This academic review helps students practice standards RI.6.1 and RI.6.2, as well as practicing Part A and Part B questions and Multi-Select responses.
Read the section "Knowledge Alone Is Not Enough." Select the paragraph that suggests Holmes' use of
technology put him ahead of his time.
PART A: Which section of the article highlights the idea that Holmes trained his mind to solve
mysteries?
PART B: What evidence from the text best supports this answer?
PART A: Which detail BEST reflects the main goal of Robert Ing?
Which detail would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?
Dr. Robert Ing, a scientist and a Sherlock Holmes scholar, has closely read Doyle’s stories. Ing has his
own list of skills that Holmes demonstrates a working knowledge of: chemistry, bloodstains, plants, the
rocks and earth, the human body, law, secret codes, fingerprinting, document examination and
medicine, among others.
But knowledge by itself is not enough. Holmes had to put these skills to use to find and
understand clues. He relied on the visual technologies of the time: a magnifying glass and a
microscope. By today’s standards, these tools, of course, are not advanced. But in Holmes'
original time, they were on the cutting edge, and the ones he used were incredibly exact and well
made.
In his paper “The Art of Forensic Detection and Sherlock Holmes,” Ing deduced Holmes would have
most likely used a 10 power silver and chrome magnifying glass and a brass three-legged monocular
optical microscope manufactured by Powell & Lealand. The brands for these tools are never mentioned
in any story. Ing, though, notes they were the most popular at the time.
PART B: What TWO pieces of evidence from the text best support Ing’s goal?