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GCSE · English Literature

GE.T-SignOfFour Literature: The Sign of Four (Arthur Conan Doyle)

AQA / EDEXCEL / EDUQAS GCSE Literature 19th-century novel · Calculators not allowed · about 150 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

Answer the following short questions about the context of the novel.

(a)In which year was The Sign of Four first published?(1)

(b)In which magazine did The Sign of Four first appear?(1)

(c)The Sign of Four was Arthur Conan Doyle's second full-length novel to feature which detective?(1)

(d)Much of Jonathan Small's backstory takes place in India during a violent uprising against British rule in 1857. By what name is this uprising commonly known?(1)

(Total for Question 1 is 4 marks)

Early in the novel, Holmes examines a pocket watch that has recently passed to Watson from his late brother, and works out a series of accurate details about the brother's character and habits without having met him. Explain what this scene shows about Holmes's approach to solving cases.

(Total for Question 2 is 6 marks)

Explain how Conan Doyle uses Watson as the novel's narrator to shape the reader's experience of the mystery.

(Total for Question 3 is 6 marks)

Explain how Conan Doyle presents Mary Morstan as an important character in the novel, beyond her role in Watson's romantic subplot.

(Total for Question 4 is 6 marks)

Explain the role that the Agra treasure plays in driving the events of the novel, from Major Sholto's actions to the novel's ending.

(Total for Question 5 is 6 marks)

Explore how Conan Doyle presents greed as a corrupting force in the novel.

(Total for Question 6 is 8 marks)

Explore how Conan Doyle presents Jonathan Small as a criminal the reader can, to some extent, understand or sympathise with.

(Total for Question 7 is 8 marks)

Explain how ideas about justice, both legal justice and personal or informal justice, are explored in the novel's ending.

(Total for Question 8 is 8 marks)

Explain how the novel's setting and events reflect Victorian Britain's relationship with its empire, particularly in India and the Andaman Islands.

(Total for Question 9 is 8 marks)

Analyse how Conan Doyle structures the novel's narrative, including its use of an embedded first-person account, to build and then resolve suspense.

(Total for Question 10 is 8 marks)

Write about how Conan Doyle presents Sherlock Holmes as an unconventional hero across the novel.

(Total for Question 11 is 30 marks)

Write about how Conan Doyle presents the connected themes of empire, greed and justice across the novel.

(Total for Question 12 is 30 marks)

Mark scheme · GE.T-SignOfFour Literature: The Sign of Four (Arthur Conan Doyle)

Question 1

(a) B1 1890
(a) Answer: 1890.
(b) B1 Lippincott's Monthly Magazine
(b) Answer: Lippincott's Monthly Magazine.
(c) B1 Sherlock Holmes
(c) Answer: Sherlock Holmes.
(d) B1 the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (accept: the Indian Mutiny; the Sepoy Mutiny)
(d) Answer: The Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as the Indian Mutiny or Sepoy Mutiny).

Question 2

B1 identifies that Holmes reasons from small, physical details on the object itself, such as scratches or marks left by wear, rather than from guesswork (oe)
B1 identifies that Holmes builds a chain of separate small conclusions, each depending on the last, rather than jumping straight to an answer (oe)
B1 identifies that Holmes states his conclusions with confidence, as near-certainties rather than vague possibilities (oe)
B1 identifies that Holmes explains his reasoning afterwards, showing his method is repeatable and logical rather than a lucky guess (oe)
B1 links the scene to Holmes's wider claim that careful observation and deduction, not intuition, are the true basis of detective work (oe)
B1 any other valid, developed point about the scene or about Holmes's method (oe)
Answer: The scene shows Holmes reasoning methodically from small physical evidence to confident, logical conclusions, and explaining his steps afterwards to prove the method is repeatable rather than lucky guesswork.

Question 3

Level 3 (5-6): Detailed explanation of how Watson's limited, first-person perspective withholds information and controls suspense, and of how his admiring but ordinary viewpoint makes Holmes appear more extraordinary by contrast.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear explanation of one relevant point about Watson's narrative role, e.g. that his ordinary understanding lets the reader follow the mystery at a relatable pace.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment about Watson telling the story, with little development.
Indicative content:
- Watson narrates in the first person as an active participant, so the reader learns clues at the same time he does, creating suspense rather than being told the solution in advance
- Watson openly admires Holmes's intellect but does not fully understand his methods, so the reader experiences the same puzzlement and admiration Watson feels
- because Watson is not a professional detective, his more ordinary, sympathetic perspective, including his growing feelings for Mary Morstan, gives the novel an emotional dimension that Holmes's own detached narration would not provide
- Watson's occasional confusion or wrong assumptions about the case make Holmes's eventual, confident explanation feel more impressive by contrast

