In this article, you will find vocabulary words, essays, and sample quizzes for the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic “Hound of the Baskervilles”.
Vocabulary Words and Definitions from Chapters 1-7
At its core, understanding a chapter is understanding the words you are reading. Here are some vocabulary words from chapters 1-7 that will help your comprehension of the first half of the book.
Chapter 1
Dolichocephalic: (adjective) to have a large skull
Parietal: (adjective) pertaining to or forming the walls of any body cavity
Fulsome: (adjective) offensive and distasteful because excessive
Covet: (verb) to have a desire for something
Agile: (adjective) able to move quickly and easily; nimble
Chapter 2
Shrewd: (adjective) having keen insight; clever
Manuscript: (noun) a piece of writing
Forgery: (noun) something forged or altered
Circumspect: cautious; attentive to all possibilities
Wanton: (adjective) lewd, heartless, unjust
Yeoman: (noun) farmer who cultivates his own land
Flagon: (noun) vessel with a ahndle, spout, and lid used to serve liquor
Trencher: (noun) a wooden plate used to serve food or cut it
Anon: (adjective) in a little while, soon
Bemused: (adjective) muddled, stupefied, preoccupied
Inquest: (noun) a judicial inquiry, aided by a jury
Chimerical: (adjective) not possible, impractical
Chapter 3
Apparition: (noun) phatom, ghost, unusual sight
Diabolical: (adjective) wicked, cruel
Vestry: (noun) in a church, a room where vestments are kept and put on
Miry: (adjective) muddy, swampy
Chapter 4
Baronet: (noun) inherited English title
Chapter 6
Bracken: (noun) large, coarse, weedy fern
Mottle: (adjective) marked with spots of different shades
Bramble: (noun) a prickly plant or shurb
Summit: (adjective) highest part, top
Warder: (noun) guard or sentinel
Commutation: (noun) substitution of payment or service
Cairn: (noun) mound of stones serving as a memorial
Crenelate: (verb) fortify with battlement
Dais: (noun) raised platform where speakers of guests may sit or stand
Chapter 7
Efface: (verb) to cancel or destroy
Pallid: (adjective) pale, lacking color
Propitious: (adjective) gracious
Sample Essay Questions
Here are some basic questions to consider when reading chapters 1-7. As you read, keep these thoughts in mind and you will have a more basic understanding of how the story is developing.
- As soon as Sherlock Holmes is given the background of the curse of the Baskervilles, he begins his struggle with balancing these supernatural beliefs with his own brand of logical, straight-forward thinking. How does he manage to consider the supernatural while still developing a real, down-to-earth solution?
- What role does classism play in the story?
- How do the characters of Holmes and Watson contrast one another? How does the author use these differences to the benefit and build upon the storyline?
Chapters 8-14
These vocabulary words and definitions will aid in your comprehension of chapters 8-14.
Chapter 8
Approbation: (noun) approval, commendation
Choleric: (adjective) easily aroused to anger
Litigation: (noun) a lawsuit
Effigy: (noun) representation of a despised person
Chapter 9
Haughty: (adjective) proud, arrogant
Peremptory: (adjective) putting an end to debate or appeal
Chapter 10
Spectral: (adjective) pertaining to a ghost
Abet: (verb) to encourage and support
Atone: (verb) to make amends
Deluge: (verb) to flood with water
Sodden: (adjective) soaked, saturated
Morass: (noun) tract of low-laying, soft, wet ground
Russet: (adjective) reddish-brown or yellowish-brown in color
Blackguard: (noun) a despicable scoundrel
Equivocal: (adjective) uncertain, doubtful
Tempestuous: (adjective) stormy, violent
Chapter 11
Stealth: (noun) secret action or movement
Incessant: (adjective) continued or repeated without stopping
Abhor: (verb) to regard with horror or disgust
Reticent: (adjective) reluctant to speak
Magnate: (noun) a person of rank, power, or importance
Constable: (noun) an officer of the peace; a policeman
Incredulity: (noun) refusal to believe
Furtive: (adjective) done on the sly, secret
Decanter: (noun) an ornamental bottle for wine
Curt: (adjective) concise, brief, abrupt
Chapter 12
Lintel: (noun) horizontal top piece over a door or window
Vehemence: (noun) strong feeling
Precipitous: (adjective) steep
Paroxysm: (noun) a sudden and violent outburst
Surmise: (noun) to guess or infer based on evidence
Chapter 13
Unmitigated: (adjective) not relieved or lessened
Connoisseur: (noun) a competent, critical judge
Prim: (adjective) precise, proper, neat
Precipice: (noun) high, steep place
Chapter 14
Exultant: (adjective) rejoicing triumphantly
Hackles: (noun) the hair standing on the back of a dog’s neck
Dewlap: (noun) the skin under the throat of an animal
Flank: (noun) the hind part of an animal’s side
Insensible: (adjective) not capable or deprived of feeling; unaware
Mastiff: (noun) hunting dog
Phosphorus: (noun) a soft, metallic element
Doddering: (adjective) trebling, tottering
Dupe: (noun) a victim of deception
Quagmire: (noun) marshy ground that gives way under foot
Miasmatic: (adjective) poisonous fumes from swamps
Sample Essay Questions
Here are some basic questions to consider when reading. As you read, keep these thoughts in mind and you will have a more basic understanding of how the story is developing.
- Why does the author choose to tell this story from the viewpoint of Watson, and not Sherlock Holmes? What affect does this have on you, the reader?
- Mr. Stapleton used the two women in his life to attempt to accomplish his goals. Who are the two women and specifically how does Stapleton manipulate each of them? Name three things that led to the unraveling of his plan.
- Watson opens chapter 14 by making note of “one of Holmes’ defects”. What was the defect and how does it relate to the events in chapters 13 and 14.
