Sherlock Holmes and the Sport of Kings Stage 1

Before Reading 7 Don’t know yet.

8 Because he wanted his horse back, not just a

activities answers
promise.
BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES (PAGE 44)
9 Don’t know yet.
ACTIVITY 1 BEFORE READING 10 Don’t know yet.
1 Yes 2 No 3 Yes 4 Yes 5 No 6 No 11 Nothing.
7 No 8 Yes 12 Don’t know yet. (Students might guess this
answer.)
ACTIVITY 2 BEFORE READING

Encourage students to make guesses, but do not BEFORE READING CHAPTER 5

tell them the answers. They will find out as they Encourage students to speculate and to make
read that the helpful things are: a betting book, guesses, but do not tell them the answers. They will
somebody’s dinner, a box of matches, a woman’s find out as they read that the answers are 1a, 2c,
hat, a man’s shoes, a horseshoe, a dog, some sheep, and 3b.
a knife.
CHAPTER 5 WHILE READING

1 Why . . .? Because his horse came to Winchester

While Reading races, and won the Wessex Cup.
2 What . . .? Silver Blaze.
CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 WHILE READING 3 Why . . .? Because he had a little bet on a horse in the
Encourage students to discuss which statements next race, and he wanted to see it win.
are facts and which are assumptions, and to offer
BEFORE READING CHAPTER 6
alternative theories for the assumptions. Some
suggestions are given below. Encourage students to speculate and to make
1 True. guesses, but do not tell them the answers. They will
2 True. find out as they read that the true sentences are 2,
3 Possibly true (but nobody has found the horse, dead 5, 6, 7.
or alive).
4 True. After Reading
5 True.
6 Possibly true (but Simpson says he wasn’t there, and ACTIVITY 1 AFTER READING

nobody saw him). 1 Silas Brown

7 Possibly true (but it is also possible that somebody 2 Fitzroy Simpson
else put it in). 3 John Straker
8 Possibly true (she had the opportunity, but what 4 Mr Ross
would her motive be?) 5 Fitzroy Simpson
9 True. 6 John Straker
10 Possibly true (but there is no serious evidence for 7 Silas Brown
this). 8 Mr Ross
9 Fitzroy Simpson
BEFORE READING CHAPTER 3
10 John Straker
Encourage students to speculate and to make
11 Silas Brown
guesses, but do not tell them the answers. They will
12 John Straker
find out as they read that the answers are 1b and 2c.
13 Mr Ross
CHAPTERS 3 AND 4 WHILE READING 14 Silas Brown
© Oxford University Press

1 To give to Ned Hunter, the stable boy. 15 John Straker

2 Don’t know yet.
3 For a woman’s dress and a hat.
4 Don’t know yet.
5 Because he had one of Silver Blaze’s horseshoes and
he could see that the tracks in the mud were the
same as the horseshoe.
6 He changed the colour of the horse’s coat.

oxford bookworms library stage 1 59 sherlock holmes and the sport of kings
 Possible descriptions: Silver Blaze, and the tracks came here.’
1+7+11+14 6 silAs brown: ‘The tracks . . . Oh. Oh dear.’
Silas Brown changed the colour of Silver Blaze’s coat but 9 sherloCk holmes: ‘Yes, Mr Brown, oh dear! Now,
he was afraid of the police, so he told Sherlock Holmes have you got the horse here?’
everything and (he) took Silver Blaze to Winchester 4 silAs brown: ‘Yes, I have. He’s round the back. He’s
races. . . . er . . . well, he’s a different colour now.’
activities answers

2+5+9 1 sherloCk holmes: ‘A different colour? The police

Fitzroy Simpson made his money taking bets at the are going to find that very interesting, Mr
races. He went down to King’s Pyland stables because he Brown.’
wanted to ask the stable boys some questions. 8 silAs brown: ‘Don’t tell the police, sir. Please! I can
3+6+10+12+15 change the colour back very quickly.’
John Straker needed money for the expensive Mrs 13 sherloCk holmes: ‘Then you must do it today. Is
Darbyshire so he tried to make Silver Blaze a little lame. the horse well?’
He went to the stables in the middle of the night and 10 silAs brown: ‘Yes, very well. He’s a wonderful
(he) took Silver Blaze out onto the moor but (he) never horse, sir. He can still win the Wessex Cup, you
came home again. know.’
4+8+13 5 sherloCk holmes: ‘Yes. And he must win it! With
Mr Ross wanted Sherlock Holmes to find his horse, but your help, Mr Brown. Now, listen carefully, . . .’
he did not understand detective work and (he) wanted
ACTIVITY 4 AFTER READING
answers to the mystery at once.
At Winchester races today Silver Blaze won the Wessex
ACTIVITY 2 AFTER READING Cup – good news for the owner Mr Ross and all the
1 A man’s legs are walking past a dog. people with bets on the horse. The detective Sherlock
2 The dog is not barking. Holmes found Mr Ross’s horse, and he knows the name
3 The dog isn’t barking because it probably knows the of John Straker’s killer too.
man, and dogs only bark at strangers. So the man So who killed John Straker? The horse did! Straker tried
is probably John Straker, going into the stables at to make a cut in a tendon in Silver Blaze’s leg, and the
night. horse kicked out. The horseshoes hit Straker on the head
A good place for the picture is on page 36, when and killed him. The horse then disappeared until today.
Sherlock Holmes is explaining the mystery to Mr And where was Silver Blaze in the week before the
Ross. But the picture could also go on page 28, Wessex Cup race? That is still a mystery.
when Holmes is talking to the Inspector about ‘the
ACTIVITY 5 AFTER READING
strange incident of the dog in the night-time’. Lines
Words across: sheep, winning, killed, trainer, mud, kick,
from the story would make suitable captions, for
safe, owner
example:
Words down: scarf, horse, lame, bet, track, taste
• ‘The dog did not bark. Why not?’ said Sherlock
Four words for the headline for the newspaper report:
Holmes.
• ‘Aha,’ said Mr Ross. ‘The dog didn’t bark, because it
WINNING HORSE KILLED TRAINER
knew the visitor.’
• ‘The dog did nothing in the night-time.’ S H E E P W I N N I N G T T
Or students might like to think of ideas of their C O H Q L L K I L L E D R A
own, for example:
A R F T R A I N E R F B A S
• ‘Oh, it’s only him,’ the dog thought. ‘I can go back to
sleep.’ R S M U D M K I C K G E C T

F E S A F E O W N E R T K E
ACTIVITY 3 AFTER READING

If students need help with this, encourage them to

look at links in the language.
3 sherloCk holmes: ‘Now, Mr Silas Brown, I want to
see Silver Blaze.’
© Oxford University Press

12 silAs brown: ‘He’s not in my stables! And who are

you?’
7 sherloCk holmes: ‘My name is Sherlock Holmes,
and I know that the horse is here.’
2 silAs brown: ‘And how do you know that?’
11 sherloCk holmes: ‘Because I found the tracks of
your shoes on the moor, next to the tracks of

oxford bookworms library stage 1 60 sherlock holmes and the sport of kings