GCSE Study Notes and Revision Guides
The Sign of the Four (Grades 9–1) York Notes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Plot and Action
Plot summary
Chapters 1–2: Day 1, afternoon, Chapters 3–6: Day 1, evening/night, Chapter 7–8: Day 2, early hours of the morning, Chapter 8: Day 2, morning, Chapter 9: Day 2, late afternoon/evening, Chapter 9: Day 3–4, Chapters 10–12: Day 4, evening/night, Revision focus: Stories within the storyChapter 1: The science of deduction
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key context: Victorian attitudes to drug use, Aiming high: Commenting on the narrative voice, Key quotation: An active mindChapter 2: The statement of the case
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key character: Miss Morstan, Key quotation: A case for Holmes, Top tip: Writing about small detailsChapter 3: In quest of a solution
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key language: The description of London, Revision focus: Examining the cluesChapter 4: The story of the bald-headed man
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key character: Thaddeus Sholto, Exam focus: Commenting on Conan Doyle’s descriptionChapter 5: The tragedy of Pondicherry Lodge
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key form: Gothic horror, Aiming high: Commenting on Conan Doyle’s development of the plot, Key quotation: Protecting Miss MorstanChapter 6: Sherlock Holmes gives a demonstration
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key setting: The locked room, Revision focus: Exploring character through languageChapter 7: The episode of the barrel
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key character: Sherlock Holmes, Exam focus: Englishness and foreignnessChapter 8: The Baker Street Irregulars
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key language: The ‘other’ man, Top tip: Conan Doyle’s use of irony, Key quotation: Dialogue and classChapter 9: A break in the chain
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key structure: Despair and delay, Aiming high: Commenting on changes in characterChapter 10: The end of the islander
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key theme: The savage versus the civilised, Exam focus: Commenting on the use of language to create tensionChapter 11: The great Agra treasure
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Top tip: Writing about Miss Morstan, Key context: The angel in the house, Revision focus: Tracking the Agra treasureCharacters
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes’s role in the novella, Exam focus: Writing about Sherlock Holmes, Top tip: Writing about Sherlock HolmesDr Watson
Dr Watson’s role in the novella, Exam focus: Writing about Dr Watson, Top tip: Writing about Dr WatsonMiss Morstan
Miss Morstan’s role in the novella, Exam focus: Writing about Miss Morstan, Aiming high: Morality in the novellaThaddeus Sholto
Thaddeus Sholto’s role in the novella, Exam focus: Writing about Thaddeus Sholto, Aiming high: Explore the aesthetic movementJonathan Small
Jonathan Small’s role in the novella, Exam focus: Writing about Jonathan Small, Key quotation: Betrayal and revengeThemes, Contexts and Settings
Themes
Crime, Key quotation: Justice and injustice, Love and friendship, Exam focus: The value of friendship, Wealth, Aiming high: The significance of the treasure, Key quotation: Governess to heiress, Duality, Aiming high: Commenting on oppositionsForm, Structure and Language
Structure
Chapters, Three-part plot structure, Narrative perspective, Texts within the text, Top tip: Commenting on the effect of structureProgress Booster
Planning your answer
Plan quickly and efficiently, Stage 1: Generate ideas quickly, Stage 2: Jot down useful quotations (or key events), Stage 3: Plan for paragraphs