What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that Watson finds absurd?
A Study in Scarlet
30 minutes total
ByArthur Conan Doyle
Grade9-10
Time30 minutes
Essential question
What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that Watson finds absurd?
Marked passage
Passage location
Part I, Chapter II · The Science of Deduction
Start anchor
I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.
End anchor
If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.
Passage focus
The brain-attic theory
Ways to teach it
Listening
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
Solo
Read the exact passage independently.
Supported
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
Teacher guide
Close
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
Evidence
Use the attic/storage comparison, Holmes's rule for selecting knowledge, and the astronomy example Watson finds ridiculous.
Mark
Circle each part of the attic metaphor—space, furniture, storage, crowding. Underline the practical rule Holmes draws from it. Star the example Watson finds most absurd.
Instructional move
Test a metaphor by following its consequences
Notice
• What assumption about memory has to be true for the attic metaphor to work? • What knowledge does Holmes think is safe to exclude? • Where does the metaphor clarify his method, and where might it oversimplify how knowledge works?
Strong answer
The brain-attic metaphor lets Holmes justify deliberate ignorance: if mental space is limited, irrelevant facts crowd out useful ones. Watson finds the consequences absurd because the metaphor treats memory like fixed storage.
Think
Answer provisionally: What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that Watson finds absurd? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not merely say the metaphor is clever. Test what assumptions it makes and what behavior those assumptions justify.
Why this passage
Holmes compares the brain to an attic with limited storage, which lets him justify deliberately ignoring information unrelated to his work. The metaphor turns a strange knowledge gap into a theory of mental efficiency that Watson can test for consequences.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that Watson finds absurd? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Circle each part of the attic metaphor—space, furniture, storage, crowding. Underline the practical rule Holmes draws from it. Star the example Watson finds most absurd.
Notice
What assumption about memory has to be true for the attic metaphor to work? What knowledge does Holmes think is safe to exclude? Where does the metaphor clarify his method, and where might it oversimplify how knowledge works?
Think
Answer provisionally: What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that Watson finds absurd?
Write
Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage. Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
Ready-to-teach lesson
TumbleTA 6-12 · TEXT-BASED LESSON
BATCH 06 · 9-10 · LESSON 116
A Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle
What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that
Watson finds absurd?
TOTAL TIME
PASSAGE
30 minutes
The brain-attic theory
FIND THE ANCHOR TEXT
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
SECTION / LOCATION
Part I, Chapter II · The Science of Deduction
START
I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.
END
If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.
PASSAGE ID
sec-ss-02
THE MOVE
Test a metaphor by following its consequences
WHY THIS PASSAGE
Holmes compares the brain to an attic with limited storage, which lets him justify deliberately ignoring information unrelated to his work. The metaphor turns a strange knowledge gap into a theory of mental efficiency that Watson can test for consequences.
MARK
Circle each part of the attic metaphor—space, furniture, storage, crowding. Underline the practical rule Holmes draws from it. Star the example Watson finds most absurd.
page 1
NOTICE
What assumption about memory has to be true for the attic metaphor to work?
What knowledge does Holmes think is safe to exclude?
Where does the metaphor clarify his method, and where might it oversimplify how knowledge
works?
THINK
Answer provisionally: What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that Watson finds absurd? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
WRITE
Write a short evidence-based response to: What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that Watson finds absurd? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
CLOSE
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
STRONG ANSWER
The brain-attic metaphor lets Holmes justify deliberate ignorance: if mental space is limited, irrelevant facts crowd out useful ones. Watson finds the consequences absurd because the metaphor treats memory like fixed storage.
EVIDENCE
Use the attic/storage comparison, Holmes's rule for selecting knowledge, and the astronomy example Watson finds ridiculous.
WATCH FOR
Do not merely say the metaphor is clever. Test what assumptions it makes and what behavior those assumptions justify.
SOLO
Read the exact passage independently.
SUPPORTED
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
LISTENING
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
page 2
STUDENT PAGE · SAME PASSAGE, SAME THINKING
A Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle
What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that
Watson finds absurd?
START ANCHOR
I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.
END ANCHOR
If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
OPEN THE MARKED PASSAGE IN TUMBLELIT
SOLO: read independently. SUPPORTED: use narration + highlighting. LISTENING: listen to the exact passage. The question and evidence task stay the same.
1.MARK - Circle each part of the attic metaphor—space, furniture, storage, crowding. Underline
the practical rule Holmes draws from it. Star the example Watson finds most absurd.
2.NOTICE - What assumption about memory has to be true for the attic metaphor to work? What
knowledge does Holmes think is safe to exclude? Where does the metaphor clarify his method, and where might it oversimplify how knowledge works?
3.THINK - Answer provisionally: What does Holmes's brain-attic metaphor allow him to justify that
Watson finds absurd?
4.WRITE - Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage.
Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
page 3
Original printable PDF
Open this section to load the PDF.
The plan opens at a readable size. Scroll across on a narrow screen, or choose Fit width to see the full page.