


Miss Meadows’ need for societal acceptance makes her overlook Basil’s insensitivity and shortcomings. Discuss with reference to the short story. The Singing Lesson is about 200-250 words.


Write a composition (300-350 words) of the following:

Describe the locality in which you live. Give details of the things you see and hear as you walk around your locality. What do you especially like about the place?


Share
Notifications

Englishहिंदीमराठी


      Forgot password?
Use app×