Novel: Prescribed Novel Study
The novel section examines the prescribed novel, The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle. Questions test plot knowledge, character relationships, narrative technique, theme, and the conventions of detective fiction.
Know the chain of events
The case begins with Mary Morstan's visit about her father's disappearance and the pearls; it becomes a murder inquiry after Bartholomew Sholto is killed; the investigation leads to Jonathan Small, the Agra treasure, and the Andaman Islands. Keep the order clear.
Narrator and method
Watson narrates, so readers see Holmes from outside; this shapes suspense. Holmes reasons from details-footprints, thorns, the note-rather than guessing. The 'sign of four' is both a document and a clue to a pact.
Theme and context
Greed, loyalty, justice and colonial exploitation run through the novel. The treasure's origin and Tonga's portrayal need careful, text-based comment, not modern guesswork.
Worked example
Question: Why is the 'sign of four' important? Reasoning: the note bears four signatures, linking Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan and Dost Akbar to the Agra treasure and to Major Sholto's fear. It converts a missing-person case into a conspiracy and supplies a motive for murder. A strong answer names at least two signatories and explains the link.
Traps
Confusing Thaddeus with Bartholomew Sholto; forgetting that Mary is a client, not the detective; ignoring the flashback chapter; treating Holmes as magically omniscient.
Exam habit
Make a one-page timeline of crime, clue, revelation and resolution.