"The Facts"
Passage from "The Mysterious Affair at Styles"
"Instinct is a marvelous
thing," mused Poirot.
"It can neither be explained nor ignored."
"You and Miss Howard seem to
know what you are talking about," I observed coldly. "Perhaps you
don't realize that I am still in the dark."
"Really? Is that so…?"
"Yes. Enlighten me, will
you?"
Poirot studied me attentively
for a moment or two. Then, to my intense surprise, he shook his head decidedly.
"No,
my friend."
"Oh, look here, why
not?"
"Two is enough for a
secret."
"Well, I think it is very
unfair to keep back facts from me."
"I am not keeping back
facts. Every fact that I know is in your possession. You can draw your own
deductions from them. This time it is a question of ideas."
"Still, it would be
interesting to know."
Poirot looked at me very
earnestly, and again shook his head.
"You see," he said
sadly, "you have no instincts."
"It was intelligence you
were requiring just now," I pointed out.
"The two often go
together," said Poirot enigmatically.
The remark seemed so utterly
irrelevant that I did not even take the trouble to answer it. But I decided
that if I made any interesting and important discoveries—as no doubt I should—I
would keep them to myself, and surprise Poirot with
the ultimate result.
There are times when it is one's
duty to assert oneself.
Reading
Comprehension Questions
1) The above passage is most likely an excerpt from which of
the following?
a.
a biography
b.
a detective novel
c.
a love story
d.
a philosophical essay
2) In the above passage, the character of Poirot
seems to think the narrator is which of the following?
a.
a brilliant man
b.
a bit dim-witted
c.
a dangerous rival
d.
a crucial ally
3) The passage above can best be described as which of the
following?
a.
quick dialogue
b.
extended monologue
c.
stream of consciousness
d.
narrator’s flashback
4) Which of the following most likely took place just after
the scene in the above passage?
a.
the narrator demanded that Poirot
tell him everything
b.
the narrator started looking for more clues on his own
c.
the narrator shared any information he had
d.
the narrator lost all interest in the task at hand
5) In the above passage, what does Poirot
mean when he says that instinct “can neither be explained or ignored”?
a.
instinct is a natural gift, just like being intelligent
b.
instinct is an acquired skill, just like walking and
running
c.
instinct is not real, but only a figment of our imaginations
d.
instinct is very important, even though it’s hard to
describe
6) According to Poirot, which of the
following is true about the clues that he and the narrator are finding?
a.
they both have the same clues, but are just drawing
different conclusions
b.
only he has the important clues, but refuses to share them
c.
the narrator has all of the clues, but Poirot
doesn’t need them
d.
neither has any clues yet, and only Poirot
will be able to find them
Answer Key
1)
The above
passage is most likely an excerpt from which of the following?
a.
a biography
b.
a detective novel
c.
a love story
d.
a philosophical essay
2)
In the above
passage, the character of Poirot seems to think the
narrator is which of the following?
a.
a brilliant man
b.
a bit dim-witted
c.
a dangerous rival
d.
a crucial ally
3)
The passage above
can best be described as which of the following?
a.
quick dialogue
b.
extended monologue
c.
stream of consciousness
d.
narrator’s flashback
4)
Which of the
following most likely took place just after the scene in the above
passage?
a.
the narrator demanded that Poirot
tell him everything
b.
the narrator shared any information he had
c.
the narrator
started looking for more clues on his own
d.
the narrator lost all interest in the task at
hand
5)
In the above
passage, what does Poirot mean when he says that
instinct “can neither
be explained or ignored”?
a.
instinct is a natural gift, just like being
intelligent
b.
instinct is an acquired skill, just like
walking and running
c.
instinct is not real, but only a figment of
our imaginations
d.
instinct is very
important, even though it’s hard to describe
6)
According to Poirot, which of the following is true about the clues that
he and the narrator are finding?
a.
they both have
the same clues, but are just drawing different conclusions
b.
only he has the important clues, but refuses
to share them
c.
the
narrator has all of the clues, but Poirot doesn’t
need them
d.
neither
has any clues yet, and only Poirot will be able to
find them