"The Footprints"

Passage from "The Hound of the Baskervilles"

 

   ".... one false statement was made by Barrymore at the inquest. He said that there were no traces upon the ground round the body. He did not observe any. But I did -- some little distance off, but fresh and clear."

    "Footprints?"

    "Footprints."

    "A man's or a woman's?"

    Dr. Mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant, and his voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered:

    "Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!"

    I confess at these words a shudder passed through me. There was a thrill in the doctor's voice which showed that he was himself deeply moved by that which he told us. Holmes leaned forward in his excitement and his eyes had the hard, dry glitter which shot from them when he was keenly interested.

    "You saw this?"

    "As clearly as I see you."

    "And you said nothing?"

    "What was the use?"

    "How was it that no one else saw it?"

    "The marks were some twenty yards from the body and no one gave them a thought. I don't suppose I should have done so had I not known this legend."

    "There are many sheep-dogs on the moor?"

    "No doubt, but this was no sheep-dog."

    "You say it was large?"

    "Enormous."

 

 

Reading Comprehension Questions

 

1)     The above passage begins, "...one false statement was made by Barrymore at the inquest."  Based on the context, what is the meaning of the word "inquest" in this story?

a.      an interview about a recent crime

b.      a detailed essay by an expert on a topic

c.      a speech made before a large audience

d.      a story about an important person's life

 

2)     In the above passage, the characters express which emotion when they hear about the discovery of the footprints?

a.      anger

b.      grief

c.      pain

d.      shock

 

3)     In the above passage, Dr. Mortimer states that he would not have looked for the footprints if he had "not known this legend."  Based on the context, what is the most likely subject of the "legend"?

a.      a masked burglar

b.      a huge animal

c.      a large snake

d.      a silent impostor

 

4)     The characters in the above passage are doing which of the following?

a.      tracking a large animal

b.      interviewing victims of a crime

c.      chasing wanted suspects

d.      reviewing details of a crime scene

 

5)     Most of the above passage can be described as which of the following?

a.      lyrical verse

b.      snappy dialogue

c.      narrator's flashback

d.      conflict resolution

 

6)     The passage above is from the beginning of a story.  What is most likely the plot for the rest of the story?

a.      the characters hide to protect themselves from the large hound

b.      the characters use the large hound to help them find evidence

c.      the characters uncover clues to find out about the large hound

d.      the characters find the person who harmed the large hound

 

 

Answer Key

1)     The above passage begins, "...one false statement was made by Barrymore at the inquest."  Based on the context, what is the meaning of the word "inquest" in this story?

a.      an interview about a recent crime

b.      a detailed essay by an expert on a topic

c.      a speech made before a large audience

d.      a story about an important person's life

 

2)     In the above passage, the characters express which emotion when they hear about the discovery of the footprints?

a.      anger

b.      grief

c.      pain

d.     shock

 

3)     In the above passage, Dr. Mortimer states that he would not have looked for the footprints if he had "not known this legend."  Based on the context, what is the most likely subject of the "legend"?

a.      a masked burglar

b.     a huge animal

c.      a large snake

d.      a silent impostor

 

4)     The characters in the above passage are doing which of the following?

a.      tracking a large animal

b.      interviewing victims of a crime

c.      chasing wanted suspects

d.     reviewing details of a crime scene

 

5)     Most of the above passage can be described as which of the following?

a.      lyrical verse

b.     snappy dialogue

c.      narrator's flashback

d.      conflict resolution

 

6)     The passage above is from the beginning of a story.  What is most likely the plot for the rest of the story?

a.      the characters hide to protect themselves from the large hound

b.      the characters use the large hound to help them find evidence

c.      the characters uncover clues to find out about the large hound

d.      the characters find the person who harmed the large hound