Chapter: 15. The Crown Of Diamonds
Practice Paper: The Crown of Diamonds
A. Answer these questions.
What valuable public item did the “noblest personages in England” offer as collateral to Mr. Holder? Besides Mr. Holder, Arthur, and Mary, who was the only other person who frequently visited the house at Streatham? What specific part of the Crown of Diamonds was found missing after Mr. Holder rushed into his sitting room? Why did Mr. Holder go to Sherlock Holmes for help, and whose advice was he following? Describe Sherlock Holmes’s actions immediately upon reaching Fairbank, Mr. Holder’s house. B. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
“It is unlikely that he would have made any sound if he had intended to steal the crown.”
a. Who said this?
b. What specific sound was being referred to?
c. How did this statement challenge the police’s initial theory about the sound? “Burnwell is a man with a bad character and no morals who led Mary to believe that he was in love with her.”
a. Who said this, and to whom?
b. What action of Burnwell’s does this statement explain?
c. What does this reveal about Mary’s true relationship with Burnwell? C. Think and answer.
The story uses the word “misgivings” to describe Mr. Holder’s feelings about taking the crown home. If you were in Mr. Holder’s position, what specific “misgivings” might you have had about keeping such a valuable item in your personal residence? Sherlock Holmes often observes small details that others overlook. Discuss how the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, builds suspense and leads the reader to question Arthur’s guilt, even when the evidence seems to point to him. Arthur shows immense loyalty and love for Mary, even at his own expense. Do you think his decision to protect Mary by remaining silent was a noble one, or was it misguided? Justify your answer. 
Practice Paper