Question 4

Level 3 (5-6): Detailed explanation referencing her calm, composed reaction to danger and uncertainty, her honesty about wanting the truth about her father rather than simply wanting the treasure, and her position as the character whose personal history sets the whole mystery in motion.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear explanation of one relevant aspect of Mary's presentation, e.g. her composure or her disinterest in wealth, with some reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment about Mary, with little development.
Indicative content:
- Mary Morstan's personal situation, her missing father and the mysterious pearls she has received, is what sets the entire plot of the novel in motion
- she reacts to frightening and uncertain events, such as being summoned to a night-time meeting by a stranger, with notable calm and self-possession rather than panic
- when a large fortune suddenly becomes possible, she is shown caring more about learning the truth of her father's fate than about becoming wealthy, distinguishing her from the various men in the novel who are driven by greed
- once the treasure is lost for good, she accepts its loss without visible regret, reinforcing that her priorities differ from the men who fought and killed over it

Question 5

B1 identifies that Major Sholto's decision to keep the treasure entirely for himself, rather than sharing it as originally agreed, is the root cause of the conflict that follows (oe)
B1 identifies that fear of Jonathan Small returning for the treasure is presented as contributing to Major Sholto's death (oe)
B1 identifies that the search for the treasure, and Bartholomew Sholto's murder, is what brings Holmes, Watson and Mary Morstan together and starts the main detective plot (oe)
B1 identifies that the treasure is what Thaddeus Sholto intends to divide fairly between Mary Morstan and his own family, in contrast to his father's earlier greed (oe)
B1 identifies that Small's decision to throw the treasure into the River Thames rather than let it be recovered is presented as a final act of spite (oe)
B1 identifies that the loss of the treasure at the end means the mystery is solved but the wealth itself is never actually gained by anyone, undercutting the idea that the pursuit was worthwhile (oe)
Answer: The treasure drives the plot from Major Sholto's original betrayal, through the murder and investigation it causes, to its final loss in the Thames, meaning nobody ultimately benefits from it.

Question 6

Level 4 (7-8): Detailed, well-developed exploration of how greed corrupts multiple characters, using precise reference and considering how the theme is dramatised through the plot's structure.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear explanation of how greed is shown to corrupt more than one character, with relevant reference.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of one character's greed, with reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment on greed in the novel, with little development.
Indicative content:
- the treasure's original theft is itself an act of violent greed, since it involves the killing of the merchant transporting it during the chaos of the uprising
- Major Sholto's betrayal of his former partners, keeping the entire treasure for himself instead of honouring the agreement to share it, shows greed corrupting a position of relative trust and responsibility
- Jonathan Small's decades-long pursuit of the treasure, culminating in murder and a dangerous escape across London, shows how greed can dominate a person's entire life and choices
- by having Small throw the treasure into the Thames rather than let anyone else benefit from it, Conan Doyle presents greed as ultimately self-defeating and destructive, since the pursuit ends with nothing gained by anyone
- Mary Morstan and Thaddeus Sholto are presented as more willing to share the treasure fairly, offering a contrasting, less corrupted attitude to wealth against which the other characters' greed can be measured

Question 7

Level 4 (7-8): Detailed exploration balancing his violent actions with the injustices that shaped his choices, referencing his own extended first-person account near the end of the novel and considering how this narrative structure affects reader sympathy.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear explanation of specific reasons Small might attract some sympathy, with relevant reference.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of one relevant point, with reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment on Small, with little development.
Indicative content:
- Small is given an extended opportunity to tell his own story in his own words near the end of the novel, a narrative structure that lets the reader hear his justification directly rather than only through others' accounts
- his account presents him as a man shaped by hardship, including losing a leg early in his time in India and the harsh, punitive conditions of the penal colony where he was later transported
- he frames his pursuit of the treasure as reclaiming what he sees as rightfully his share, betrayed by Major Sholto, rather than simple theft, giving his motive a grievance the reader can follow even while disapproving of his actions
- however, Conan Doyle balances this sympathy against Small's willingness to use violence, including his role, through his companion Tonga, in the killing of Bartholomew Sholto, which prevents the reader from fully excusing him
- his final act, destroying the treasure rather than allowing anyone else to benefit from it, suggests a bitterness and vindictiveness that complicates any straightforward sympathy for his situation

