Perspectives C1
Unit 7 : Reading
Mysteries
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Fair Use Disclaimer:
This presentation contains copyrighted material from the National Geographic Learning, Cengage Learning English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom presentation tools of the “Impact Series” and Henle “Perspectives Series” textbooks, first published in 2017. Although Onja’s use of these textbooks has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owner, the relevant material is made available for a solely non-profit educational purpose which falls under the fair use doctrine of United States (US) copyright law pursuant to Section 107 of the US Copyright Act. No copyright infringement is intended. All images appearing in the video have been retrieved from the public domain with original sources cited where applicable.
Learning Objectives
You will learn about the most common critical thinking skills in mystery fiction.
You will read "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Menu
Click to go to a section of this Unit and skip between sections.
Introduction:Mysteries
Read: "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger"
Critical Thinking Skills for Mysteries
Introduction
Mysteries
Which critical thinking skills are most imporant for reading mysteries?
Start here!
Which one of these counts as a rhetorical question?
"Can you tell me more about your relationship to our suspect?"
"What motivated our suspect to commit this terrible crime?"
"This is horrible! Who would do such a thing?"
What's next? The answer may surprise you...
What would NOT be a good example of foreshadowing?
A bolt of lightning strikes during a tense scene.
A person walks by on the sidewalk, but we never see them again.
The protagonist finds a notebook full of weird scribblings.
What are we missing? Hint: It's right under our noses!
Why would an author mention a specific prop by name?
Anything could be a red herring, so you should be suspicious.
Every piece of evidence is crucial to the case - even false evidence!
They want you to look out for that prop later in the story.
But... why are we doing all of this?
Which question would get us the most information?
"Do you know the person in this picture?"
"Can you tell me more about your relationship to our suspect?"
"What color was their getaway car?"
Now that you have your clues, what will you do with them?
The protagonist finds a notebook with weird writing. What should they do with it?
They should try to make sense of the notes to find more clues.
They should throw the notebook away. It might be a red herring.
They should ignore it. There's probably nothing they can learn from it.
Last one! How do you finish a good mystery?
Now that you know what makes a good mystery...
Turn the page to read more
Why is Mrs. Merrilow afraid of her lodger, Mrs. Ronder?
Mrs. Ronder's face is disfigured and horrible to look at.
Mrs. Ronder brought a scary pet dog with her.
Mrs. Ronder has a bad temper and always starts arguments.
What is Mrs. Merrilow's current problem with Mrs. Ronder?
She hasn't received a rent payment from Mrs. Ronder in six months.
Mrs. Ronder is causing problems for her other lodgers.
Mrs. Ronder is suddenly shouting in the middle of the night.
As Sherlock retells the story, what do we learn about Mrs. Ronder?
Mrs. Ronder is hiding from a crime that she committed.
Her face was ruined by a circus lion called Sahara King.
We find out how she found Mrs. Merrilow's house.
Why does the name "Abbas Parva" sound familiar to Sherlock?
Abbas Parva is the hometown of both Sherlock and Mrs. Ronder.
Sherlock has worked on a lot of cases in Abbas Parva.
She knew Sherlock would remember working on her case.
What is the mystery that Holmes and Watson are trying to solve?
Why Mrs. Ronder chose to live with a complete stranger.
Why Sahara King would attack the Ronders for no reason.
Why the Ronders had such a vicious lion.
Identify the big critical question (rewritten in modern English).
How did the lion escape if they weren't near the cage?
Don't you remember the Abbas Parva tragedy, Watson?
Do you know anything about Mrs. Ronder's history?
Great job! Finish this week's discussion post and get ready for Unit 8!
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“It was usual for either Ronder or his wife to feed the lion at night.” Later in the story... “And why should it attack them savagely when it was in the habit of playing with them, and doing tricks with them inside the cage?”
Try again
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“Brilliant, Watson! Only one flaw in your diamond.”
“What is the flaw, Holmes?”
“If they were both ten paces from the cage, how came the beast to get loose?”
“Is it possible that they had some enemy who loosed it?”
Try again
Try again
Try again
Mysteries start with rhetorical questions to establish the plot and build suspense. Protagonists in mysteries all start with the most basic questions (i.e. one-word answers) before they can get more details. Later in the story, these questions will either be discarded or expanded on. More questions and answers will appear as the protagonist gets their investigation going.
