Poirot & Marple - What's Common?

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Both Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple live alone without their families. While Marple's nephew Raymond West is introduced in 'The Murder at the Vicarage', does any member of Poirot's family make an appearance in any novel? Yes No

2. Given their unconventional style of solving a crime, Poirot and Miss Marple are often dismissed lightly by those who don't know them well. In an early Poirot novel, a French detective underestimates him and ends up with egg on his face. Similarly, Miss Marple is regarded as a batty old lady by an inspector before she outwits him and solves the case. Who were these two policemen? Monsieur Claude & Inspector Jones Monsieur Pierre & Inspector Davy Monsieur Giraud & Inspector Slack Monsieur Jacques & Inspector Haddock

3. Unlike the earlier two, those policemen who have worked with Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple hold them in high esteem. Which two policemen have worked with them on numerous occasions and share a cordial relationship with them? Chief Inspector Japp & Inspector Craddock Inspector Grant & Inspector Crawford Superintendent Battle & Inspector Barton Superintendent Sugden & Inspector Potter

4. Both Poirot and Miss Marple also have nicknames derived from Greek mythology. Poirot compared himself to the Greek hero Hercules and solved twelve different cases similar to those in the mythological tale of 'The Twelve Labours of Hercules'. On the other hand, Miss Marple has been likened to the Greek goddess, Nemesis. Who addressed her by this nickname? Arthur Bantry Lucy Eyelesbarrow Cherry Baker Jason Rafiel

5. Whenever a husband or wife is murdered, Miss Marple believes the surviving spouse should be the prime suspect. In which of the following novels would this piece of advice have benefitted both her and Poirot? 'Sparkling Cyanide' and 'Nemesis' 'Mrs. McGinty’s Dead' and 'A Pocketful of Rye' 'Murder on the Links' and 'The Body in the Library' 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' and 'The Moving Finger'

6. Love definitely seems to play a big role in some of the murders. Often a murder has been committed only to hide knowledge of a previous marriage, thus clearing the way for the killer to marry a second time. For which of the novels featuring Poirot and Miss Marple would this motive hold true? 'Hickory, Dickory, Dock' and 'Nemesis' 'Sparkling Cyanide' and 'A Pocketful of Rye' 'Three Act Tragedy' and '4.50 From Paddington' 'Dumb Witness' and 'The Moving Finger'

7. In a few novels, the murderer had developed two distinct identities, either to provide himself with an alibi or to help him with his murder plot. In which of the following novels do Poirot and Miss Marple encounter such people? 'Elephants Can Remember' and 'Sleeping Murder' 'The Mystery of the Blue Train' and 'A Pocketful of Rye' 'After the Funeral' and 'The Body in the Library' 'Sparkling Cyanide' and 'The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'

8. Like the two policemen mentioned earlier, a few criminals have also made the mistake of underestimating Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. In one of Christie's novels, a young woman stages a couple of attempts on her life and approaches Poirot for help. Miss Marple also tries to help a woman whose life was thought to be in danger only to discover that the woman had masterminded the whole drama. Name the two novels referred to. 'Peril at End House' and 'A Murder is Announced' 'Murder in Mesopotamia' and 'Nemesis' 'Cat Among the Pigeons' and 'The Body in the Library' 'Appointment with Death' and 'Sleeping Murder'

9. Sometimes old sins cast long shadows. In one novel, a young girl approaches Hercule Poirot to find out if her mother had murdered her father. Miss Marple also helps a young woman find out if her father had murdered her mother. Which two novels fit this description? 'Five Little Pigs' and 'Sleeping Murder' 'Taken at the Flood' and 'At Betram's Hotel' 'One, Two, Buckle My Shoe' and 'They Do It with Mirrors' 'Cat Among the Pigeons' and 'A Caribbean Mystery'

10. In one of Agatha Christie's most famous novels, Poirot lets the murderer(s) go unpunished because he thinks the murder was justified. Something similar happens in a Marple case where she too keeps mum about a murder. Which are the two novels referred to? 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' and 'A Murder is Announced' 'Taken at the Flood' and 'The Moving Finger' 'Death on the Nile' and 'The Murder at the Vicarage' 'Murder on the Orient Express' and 'The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'