The Adventure of the Three Garridebs Class 11 NCERT Solutions 2026-27

Concept used. A detective clue is a small inconsistency that does not fit the suspect's story. Holmes notices language, behaviour, background and motive together.

1. John Garrideb becomes uneasy when Nathan says that Holmes has been consulted. A truthful helper would welcome a detective.
2. Holmes notices that John claims to be American, but his appearance and manner do not fully support that claim.
3. Holmes tests him with Dr Lysander Starr. John pretends to recognise a person who does not exist.
4. The advertisement about Howard Garrideb is written in American spelling and idiom, although it is placed in an English setting.
5. The plan conveniently sends Nathan away from his room, which is exactly what John needs.
6. These points show that the legacy story is not real. It is a bait to remove Nathan from Little Ryder Street.

Holmes sees the ruse through John's irritation, false American background, careless response to a fake name, American wording in the advertisement and the convenient plan to send Nathan away.

Concept used. Objective means the real purpose behind an action. John's story is a cover for a planned burglary, not a search for an heir.

1. John knows that Nathan Garrideb owns a room once connected with Roger Presbury.
2. Below or near that room is the hidden criminal equipment John wants to recover.
3. He cannot search the place while Nathan is present.
4. So he invents Alexander Hamilton Garrideb and a large legacy for three people with the same surname.
5. He then manufactures the Birmingham lead so Nathan will leave London.
6. The false inheritance story is therefore a device to gain private access to Nathan's rooms.

John invents the Alexander Garrideb legacy to send Nathan away and enter his room. His real aim is to recover the hidden criminal equipment linked with Presbury.

Concept used. A guilty person fears independent investigation. Holmes is dangerous to John because he can test the story instead of merely believing it.

1. John's plan depends on Nathan accepting the Garrideb story without close checking.
2. Holmes is known for noticing contradictions in speech, dress and documents.
3. If Holmes joins the search, he may examine the advertisement and John's background.
4. John also risks being identified as a criminal with another name.
5. So he tries to keep the matter between himself and Nathan.

John dislikes Holmes' involvement because a real detective can expose the false legacy, the planted advertisement and John's criminal identity.

Concept used. This answer needs the hidden backstory. Roger Presbury is connected to the earlier crime and to the room John wants to search.

1. Roger Presbury was linked with the place where Nathan Garrideb now lives.
2. He was connected with the hidden printing equipment that John Garrideb wants.
3. John Garrideb is not an innocent American heir-hunter. He is Killer Evans under a false identity.
4. Evans had earlier shot Presbury during a criminal quarrel.
5. He now returns under the name John Garrideb to recover what Presbury left behind.

Roger Presbury was the earlier occupant connected with the hidden press. John Garrideb, really Killer Evans, had shot him and came back to recover the concealed criminal equipment.

Concept used. Inference means drawing a conclusion from motive and timing. Holmes predicts John's movement because he understands the purpose of the ruse.

1. Holmes realises that the Birmingham journey is designed to remove Nathan from his room.
2. If Nathan is away, John must use that same period to search the room.
3. The address at 136, Little Ryder Street is therefore the centre of the plot.
4. Holmes and Watson wait there because John is likely to arrive when the room is empty.
5. Holmes expects criminal activity, but he may not know every detail of the hidden object before entry.
6. What he finally finds confirms that the inheritance tale was only a cover.

Holmes guesses the address from motive. John needs Nathan's room empty, so he must come to Little Ryder Street. Holmes expects a criminal search, though the exact discovery is confirmed only at the scene.

Concept used. Character relationship is shown through crisis. Watson's wound reveals Holmes' hidden affection beneath his controlled exterior.

1. Watson is shot when Killer Evans fires during the confrontation.
2. Holmes immediately shows intense anxiety for Watson's safety.
3. Watson notices that Holmes' usually calm face changes under emotional pressure.
4. The cold mask means Holmes' normal self-control and reserve.
5. The loyalty and love behind it show a deep friendship built through shared danger.
6. Watson values this revelation so much that even the wound seems worth it.

The comment shows that Holmes and Watson share a deep friendship. Holmes may appear cold, but Watson's injury reveals his loyalty, affection and fear of losing his friend.