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“They had among their exhibits a very fine North African lion. Sahara King was its name, and it was the habit, both of Ronder and his wife, to give exhibitions inside its cage. [...] On this particular night, seven years ago, they both went, and a very terrible happening followed, the details of which have never been made clear.“
Correct!
The other two would be good foreshadowing if they're used correctly. But a random person on the sidewalk, especially when we never see them, doesn't tell us much about the mystery we want to solve.
Authors leave small details that become more important later in the story. Items, characters, and even weather conditions can be used in mystery foreshadowing. There are two names for these pieces of foreshadowing: Chekhov's gun = A prop that is included in the story to support the plot. Red herring = A misleading detail that creates a 'plot twist.'
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
"You say that Mrs. Ronder has been your lodger for seven years and that you have only once seen her face.”
“And I wish to God I had not!” said Mrs. Merrilow.
“It was, I understand, terribly mutilated.” “Well, Mr. Holmes, you would hardly say it was a face at all. That’s how it looked."
Correct!
The author is using the rule of Chekhov's gun! This prop will come back later at a time when you expect it the least, and it will make the story more interesting.
Correct!
The other two questions are rhetorical, and they would only give us simple answers. The answer to this question would be longer and help the plot keep moving.
When you press this button, a new window will appear with more information
Try again
Try again
Try again
Like most fictional genres, mysteries make you read between the lines so you can put the story together on your own. When the author gives you clues, it's up to you (the reader) to figure out why the details are important to the plot. Good authors need to make the mystery last for the entire book. If one detail is out of place, it might spoil the ending and end the suspense.
At the end of the story, every detail comes back together to solve the mystery! All the props and characters should have been used in some way, either for their purpose or dismissed as a red herring. A good conclusion will let you know what purpose they served to the plot. There can be a full conclusion or a cliffhanger that opens the opportunity for the next story in the series.
Correct!
The notebook fits in the rule of Chekhov's gun. The protagonist can ask: "Whose notebook is this?" "Why did they write this?" "What does all of this mean?" Maybe, it can hold the most important clues for the story.
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“Her health, Mr. Holmes. She seems to be wasting away. And there’s something terrible on her mind. ‘Murder!’ she cries. ‘Murder!’ And once I heard her: ‘You cruel beast! You monster!’ she cried. It was in the night, and it fair rang through the house and sent the shivers through me.“
We're almost at the end! The protagonist has spent hundreds of pages asking deep questions and collecting information. Now, they need to analyse the quality of their details. The protagonist now needs to figure out what is the truth and what is the lie. Specifically, are there any red herrings in their details? Based on the true details, the protagonist can put together the timeline of the mystery and identify patterns.
Try again
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
”‘Bring him here, Mrs. Merrilow, and if he won’t come, tell him I am the wife of Ronder‘s wild beast show. Say that, and give him the name Abbas Parva.‘ Here it is as she wrote it, Abbas Parva. ‘That will bring him if he’s the man I think he is.’”
“And it will, too,” remarked Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes is the classic detective character invented by English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Witty and inquisitive, Holmes has solved dozens of mysteries with his partner, Dr. John Watson, and his ability to ask the right questions. On the next pages, allow Sherlock to walk you through the critical thinking skills needed to solve a mystery. Then, he'll take you to read one of his famous stories.
As a mystery novel progresses, the protagonist of the story should be asking more complex questions. The rhetorical questions at the beginning of the story should all be answered by now. To solve the mystery, the protagonist will need to gather information from other characters. Their interview questions should be answered with more than a simple "yes" or "no."
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Mystery fiction is a genre that focuses on solving a crime or other event that has strange details. As the story goes on, both the reader and the main character have to find clues about the crime - who did it, what happened, when it happened, etc. Mysteries popularly feature a detective as the main character. The detective has the logical deduction skills needed to make sense of the crime.
Try again
Correct!
This is exactly what we're trying to figure out. At this part of the story, this question is rhetorical because the answer would be: "That's what I'd like to know!"
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Transcript
Perspectives C1
Unit 7 : Reading
Mysteries
Start
Navigation
Press this button to listen to audio.
