Sherlock Holmes: Two Plays
Before Reading
Activity 1
before reading
He was born before 1900.
He lives in London.
He is a great detective and he knows it.
He sometimes helps the police.
He smokes a pipe when he is thinking.
His friend helps him to solve problems.
He is a very clever man.
Activity 2
the three students
before reading
before reading
1 foggy
2 bank
3 impatient
4 world
5 unusual
6 solve
The hidden word is FAMOUS. It means well known.
Activity 4
before reading
Do not give the answers now, but ask students to
wait and see if their guesses were correct as they
read the plays. The correct answers are:
1 NO 2 NO 3 YES 4 NO 5 NO
A student called Gilchrist saw the papers on the
table, and came into Soames’s room through the
door. He put his watch on the chair, and copied the
paper. Suddenly he heard Soames come in, and ran
into the bedroom to hide. Later, when Soames went
out, a servant called Bannister said to Gilchrist, ‘You
can come out now.’ Gilchrist went quickly back to
his room, so Soames didn’t catch him. But Sherlock
Holmes knew the true story. When Sherlock Holmes
began to talk about it, Gilchrist said he was sorry.
While Reading
the red-heAded leAgue
while reading
© Oxford University Press
1 Jabez Wilson to Vincent Spaulding, about the
advertisement for the Red-Headed League.
2 Duncan Ross to Jabez Wilson, about Wilson’s red
hair.
3 Sherlock Holmes to Dr Watson, about the
advertisement for the Red-Headed League.
4 Sherlock Holmes to Jabez Wilson, about Vincent
Spaulding.
5 Dr Watson to Sherlock Holmes, about Holmes’s
questions to Vincent Spaulding.
6 Mr Merryweather to Dr Watson and Sherlock
Holmes, about the gold in the bank’s strong-room.
oxford bookworms library stage 1
while reading
1 Why did Mr Soames ask for Sherlock Holmes’s help?
Because he was worried about his college’s examination
papers.
2 Who brought Mr Soames’s tea in every afternoon?
Bannister.
3 What did Holmes ask Gilchrist for?
A pencil.
4 Who was the tallest of the three students?
Gilchrist.
5 Why was Daulat Ras worried?
He was worried about the examination.
6 What did Gilchrist leave behind the curtain?
A piece of mud.
7 What did Gilchrist’s letter to Soames say?
He wasn’t going to take the examination. He wanted to
leave England.
8 Why did Bannister want to help Gilchrist?
Bannister once worked for Gilchrist’s father.
We won’t find computer, supermarket, airport or
television, because these were not present in the
nineteenth century. We won’t find dollar because these
plays are set in England, not North America.
Activity 3
activities answers
1 + 7 John Clay used the name Vincent Spaulding
and got a job in Jabez Wilson’s shop.
2 + 5 Spaulding made a tunnel to the First Bank,
when Wilson was away from the shop.
3 + 8 Sherlock Holmes knew about the tunnel
because Spaulding’s trousers were dirty.
4 + 6 Duncan Ross tried to get away, but the police
were ready for him at the front door of the
bank.
Before reading activities (page 42)
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Stage 1
61 sherlock holmes: two plays
After Reading
Activity 1
Activity 6
after reading
activities answers
1 Bannister in The Three Students. Soames is asking
him about the key in the door of his room, and
Gilchrist’s watch is lying on a chair.
2 Mr Merryweather in The Red-Headed League. He,
Holmes, Watson and Jones of Scotland Yard are
sitting in the bank’s strong-room, waiting for the
robbers to come out of the tunnel.
3 Duncan Ross to himself. Wilson and Spaulding are
leaving his office.
Activity 2
after reading
Sherlock Holmes? Oh yes, he often wants me to help
him solve crimes. He’s more intelligent than I am, of
course. Sometimes he asks me to bring my gun with me,
because there are some very dangerous criminals in these
cases. Come and visit us at our rooms in Baker Street.
I’m often at the hospital, but Holmes is usually at home.
Activity 7
after reading
The word is WORRIED.
Activity 8
after reading
Open answers.
after reading
People: friend, an American, doctor, thief, detective
Things: newspaper, photographs, red hair,
advertisement, book, letter, trousers
Places: bank, shop, hospital, office, cellar, strong-room
Activity 3
after reading
Yesterday the police caught a dangerous thief and killer,
John Clay. Mr Jones, a Scotland Yard detective, told us:
‘He wanted to rob the First Bank, so he made a tunnel
from the cellar of a house nearby. But we knew about
his plan, so we waited for him in the strong-room.
When he came up through the floor, we caught him and
his friend. We’re very pleased to have John Clay safely
locked up. He isn’t going to be free for a very long time!
I want to say thank you to Sherlock Holmes – he gave us
a lot of help.’
Activity 4
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7
Activity 5
© Oxford University Press
after reading
Bannister did.
He was worried about Gilchrist.
To see Soames coming home.
Gilchrist’s running shoes.
after reading
Bannister: I want to talk to you about something, sir.
Gilchrist: Do you? All right then, what is it?
Bannister: You were in Mr Soames’s room just now, sir.
Gilchrist: How do you know that?
Bannister: Well, I saw your watch on the chair, sir.
Gilchrist: Oh, I left it there, did I?
Bannister: Yes. Did you copy the papers?
Gilchrist: Yes, I did, Bannister.
Bannister: Sir, you can’t take the exam now!
Gilchrist: Why not?
Bannister: Think of your father, sir! He was an honest
man, and you must be honest too.
Gilchrist: Yes, I must. All right, I’ll write to Mr Soames.
oxford bookworms library stage 1
62 sherlock holmes: two plays