Question 8

Level 4 (7-8): Detailed explanation distinguishing formal legal justice from other, less official forms of justice or fairness in the novel, integrating relevant reference.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear explanation of one relevant distinction or example, with reference.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation, with reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment on justice, with little development.
Indicative content:
- Small's eventual capture and arrest by Holmes, Watson and the police represent the novel's formal resolution through legal justice, restoring social order after his crimes
- Major Sholto's earlier betrayal, breaking his agreement with his former partners, was never punished by the law before his death, presenting a wrong the legal system never formally addressed
- Small's destruction of the treasure can be read as his own, personal idea of justice: if he cannot benefit from it fairly, he ensures nobody else, including Sholto's family, can either
- Mary Morstan's loss of the fortune she might reasonably have expected raises a question about whether the ending is truly just for her, since she suffers a consequence of other people's crimes despite her own innocence
- Conan Doyle largely avoids a fully satisfying moral resolution: the person who committed the theft that started events, Small, is punished, but the deeper injustice of Sholto's betrayal, and Mary's lost inheritance, are never fully resolved or compensated

Question 9

Level 4 (7-8): Detailed, well-informed explanation connecting specific plot elements to real historical and imperial context, showing clear awareness of how the novel reflects Victorian attitudes.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear explanation of at least one relevant connection between the novel and its imperial context, with reference.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation, with reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment on empire or India in the novel, with little development.
Indicative content:
- the backstory of the original theft is set during the violent uprising of 1857 against British rule in India, a real historical event that Conan Doyle's original Victorian readers would have known and had strong feelings about
- Small's transportation to the Andaman Islands reflects the real historical use of the islands as a British penal colony for convicts from India, showing empire as a system of both wealth extraction and imprisonment
- the treasure itself originates in India and is carried back to England, physically representing the flow of wealth from colonised territory to the imperial centre, a pattern common in real Victorian trade and administration
- Tonga, the Andaman Islander who assists Small, is described in ways that reflect common, now widely criticised, Victorian stereotypes about non-European peoples as exotic or dangerous, revealing period attitudes to colonised peoples rather than an accurate portrait
- the idea of a violent, foreign threat travelling from the empire to disturb Britain itself reflects a wider Victorian anxiety, found in other fiction of the period, about the empire's dangers returning home

Question 10

Level 4 (7-8): Detailed analysis of how the novel's main frame narrative contains a second, embedded first-person narrative, and how this structural choice controls the release of information and shifts sympathy near the novel's end.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear analysis of the two-part structure, investigation followed by confession, and its effect on the reader.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of one structural feature, with reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment on structure, with little development.
Indicative content:
- the novel's main narrative is told throughout by Watson in the first person, meaning most of the story is structured as an unfolding investigation in which information is revealed gradually alongside Holmes's deductions
- near the novel's end, Conan Doyle inserts a lengthy, separate first-person narrative told directly by Jonathan Small, shifting the narrative voice and giving the reader the criminal's own account of events in his own words
- this embedded narrative structurally answers the questions the investigation has raised, functioning as a delayed explanation that only becomes available once Small is captured
- the shift from investigation, following Holmes and Watson, to confession, following Small, mirrors a common structure in detective fiction, where the puzzle of who and how is followed by a fuller explanation of why
- by placing Small's more sympathetic backstory after his capture rather than before, the structure ensures the reader's sympathy for him develops only once he can no longer pose a danger, allowing the novel to combine moral resolution with some sympathy for the criminal