Press this button for more information.
Press this button for more information.
Press this button to take you to another link.
This bar shows you how much of the lesson you have completed
Fair Use Disclaimer:
This presentation contains copyrighted material from the National Geographic Learning, Cengage Learning English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom presentation tools of the “Impact Series” and Henle “Perspectives Series” textbooks, first published in 2017. Although Onja’s use of these textbooks has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owner, the relevant material is made available for a solely non-profit educational purpose which falls under the fair use doctrine of United States (US) copyright law pursuant to Section 107 of the US Copyright Act. No copyright infringement is intended. All images appearing in the video have been retrieved from the public domain with original sources cited where applicable.
Learning Objectives
You will learn about the most common critical thinking skills in mystery fiction.
You will read "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Menu
Click to go to a section of this Unit and skip between sections.
Introduction:Mysteries
Read: "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger"
Critical Thinking Skills for Mysteries
Introduction
Mysteries
Which critical thinking skills are most imporant for reading mysteries?
Start here!
Which one of these counts as a rhetorical question?
"Can you tell me more about your relationship to our suspect?"
"What motivated our suspect to commit this terrible crime?"
"This is horrible! Who would do such a thing?"
What's next? The answer may surprise you...
What would NOT be a good example of foreshadowing?
A bolt of lightning strikes during a tense scene.
A person walks by on the sidewalk, but we never see them again.
The protagonist finds a notebook full of weird scribblings.
What are we missing? Hint: It's right under our noses!
Why would an author mention a specific prop by name?
Anything could be a red herring, so you should be suspicious.
Every piece of evidence is crucial to the case - even false evidence!
They want you to look out for that prop later in the story.
But... why are we doing all of this?
Which question would get us the most information?
"Do you know the person in this picture?"
"Can you tell me more about your relationship to our suspect?"
"What color was their getaway car?"
Now that you have your clues, what will you do with them?
The protagonist finds a notebook with weird writing. What should they do with it?
They should try to make sense of the notes to find more clues.
They should throw the notebook away. It might be a red herring.
They should ignore it. There's probably nothing they can learn from it.
Last one! How do you finish a good mystery?
Now that you know what makes a good mystery...
Turn the page to read more
Why is Mrs. Merrilow afraid of her lodger, Mrs. Ronder?
Mrs. Ronder's face is disfigured and horrible to look at.
Mrs. Ronder brought a scary pet dog with her.
Mrs. Ronder has a bad temper and always starts arguments.
What is Mrs. Merrilow's current problem with Mrs. Ronder?
She hasn't received a rent payment from Mrs. Ronder in six months.
Mrs. Ronder is causing problems for her other lodgers.
Mrs. Ronder is suddenly shouting in the middle of the night.
As Sherlock retells the story, what do we learn about Mrs. Ronder?
Mrs. Ronder is hiding from a crime that she committed.
Her face was ruined by a circus lion called Sahara King.
We find out how she found Mrs. Merrilow's house.
Why does the name "Abbas Parva" sound familiar to Sherlock?
Abbas Parva is the hometown of both Sherlock and Mrs. Ronder.
Sherlock has worked on a lot of cases in Abbas Parva.
She knew Sherlock would remember working on her case.
What is the mystery that Holmes and Watson are trying to solve?
Why Mrs. Ronder chose to live with a complete stranger.
Why Sahara King would attack the Ronders for no reason.
Why the Ronders had such a vicious lion.
Identify the big critical question (rewritten in modern English).
How did the lion escape if they weren't near the cage?
Don't you remember the Abbas Parva tragedy, Watson?
Do you know anything about Mrs. Ronder's history?
Great job! Finish this week's discussion post and get ready for Unit 8!
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“It was usual for either Ronder or his wife to feed the lion at night.” Later in the story... “And why should it attack them savagely when it was in the habit of playing with them, and doing tricks with them inside the cage?”
Try again
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“Brilliant, Watson! Only one flaw in your diamond.” “What is the flaw, Holmes?” “If they were both ten paces from the cage, how came the beast to get loose?” “Is it possible that they had some enemy who loosed it?”
