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Holmes deduced that the owner had problems with money because the hat was three years old and he had not bought a new one.
True / False
(If it is false, correct it)
True — Holmes explained that the hat was of the best quality and had come out three years ago, but the owner had not bought a new one since, which clearly showed his money situation had worsened.
Holmes told Watson that the hat was connected to a terrible crime.
True / False
(If it is false, correct it)
False — Holmes said "No, no. No crime." He told Watson it was just one of those strange things that happen in a big city.
Peterson found the hat and the goose because he ran to help a man who was being attacked.
True / False
(If it is false, correct it)
True — Peterson was walking home from a party when he saw men attacking a tall man and ran to help him.
Holmes knew the hat belonged to Henry Baker because the full name was written inside it.
True / False
(If it is false, correct it)
False — Holmes did not know the full name. He only found the initials "H.B." inside the hat and the name "Mrs Henry Baker" on the card attached to the goose's leg. He explained there were hundreds of Henry Bakers in London.
What two objects were on the chair next to the sofa, besides the hat?
A magnifying glass and a forceps
What street was Peterson walking along when he saw the attack?
Tottenham Court Road
Watson visited Holmes on Christmas evening wearing his blue dressing-gown.
True / False
(if it is false, correct it)
False — It was HOLMES who was wearing the PURPLE dressing-gown, not Watson. Watson arrived as a visitor on Christmas MORNING.
What smell did Holmes detect inside the hat?
Lime-cream
On what day exactly did Watson visit Holmes?
The SECOND morning of Christmas
What was written on the card attached to the goose's leg?
"For Mrs Henry Baker"
What did Watson see when he arrived at Holmes' house on Christmas morning?
When Watson arrived, Holmes was sitting in front of the fire wearing his purple dressing-gown.
Why couldn't Peterson simply return the hat and goose to their owner, Henry Baker?
Although the card on the goose's leg said "For Mrs Henry Baker" and the initials "H.B." were inside the hat, Holmes pointed out that there were thousands of Bakers and hundreds of Henry Bakers in London, making it impossible to find the right man without more information.
How did Holmes prove to Watson that the hat belonged to an intellectual man?
Holmes put the hat on his own head to demonstrate — it was so large it immediately covered his eyes. He explained that if a man has such a large head, he must have a large brain inside it, and therefore must be a highly intellectual person.
How did Holmes get the hat? Whose hat was it?
One of the attackers knocked the man's hat off his head. Peterson brought the hat to Holmes
How was Holmes planning to find out the identity of the man who lost the hat and the goose?
Holmes said he would put an advertisement in the evening newspapers, giving the address of Baker Street, so that Henry Baker could come to collect his hat and goose.
Holmes concluded that the owner's wife had stopped loving him. Why?
Holmes said that when a wife lets her husband go out with an unbrushed hat, it means she no longer loves him.
How did Holmes know the owner did not have gas lighting at home?
Holmes could see at least five wax stains on the hat. He explained that if a man uses candles regularly — which someone without gas lighting would have to do — wax drips onto the hat when he carries a candle to bed. One or two stains could be accidental, but five clearly showed a habit.
Who was a commissionaire?
A member of the crops of Commissionaires; an association of pensioned soldiers, grandly uniformed, who worked as messengers or porters.
What two clues on the hat told Holmes that the owner had grey hair cut recently by a barber?
Using his magnifying glass, Holmes could see partially grey hairs cut by a barber's scissors stuck to the inside of the hat. He also detected the distinct smell of lime-cream, which barbers commonly used when cutting hair.
What type of dust was on the hat, and what did this tell Holmes?
Soft, brown house dust — meaning the hat was kept indoors and the owner didn't go out very often.