The Crooked Man - Question-Answers [Short & Broad and Reference to the Context]

The Crooked Man - Q-A for Students

Welcome to this post dedicated to "The Adventure of the Crooked Man" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, one of the thrilling tales in the Sherlock Holmes series. This post compiles all types of questions and answers to make understanding the story easier, and we hope it serves as a helpful resource for your studies.

RTC from "The Adventure of the Crooked Man":

a) "He called, 'one of the strangest cases which perplexed a man's brain."

i) Who is the speaker? Who is mentioned as "he" in the above line? What was the relation between the speaker and "he"?

ii) What was the case?

iii) How "he" was informed about the case?

b) "It was supposed murder of Colonel Barclay."

i) Who was Colonel Barclay? What was the name of his wife?

ii) Mention the wars he had served.

iii) What was known about Colonel Barclay's character?

c) "Then there was suddenly a dreadful cry of a man, a crash and a piercing scream of a woman."

i) What happened before this?

ii) Who are the witness of this scene?

iii) What action was taken after the scream?

d) "...the dead man's face wore the most dreadful expression of fear and horror."

i) How was the person died?

ii) Who is the person?

iii) What was the condition of the wife of the person after the incident?

e) "it seems to me, that the most distinctive part of the case,"

i) Who is the speaker?

ii) Which was the most distinctive part of the case according to the speaker?

iii) Why the part is distinctive?

f) "But what surprised me was not the man but his companion."

i) Who is the speaker? Whom he was spoken to?

ii) How did the speaker find out about the companion?

iii) What did it say about the companion of the intruder?

g) "I feel I must tell you all I know," 

i) Who is the speaker?

ii) Why did the speaker agreed to tell this to Holmes?

iii) What story the speaker revealed?

iv) Why Sherlock Holmes approached the lady?

v) What changes occurred in the behaviour of Mrs Barclay before and after the meeting?

h) 'My God, it is Nancy!' 

i) Who is the speaker?

ii) What reaction did Nancy show after this?

iii) When did the two persons meet?

iv) What was their relation?

v) Describe their meeting in brief.

vi) How did Sherlock Holmes find out about him?

vii) What did Holmes infer about the events of the day?

i) "It was mid-day when we found ourselves in Hudson Street,"

i) Who went to Hudson Street and why?

ii) What did they see inside the room?

iii) How did the person help in the Colonel Barclay's death case?

iv) How the did person relate to Barclays?

v) Why did he not approach Barclays? 

vi) What does he describe about what happened inside the room?

j) "Who is Teddy?' Holmes Asked.

i) Who is Teddy?

ii) What did Teddy do at the Barclay's house?

"The Adventure of the Crooked Man" Reference to the Context Answers:

i) Who is the speaker? Who is mentioned as "he" in the above line? What was the relation between the speaker and "he"?

Ans: The speaker of the line is Dr. Watson.

Here, Sherlock Holmes was mentioned as "he".

Dr. Watson was Sherlock Holmes' friend.

ii) What was the case?

Ans: The case was the supposed murder of Colonel Barclay.

iii) How "he" (Holmes) was informed about the case?

Ans: Holmes received most of his information from Major Murphy, an acquaintance of the Barclays. 

b) "It was supposed murder of Colonel Barclay."

Answer: 

i) Colonel Barclay was a fine soldier who commanded a regiment.

His wife's name was Nancy.

ii) He served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny.

iii) Colonel Barclay had a violent temper, was prone to sudden depression and gloominess, and disliked being left alone, especially after dark.

c) "Then there was suddenly a dreadful cry of a man, a crash and a piercing scream of a woman."

Answer:

i) Before this, the maid heard the Barclays arguing loudly and angrily after Mrs Barclay had returned from a meeting. The door was locked from inside so the maid was unable to enter the room so she called the other servants. 

ii) The witnesses were the maid and the other servants.

iii) After the scream, the servants tried to force open the door, and the coachman ran round to the lawn to check what happened inside from the window.

d) "...the dead man's face wore the most dreadful expression of fear and horror."