Try again
Try again
Try again
Mysteries start with rhetorical questions to establish the plot and build suspense. Protagonists in mysteries all start with the most basic questions (i.e. one-word answers) before they can get more details. Later in the story, these questions will either be discarded or expanded on. More questions and answers will appear as the protagonist gets their investigation going.
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“They had among their exhibits a very fine North African lion. Sahara King was its name, and it was the habit, both of Ronder and his wife, to give exhibitions inside its cage. [...] On this particular night, seven years ago, they both went, and a very terrible happening followed, the details of which have never been made clear.“
Correct!
The other two would be good foreshadowing if they're used correctly. But a random person on the sidewalk, especially when we never see them, doesn't tell us much about the mystery we want to solve.
Authors leave small details that become more important later in the story. Items, characters, and even weather conditions can be used in mystery foreshadowing. There are two names for these pieces of foreshadowing: Chekhov's gun = A prop that is included in the story to support the plot. Red herring = A misleading detail that creates a 'plot twist.'
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
"You say that Mrs. Ronder has been your lodger for seven years and that you have only once seen her face.” “And I wish to God I had not!” said Mrs. Merrilow. “It was, I understand, terribly mutilated.” “Well, Mr. Holmes, you would hardly say it was a face at all. That’s how it looked."
Correct!
The author is using the rule of Chekhov's gun! This prop will come back later at a time when you expect it the least, and it will make the story more interesting.
Correct!
The other two questions are rhetorical, and they would only give us simple answers. The answer to this question would be longer and help the plot keep moving.
When you press this button, a new window will appear with more information
Try again
Try again
Try again
Like most fictional genres, mysteries make you read between the lines so you can put the story together on your own. When the author gives you clues, it's up to you (the reader) to figure out why the details are important to the plot. Good authors need to make the mystery last for the entire book. If one detail is out of place, it might spoil the ending and end the suspense.
At the end of the story, every detail comes back together to solve the mystery! All the props and characters should have been used in some way, either for their purpose or dismissed as a red herring. A good conclusion will let you know what purpose they served to the plot. There can be a full conclusion or a cliffhanger that opens the opportunity for the next story in the series.
Correct!
The notebook fits in the rule of Chekhov's gun. The protagonist can ask: "Whose notebook is this?" "Why did they write this?" "What does all of this mean?" Maybe, it can hold the most important clues for the story.
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
“Her health, Mr. Holmes. She seems to be wasting away. And there’s something terrible on her mind. ‘Murder!’ she cries. ‘Murder!’ And once I heard her: ‘You cruel beast! You monster!’ she cried. It was in the night, and it fair rang through the house and sent the shivers through me.“
We're almost at the end! The protagonist has spent hundreds of pages asking deep questions and collecting information. Now, they need to analyse the quality of their details. The protagonist now needs to figure out what is the truth and what is the lie. Specifically, are there any red herrings in their details? Based on the true details, the protagonist can put together the timeline of the mystery and identify patterns.
Try again
Try again
Correct!
Where's the evidence?
”‘Bring him here, Mrs. Merrilow, and if he won’t come, tell him I am the wife of Ronder‘s wild beast show. Say that, and give him the name Abbas Parva.‘ Here it is as she wrote it, Abbas Parva. ‘That will bring him if he’s the man I think he is.’” “And it will, too,” remarked Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes is the classic detective character invented by English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Witty and inquisitive, Holmes has solved dozens of mysteries with his partner, Dr. John Watson, and his ability to ask the right questions. On the next pages, allow Sherlock to walk you through the critical thinking skills needed to solve a mystery. Then, he'll take you to read one of his famous stories.
As a mystery novel progresses, the protagonist of the story should be asking more complex questions. The rhetorical questions at the beginning of the story should all be answered by now. To solve the mystery, the protagonist will need to gather information from other characters. Their interview questions should be answered with more than a simple "yes" or "no."
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Try again
Mystery fiction is a genre that focuses on solving a crime or other event that has strange details. As the story goes on, both the reader and the main character have to find clues about the crime - who did it, what happened, when it happened, etc. Mysteries popularly feature a detective as the main character. The detective has the logical deduction skills needed to make sense of the crime.
Try again
Correct!
This is exactly what we're trying to figure out. At this part of the story, this question is rhetorical because the answer would be: "That's what I'd like to know!"