Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Three Students - Questions and Answers

Reading Comprehension: The Adventure of the Three Students

1. What did Mr. Soames teach at the university?

   Mr. Soames taught the Greek language at the university.

2. What did the students have to do to get the scholarship?

   The students had to pass a competitive examination to obtain the scholarship (though in this case, someone illicitly copied the examination papers to try to gain an advantage).

3. Where were the three sheets of paper when Mr. Soames returned to his room?

   When he went out, he had left the papers on his desk. Upon returning, he discovered that one sheet was on the floor, one was near the window, and one remained on the table.

4. Write at least one thing that shows that someone had been there:

   Several clues showed an intruder had entered: a broken pencil lead, pencil shavings, a cut on the polished desk surface, and a small ball of black clay left behind.

5. Write sentences about the suspects:

   • Gilchrist: He is a good student and an accomplished athlete who excels at sports.
   • Daulat Ras: He works hard, but his Greek is very weak.
   • Miles McLaren: He is very clever, but he is undisciplined and hasn't done much work.

6. Where did Holmes go before seeing Mr. Soames the next morning?

   Sherlock Holmes visited all the local stationers to find the unique pencil that matched the lead left at the crime scene, and he inspected the university athletic grounds.

7. Reordered events that Gilchrist did when he copied the papers:

   1. He saw the key left in the keyhole.
   2. He entered Mr. Soames's room.
   3. He saw the sheets of paper when he walked past the window and came inside.
   4. He started copying the examination paper.
   5. He put his muddy athletic shoes on the table/chair.
   6. He heard Mr. Soames coming back.
   7. He grabbed his things, hid in the bedroom, and later escaped to the sports field to practice.

8. What had the student forgotten on the chair?

   He had forgotten his gloves on the chair.

9. What had the student done that same morning?

   He had been practicing the athletic long jump.

10. What did Bannister have to do with the whole case?

    Bannister, the servant, sat on the chair specifically to hide Gilchrist's forgotten gloves because he wanted to protect the young man, who was the son of his former employer.

Vocabulary

Scholarship:

A scholarship is an award of financial aid granted to a student to further their education.

College:

A college is an educational institution providing higher education or specialized professional training.

Alley (Alle):

A narrow passageway or lane between or behind buildings.

Clay:

Clay is a naturally occurring, fine-grained earthy material composed primarily of hydrous aluminum silicates.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Works by Conan Doyle

• The Terror of Blue John Gap
• The Horror of the Heights

Biography

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish physician and prolific writer. He is most renowned worldwide for creating the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes.

Summary of the Story

Mr. Soames, a university tutor who teaches Greek, is preparing a prestigious examination for a valuable scholarship. When returning to his rooms, he discovers that someone has intruded, displaced the secret exam papers, and left clues including pencil shavings and a broken lead. Soames suspects one of three students living above him: Gilchrist, Daulat Ras, or Miles McLaren.

After investigating the crime scene and interviewing the staff, Sherlock Holmes deduces that the culprit is Gilchrist. Holmes cracks the mystery by matching the pencil lead, the height needed to see through the window, the clay from the athletic jumping pit, and the gloves hidden by the servant Bannister. Confessing his mistake, Gilchrist chooses not to take the examination and accepts a post in South Africa instead.