Answer:

i) The person died from a violent blow to the head with a blunt weapon.

ii) The person was Colonel Barclay.

iii) After the incident, Mrs. Barclay was seriously ill with brain fever.

e) "it seems to me, that the most distinctive part of the case,"

Answer:

i) The speaker is Sherlock Holmes.

ii) The most distinctive part was the disappearance of the door key.

iii) Holmes concluded that if neither Colonel nor Mrs. Barclay had the key, a third person must have entered the room through the window.

f) "But what surprised me was not the man but his companion."

Answer:

i) The speaker is Sherlock Holmes. It was spoken to Dr. Watson.

ii) The footmarks were those of a small, carnivorous animal with long nails.

iii) The footmarks indicated that the intruder had an unusual companion, which surprised Holmes.

g) "I feel I must tell you all I know,"

Answer:

i) The speaker is Miss Morrison.

ii) The speaker, Miss Morrison agreed to tell everything to Holmes because, Holmes told her that, her friend, Mrs Barclay might find herself charged with murder of her husband unless the matter was cleaned up.

iii) Miss Morrison revealed that, while she and Nancy Barclay were returning, they encountered a crooked man carrying a box on his shoulders. When Nancy saw him, she turned white and would have fainted if he hadn't caught her. She called the man Henry, saying she thought he had been dead for thirty years, then spoke to him privately. She didn’t say much on their way home and only asked Miss Morrison to keep their meeting a secret.

iv) Sherlock Holmes approached Miss Morrison to investigate Colonel Barclay's death. Considering how Nancy changed, Holmes deduced something might happened to her when she was out. As Miss Morrison was with her when she was out, so he approached Miss Morrison.

v) Holmes deduced that something unusual occurred when Mrs. Barclay was out because her behaviour was very different upon her return. She was chatting with her husband in a friendly fashion before she left home but after her return, she broke into violent accusation when she met Colonel Barclay.

h) 'My God, it is Nancy!'

Answer:

i) The speaker is Henry Wood.

ii) Upon seeing Wood, Nancy was so shocked that she turned white and would have fallen, if he had not caught hold of her. 

iii) They met again in Aldershot after many years. Before that, they meet in India in the regiment.

iv) Henry Wood and Nancy were former lovers.

v) While Miss Morrison and Nancy Barclay were returning, they encountered a crooked man carrying a box on his shoulders. When Henry Wood saw Nancy, he screamed in a dreadful voice in exclamation. Nancy turned white and would have fainted if he hadn't caught her. She said Henry that she thought he had been dead for thirty years, then spoke to him privately for a few minutes. Henry Wood probably disclosed how he was betrayed by Mr Barclay. Nancy didn’t say much on their way home and only asked Miss Morrison to keep their meeting a secret.

vi) Holmes found Wood through investigation. It was not difficult to find a deformed person who is a performer and carries a creature with him in Aldershot, because he attracts attention. Holmes found he lives in lodgings on the street where Nancy and Miss Morrison met him. The landlady also showed Holmes an Indian rupee that Wood gave her.

vii) Holmes inferred Wood's engagement in Colonel Barclay's death case and it may related to their past.

i) "It was mid-day when we found ourselves in Hudson Street,"

Answer:

i) Holmes and Watson went to Hudson Street to meet Henry Wood.

ii) Inside, they saw Henry Wood, was crouching over a fire in spite of the warm weather. Although his body was all twisted and his face now worn and swarthy, it was clear that once he was handsome.

iii) Wood helped by revealing his past and events surrounding Colonel Barclay's death. He explained how he, Nancy and Barclay was related and Colonel Barclay died after seeing him. 