Question 11

Level 4 (26-30): Compelling, critical response: sustained, sophisticated exploration of how Conan Doyle presents Holmes as an unconventional hero across the whole novel; judicious, precisely selected references; perceptive analysis of Conan Doyle's methods with consistently precise subject terminology; contextual understanding of Victorian science, detection and social attitudes woven fully into the argument.
Level 3 (16-25): Critical, exploratory response: clear line of argument sustained across the novel; well-chosen range of references; analyses the effects of Conan Doyle's methods with accurate subject terminology; relevant context integrated where appropriate.
Level 2 (6-15): Detailed, well-structured response: consistently clear response to the question; well-chosen range of references from across the novel; explains the effects of some of Conan Doyle's methods with some subject terminology; some awareness of context.
Level 1 (1-5): Simple response: simple response with some relevant reference to the novel; simple or limited comment on Conan Doyle's methods; little or no awareness of context.
Indicative content:
- Holmes is introduced through his precise, almost theatrical deduction of details about Watson's absent brother from a single pocket watch, immediately establishing him as unconventional through the sheer, confident specificity of his method rather than through any traditional heroic action
- unlike a conventional Victorian hero, Holmes is shown using cocaine between cases out of boredom, a habit Conan Doyle presents without moral judgement from Watson, making Holmes an unusually flawed and modern figure for the period
- Holmes's use of disguise, appearing convincingly as an old sailor to gather information about the boat used in Small's escape, presents his heroism as intellectual and performative rather than physically dominant
- his reliance on forensic, physical evidence, such as footprints, a wooden leg's print and the trained dog Toby's tracking of a distinctive scent, presents detection as a scientific method rather than intuition or luck, distinguishing him from earlier fictional detectives
- during the Thames boat chase, Holmes is shown as capable of decisive, controlled action when required, but this physical courage is consistently framed as secondary to, and directed by, his intellectual planning
- Holmes's emotional detachment, particularly his muted reaction to Watson's engagement to Mary Morstan at the novel's close, and his return to the cocaine bottle once the case is solved, presents an unconventional, unromantic ending that resists a fully warm, sentimental heroism
- Conan Doyle wrote at a time of growing Victorian interest in forensic science and criminology, and Holmes's confident, replicable method of reasoning reflects contemporary faith in scientific progress as a way of restoring order to an increasingly complex, urban society
- by contrast with the official police detective who reaches a mistaken conclusion and arrests the wrong man, Conan Doyle uses Holmes's success to suggest that an unconventional, independent method of thought can succeed where established, official authority fails

Question 12

Level 4 (26-30): Compelling, critical response: sustained, sophisticated exploration of how empire, greed and justice are presented and interwoven across the whole novel; judicious, precisely selected references; perceptive analysis of Conan Doyle's methods with consistently precise subject terminology; contextual understanding woven fully into the argument.
Level 3 (16-25): Critical, exploratory response: clear line of argument connecting at least two of the three themes, sustained across the novel; well-chosen range of references; analyses the effects of Conan Doyle's methods with accurate subject terminology; relevant context integrated where appropriate.
Level 2 (6-15): Detailed, well-structured response: consistently clear response to the question; explains a connection between at least two of the three themes with some subject terminology; some awareness of context.
Level 1 (1-5): Simple response: simple response with some relevant reference to the novel; simple or limited comment on Conan Doyle's methods; little or no awareness of context or connection between the themes.
Indicative content:
- the original crime that sets the whole plot in motion, the killing of a merchant and theft of the Agra treasure during the chaos of the 1857 uprising, ties greed directly to the violence of empire from the very beginning of the story's timeline
- Major Sholto's betrayal of his former partners, keeping the entire treasure rather than sharing it as agreed, shows how wealth extracted from empire continues to corrupt relationships once it reaches England, extending the theme from India into the heart of Victorian domestic life
- Jonathan Small's transportation to the Andaman Islands penal colony, and his account of harsh treatment there, presents the machinery of empire as a system that punishes and embitters those who serve it, complicating any simple view of imperial order as purely just
- Small's own justification for pursuing the treasure, framed as reclaiming what he sees as rightfully his share, sets his personal sense of justice directly against the legal justice that ultimately punishes him, suggesting the novel presents justice as contested rather than singular
- the treasure's final loss in the River Thames, thrown away by Small rather than surrendered, denies both greed and justice a clean resolution: nobody profits from the wealth, and the deeper wrongs, Sholto's betrayal and the empire's exploitation of both Small and the merchant, are never formally punished
- the death of Small's companion Tonga during the Thames chase is presented with little of the sympathy given to Small's own backstory, showing the novel applying justice unevenly, with the most foreign, othered character receiving the least narrative consideration
- the contrast between Mary Morstan's honest disinterest in wealth and the violent greed of the men fighting over the treasure suggests Conan Doyle presents greed as a particularly masculine, empire-driven corruption, from which Mary remains largely untouched
- writing for a British readership benefiting materially from empire, Conan Doyle's decision to have the treasure vanish rather than be recovered and enjoyed can be read as a mild, if incomplete, moral unease about wealth gained through colonial violence, even while the novel's exoticised depiction of Tonga shows it does not fully escape the imperial attitudes of its own time

Literature: The Sign of Four (Arthur Conan Doyle) - Worksheets, Questions and Revision