Concept used. Crime fiction often depends on the idea that no deception is perfect. Human pride, haste and habit leave traces.

1. John Garrideb prepares a clever story about a rare surname and a large inheritance.
2. He also plants an advertisement to make the Birmingham lead look real.
3. Yet his irritation at Holmes' involvement betrays anxiety.
4. His false background fails when Holmes tests him with invented details.
5. His American spelling and wording in the advertisement become another clue.
6. Thus the clever plan fails because small traces expose its maker.

The story proves that clever criminals still leave clues. John hides behind a false name and legacy, but his behaviour, speech, spelling and motive reveal the crime.

Concept used. A digression seems unrelated, but in detective work it may be an indirect test. Holmes uses casual talk as a trap.

1. Holmes asks questions that may look casual or irrelevant to Watson and to the suspect.
2. He talks about background, names, places and professional details.
3. These remarks test whether John's claimed identity is genuine.
4. The false reference to Dr Lysander Starr is one such trap.
5. John's confident response shows that he is pretending knowledge.
6. So the apparent digressions are really tools for verification.

Holmes' digressions matter because they are disguised tests. They make John reveal false knowledge, weak preparation and anxiety without realising that he is being examined.

Concept used. Structure means how the story is arranged: narrator, introduction, development, climax and resolution.

1. The narrator is Dr Watson, who tells the story in first person and filters events through friendship with Holmes.
2. The topic is introduced through the strange surname Garrideb and the promised legacy.
3. The main characters appear through their roles: Holmes the detective, Watson the narrator, Nathan the victim and John the impostor.
4. The plot develops as Holmes tests John's claims and follows the Birmingham advertisement clue.
5. The climax comes at Little Ryder Street, where John is caught and Watson is wounded.
6. The resolution explains John's identity, Presbury's link, the hidden criminal object and Holmes' affection for Watson.

The story moves from mystery to exposure. Watson narrates, the Garrideb legacy introduces the puzzle, Holmes tests the clues, the Little Ryder Street scene provides the climax and the final explanation resolves the case.

Concept used. Subtle humour is quiet wit that reduces heaviness without destroying suspense. Doyle uses it through Holmes' tone, odd names and ironic situations.

1. The surname Garrideb itself sounds unusual and creates a comic surface.
2. The idea of finding three people with the same rare name for a fortune has an absurd quality.
3. Holmes' dry comments and calm manner add wit to tense investigation.
4. His casual traps make John look foolish without open mockery.
5. Nathan's excitement over the name and legacy also has gentle humour.
6. This humour lightens the story until the serious criminal truth appears.

The humour comes from the odd surname, the unlikely legacy, Holmes' dry wit and the contrast between comic surface and serious crime. It makes the suspense lively without weakening the danger.

Concept used. Language can reveal identity. Spelling and usage often show whether a writer follows American or British English.

1. The advertisement gives itself away through American wording and spelling habits.
2. The phrase noted in the text points to a writer using American English rather than natural British usage.
3. This matters because John claims a background that Holmes is already testing.
4. Common spelling pairs include colour and color, honour and honor, defence and defense.
5. Other pairs are centre and center, theatre and theater, traveller and traveler.
6. Such differences help Holmes connect the advertisement with John.

The advertisement is exposed by American usage. Examples of spelling differences are colour/color, honour/honor, defence/defense, centre/center, theatre/theater and traveller/traveler.

Concept used. Figurative meaning is the non-literal meaning of an expression. These phrases come from search, hunting, escape and imagination.

1. Fine-toothed comb means a very careful and detailed search.
2. Putting up a bird means flushing something hidden into view, like a hunter making a bird rise.
3. Cock pheasant means a striking or obvious find that should not be missed.
4. Bolt-hole means a secret place of escape or hiding.
5. Castle in the air means an unrealistic dream or imaginary plan.
6. In the story, these phrases suit detection because Holmes is searching for what is hidden.

Fine-toothed comb means minute search. Putting up a bird means bringing a hidden thing out. Cock pheasant means an obvious find. Bolt-hole means escape place. Castle in the air means unrealistic dream.