or 

Wood revealed that in India, Henry Wood was Corporal was the smartest man in the regiment. Barclay was a sergeant in the same company and they both loved Nancy Devoy. During the mutiny, Barclay betrayed Henry by handing him over to the enemy through a native servant, leading Henry to a difficult life. Wandering among natives, Henry survived by performing tricks. Now crippled, he avoided friends and Nancy, who believed him dead, until he finally returned to Aldershot years later.

iv) Wood was a former lover of Mrs. Barclay and fellow soldier of Colonel Barclay.

v) Wood avoided the Barclays due to shame about his crippled state.

vi) Wood described how his sudden appearance frightened Colonel Barclay, causing his death. His head hit the fender, but he was dead before that in guilt of betraying him. Nancy fainted after his death. He took keys to open the door and get help, but then he seemed it was wiser to get away. So, he put the key inside his pocket while chasing his pet, Teddy.

f) Answered Below. 

Mixed Type Questions:

1. Who was Colonel Barclay? What do we know about his temper?

2. What happened on the evening of Mr Barclay's death?

3. What was revealed from the examination?

4. Why did Holmes feel that something unusual occurred in the time that Mrs Barclay was away from the house?

5. What do we know about the story of Corporal Henry?

6. What happen to wood after he got betrayed by Barclay?

7. How did Colonel Barclay died?

8. What happened to the key which were not found?

Answers Follows: 

1. Answer: Colonel Barclay was a fine soldier and commanded a regiment.

On occasions, Colonel Barclay had been known to show a violent temper.

2. Answer: On the evening of Mr Barclay's death, Mrs Barclay went to a meeting with her friend and neighbour, Miss Morrison. The Colonel joined his wife in the front room after her return. When the maid brought tea into the room, she heard the Barclays arguing loudly and angrily and the room was locked from the inside. Mrs Barclay shouted "You coward" again and again.

3. Answer: From the examination, Holmes discovered clues that pointed towards an unexpected struggle and the presence of a third person from the footprint and the missing of the keys. Through his investigation, Holmes uncovered details linking Colonel Barclay’s death to his past, including his involvement in betraying Corporal Henry Wood.

4. Answer: Holmes deduced that something unusual occurred when Mrs. Barclay was out because her behaviour was very different upon her return. She was chatting with her husband in a friendly fashion before she left home but after her return, she broke into violent accusation when she met Colonel Barclay.

5. Answer: From Corporal Henry Wood's story, we come to know that Corporal Henry Wood was a soldier and Mr Barclay was a sergeant in the same company. They both were in love with Nancy Devoy, and she loved Henry Wood. Barclay betrayed Wood leaving him to endure a harsh and painful life. Nancy was misled into thinking he had been killed during an incident in India. As a result of his betrayal, Henry Wood was left physically deformed and went on to live a life of hardship. His self consciousness stopped him to meet his friends and Nancy at the time of her marriage. Finally when he came back, he met Nancy and she found out the truth.

6. After being betrayed by Barclay, Wood was captured by enemies, tortured, and left severely disfigured. This betrayal deeply affected his life, leaving him physically and emotionally scarred. His experience caused him to lead a reclusive, miserable life, with a lasting resentment towards Barclay for his betrayal and how he tricked everyone and Nancy to marry her.

7. Answer: Colonel Barclay actually died due to apoplexy. The shock and fear of facing Wood and his guilt were enough to cause his sudden collapse. 

8. Answer: The missing key, which was initially a mystery, was later discovered to be in the possession of Henry Wood. He had taken it to lock the door behind him as he left the house to prevent immediate detection and to cover his tracks.

Very Short Questions from The Crooked Man :

1. Who invited the narrator to join him in solving a strange case?

Ans: Sherlock Holmes invited the narrator, Dr. Watson to join him.

2. What was the supposed crime that perplexed everyone?

Ans: The supposed crime was the murder of Colonel Barclay.

3. Where did most of Holmes' information about the case come from?

Ans: Most of Holmes' information came from Major Murphy, an acquaintance of the Barclays.

