Read and answer
1. Number the following sentences in the correct sequence.
a. Mr. Inglethorp was missing and they tried and failed to get in to Mrs. Inglethorp's room through Mr. Inglethorp's room. [5]
b. He looked very perturbed about his mother, Mrs. Inglethorp, who was ill and looked in her room. [2]
c. Lawrence Cavendish and the narrator rushed to Mrs, Inglethorp's room. [3]
d. Dr. Bauerstein rushed into the room and tried to revive the old lady but she died. [8]
e. The narrator wanted to call Hercule Poirot to investigate the case. [11]
f. Lawrence Cavendish woke up the narrator. [1]
g. They tried many more methods but all failed. They had to break the door to Mrs. Inglethorp's room. [6]
h. The narrator took out a book from the library - a book on strychnine poisoning. [12]
i. They found Mrs. Inglethorp in a very bad shape. [7]
j. The whole household soon joined them. [4]
k. Dr. Wilkins asked permission from John Cavendish to get a post mortem done. [10]
l. Dr. Bauerstein spent a few minutes alone with Dr. Wilkins to discuss the possible cause of death. [9]
2. Answer in one/few word(s).
a. What is the narrator's name?
= Arthur Hastings.
b. What was the time when the incident took place?
= In the middle of the night.
c. What were Mrs. Inglethorp's last words?
= "Alfred .... Alfred.."
d. What did Dr. Wilkins say Mrs. Inglethorp suffered from?
= Heart disease.
e. What did Dr. Bauerstein give to John?
= Keys of the two rooms.
3. How do we know that the story is not set in modern times? Highlight some clues.
= The following clues make it evident that the story is not set in modern times -
i) Lawrence Cavendish had a candle in his hand when he went to awaken Arthur Hastings.
ii) John rattled the handle of Mrs. Inglethorp's door to awaken her.
iii) The doors of Mrs. Inglethorp and Alfred Inglethorp were bolted from inside.
iv) John strode across Mrs. Inglethorp's room and lit gas.
v) There were row of prime ornaments on the mantelpiece, were surely harmless enough.
Reference to context
4. "No good. That's bolted too. We must break in the door. I think this one is a shade less solid than the one in the passage."
a. What does the phrase 'no good' refer to here? What was the speaker trying to do?
= The phrase 'no good' means to try in vain.
The speaker was trying to open a door into Miss Cynthia's rooms.
b. Who does the word 'we' include?
= The word 'we' includes the narrator - Arthur Hastings, Lawrence Cavendish, John Cavendish and other members of the Family.
c. Did they succeed in breaking in the door?
= They strained and heaved together. The framework of the door was solid, and for a long time it resisted their efforts, but at last they felt it gave beneath their weight, and finally, with a resounding crash, it was burst open.
5. "...but the words were frozen on my lips."
a. On whose lips had the words 'frozen'?
= The narrator - Arthur Hastings' lips had the words frozen.
b. What had the person intended to say?
= The person had intended to say that he had better leave them then that there had been no further need of his services.
c. What did the person observe that caused him/her to stop talking?
= The narrator had never seen such a ghastly look on any man's face. John was white as chalk, the candle he held in his shaking hand was sputtering onto the carpet, and his eyes, petrified with terror, or some such kindred emotion, stared fixedly over the narrator's head at a point on the further wall. It was as though he had seen something that turned him to stone. All these mysterious situations caused him to stop talking.
6. "In that case, I have no alternative but to agree."
a. Who was feeling helpless about having to agree?
= The narrator Arthur Hastings was feeling helpless about having to agree.
b. What did they have to agree? Who was asking them to agree?
= The person had to agree about the post-mortem of the dead body of Emily Inglethorp.
Dr. Bauerstein and Dr. Wilkins were asking them to agree.
Reflect and answer
7. Based on the few actions taken by the narrator, can you identify some of his character traits? Provide reasons for choosing these traits.
= Arthur Hastings is the narrator of the text. At the very beginning of the story, we can see his altruist nature. He went with Lawrence at once he awaken him from sleep.
He was intelligent and always with quick presence of mind. When everyone was worried about Emily Inglethorp, he suddenly realised that Alfred Inglethorp was not with them.
The narrator had the knowledge about what doctors do to a dying person, At the moment doctor reached the bed of Mrs. Emily Inglethorp, and seizing her arms and worked them energetically, at once the narrator knew that it was artificial respiration.
The narrator was very skillful in judging the activities of an individual. He could notice that Dr. Bauerstein was watching the local doctor narrowly. He still kept his eyes fixed on him as he spoke.
He could also understand one's emotional state of mind, as when Mary Cavendish asked him to her alone, he obeyed her reluctantly.
The narrator is emotional and empathetic about Emily Inglethorp. He remembered her dying words.
Last of all, He is very much eager to call the detective-friend Poirot to investigate the reason behind the death of Emily Inglethorp. He was very intelligent about the fact the fact that the mystery of the fact can be unveiled as soon as the investigation could be started.
8. Detective work is often about asking the right questions. This story is full of suspicious and mysterious happenings that Hercule Poirot would want to investigate. Can you list five important questions he might ask.
= a. Why Alfred Inglethorp was missing?
b. Why the rooms were bolted from inside?
c. What Mrs. Inglethorp wanted to say before her death?
d. Why Dr. Bauerstein came there first?
e. Why there was haste for the post-mortem of Mrs. Inglethorp?
9. Do you find Mr. Inglethorp's absence suspicious? Could there be an innocent explanation for his absence?
= Yes, I do think Mr. Inglethorp's absence suspicious. It was obvious that he should have been there at the moment of his wife's death. But he was missing much before the incident of his wife's death. If he had an urgent need to go out, he could have gone after informing at least one person of the family. The bed of his room had not been slept in, and there was no sign of the room having been occupied.
10. What could Mrs. Inglethorp be trying to say when she cried 'Alfred...Alfred...'?
= Mrs. Inglethorp could be trying to say that she was not well or having pain in any limb of hers. It was also possible that she wanted to reveal the mystery behind her sudden illness. Later, after her death, Dr. Bauerstein suspected that he had been poisoned. Perhaps she had been trying to say who had poisoned her.