4. What were Colonel Barclay's military experiences?

Ans: Colonel Barclay served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny.

5. What was known about Colonel Barclay's temperament?

Ans: Colonel Barclay had a violent temper and was prone to sudden depression and gloominess.

6. What happened on the evening of Colonel Barclay's death?

Ans: On the evening of Colonel Barclay's death, Mrs. Barclay accompanied Miss Morrison to a meeting, returned home, and argued with Colonel Barclay.

7. Who accompanied Mrs. Barclay to a meeting that evening?

Ans: Mrs. Barclay was accompanied by Miss Morrison, her neighbour to a meeting that evening.

8. What did the maid hear when she brought tea into the room?

Ans: The maid heard the Barclays arguing loudly and angrily.

9. What did the coachman find when he entered the room through the window?

Ans: The coachman found Mrs. Barclay unconscious on a couch and Colonel Barclay dead in a pool of blood when he entered the room through the window.

10. What was unusual about the expression on the dead Colonel's face?

Ans: The dead Colonel's face wore an expression of extreme fear and horror.

11. What clues suggest that a third person might have been involved in the crime?

Ans. The missing door key, clear impression of a person entering inside the room, footprints of a small animal, and the fact that neither Colonel nor Mrs. Barclay had the key of the room that was locked from inside suggests that a third person might have been involved in the crime.

12. Why did Holmes find the footprints on the sheet of paper surprising?

Ans: Holmes found the footprints surprising because they belonged to a carnivorous animal with long nails.

13. What was Holmes' plan for Watson to do in Aldershot?

Ans: Holmes' plan for Watson was to accompany him to Aldershot and ask Henry Wood about Colonel Barclay's death.

14. How did Henry Wood's appearance change over time?

Ans: Henry Wood's appearance changed from being remarkable for its beauty to worn and swarthy, with a twisted body.

15. What was Henry Wood's relationship with Colonel Barclay and Nancy Devoy in India?

Ans: In India, Henry Wood and Colonel Barclay were in the same regiment; both loved Nancy Devoy, but she chose Wood. Later when Wood's death was announced, her father made her marry Barclay.

16. How did Colonel Barclay betray Henry Wood?

Ans: Colonel Barclay betrayed Henry Wood by using a native servant to deliver him into enemy hands during the Mutiny in India.

17. What happened to Henry Wood during the Mutiny?

Ans: During the Mutiny, Henry Wood was tortured, captured, and imprisoned for many years; he later escaped and survived by doing conjuring tricks among natives.

18. Why did Henry Wood return to England?

Ans: Henry Wood returned to England due to a longing for home that came with age.

19. How did Henry Wood earn a living in Aldershot?

Ans: In Aldershot, Henry Wood earned a living by performing conjuring tricks to entertain soldiers.

20. What triggered Colonel Barclay's death, according to Henry Wood?

Ans: According to Henry Wood, Colonel Barclay's death was triggered by the guilt he felt upon seeing Wood, causing a fatal fright.

21. What did Henry Wood do with the door key?

Ans: Henry Wood took the door key from Mrs. Barclay's hands, intending to get help, but instead kept it in his pocket and fled.

22. What was "Teddy" and why did Henry Wood chase it?

Ans: "Teddy" was a mongoose, Henry Wood's small animal companion. 

Wood chased Teddy after it ran up the curtain in Barclay's room.

23. What was Teddy trained to do?

Ans: Teddy was trained to catch snakes, specifically a fangless cobra. 

24. Why did Holmes decide to close the case?

Ans: Holmes decided to close the case because revealing the scandal against the dead Colonel Barclay seemed unnecessary. Henry Wood should be satisfied to know that Colonel Barclay lived for thirty years with the guilt of killing Wood. Wood was already betrayed once and lived a hellish life. 

25. What was the official cause of Colonel Barclay's death?

Ans: The official cause of Colonel Barclay's death was apoplexy (a stroke or sudden death due to emotional shock).