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Quiz about Agatha Christies Plot Devices
Quiz about Agatha Christies Plot Devices

Agatha Christie's Plot Devices Quiz


Ten questions about the Queen of Crime's plot devices and twist endings. Match the described plot device with the novels. Spoilers ahead!

A multiple-choice quiz by PearlQ19. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
PearlQ19
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
278,243
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
2214
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Stoaty (6/10), Guest 45 (9/10), Guest 49 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Surprise, surprise: the murderer is... exactly who it appears to be! In which novels did Agatha Christie trick the reader like that? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which plot device connects the following novels: "Death on the Nile", "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", "Endless Night"? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. An exceptionally clever twist that went down in the history of detective fiction was when the first person narrator of a novel turned out to be the murderer. Agatha Christie later used that twist once again. Which two novels am I talking about? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What is the plot device used in "Evil Under the Sun", "The Sittaford Mystery" and "Murder on the Orient Express"? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In which novels is every suspect involved into either the murder or its cover-up? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What happens in "Murder in Mesopotamia", "Third Girl" and "Why Didn't They Ask Evans"? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Frequently, the one who involved the investigator in the first place turns out to be the murderer. In which of the following novels is that the case? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In two subtly crafted, psychological novels, "Ordeal by Innocence" and "Curtain", the villain of the piece did not actually commit any murder(s) at all.


Question 9 of 10
9. What do the respective murderers in "Crooked House", "A Murder Is Announced", "The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side" and "Peril at End House" do? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Bonus question: what do "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" and "Peril at End House" have in common? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Today : Stoaty: 6/10
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 45: 9/10
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 49: 10/10
Mar 25 2024 : Guest 82: 9/10
Mar 18 2024 : M_littlebird: 8/10
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 2: 8/10
Mar 12 2024 : Joepetz: 10/10
Mar 12 2024 : Guest 78: 9/10
Mar 02 2024 : Peachie13: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Surprise, surprise: the murderer is... exactly who it appears to be! In which novels did Agatha Christie trick the reader like that?

Answer: "The Murder at the Vicarage", "Lord Edgware Dies (a.k.a. Thirteen At Dinner)", "The Hollow"

In "Murder at the Vicarage", the murderers each confess but seem to be cleared later. In "Lord Edgware Dies", the murderer announces herself at the door and kills the victim exactly the way she said she would, but has arranged alibis to make it look as if she was framed.

In "The Hollow", Poirot actually sees the murderer standing above the victim with the gun, but the other witnesses all conspire to protect the murderer. Variations are "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", where the murderer wants to appear guilty and be accused in court only to be exonerated once double jeopardy has attached (so that he could never be accused of that crime again even if he was proven guilty), and "Ordeal of Innocence", where the presumed murderer dies in jail, but the subsequently revealed alibi serves to re-open the case and it turns out the accused was, after all, pulling the strings behind the murder.
2. Which plot device connects the following novels: "Death on the Nile", "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", "Endless Night"?

Answer: the conspiring murderers pretend to hate each other

In "Death on the Nile", the conspiring parties stage an extensive cat-and-mouse game in order to ultimately obtain rock-steady alibis. In "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", the conspiring cousins pretend to hate each other; one even keeps accusing the other of the murder. In "Endless Night", the two conspirators similarly feign dislike to hide the fact that they are lovers.
3. An exceptionally clever twist that went down in the history of detective fiction was when the first person narrator of a novel turned out to be the murderer. Agatha Christie later used that twist once again. Which two novels am I talking about?

Answer: "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" and "Endless Night"

In "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", the reader encounters Dr. James Sheppard, a narrator who never lies but omits everything that might point at his guilt. Poirot, who reads Sheppard's manuscript, even remarks that Sheppard - unlike Hastings - includes so little about his own thoughts and feelings during the case.

In "Endless Night", Mike Rogers follows roughly the same principle although his narration is not as impersonal as Sheppard's. Both novels are especially interesting if you re-read them, looking for clues in the narration itself.
4. What is the plot device used in "Evil Under the Sun", "The Sittaford Mystery" and "Murder on the Orient Express"?

Answer: the time when the murder appears to have happened turns out to be staged

In "Evil Under the Sun", the murderer seems to discover the body together with someone else after having been seen around all morning, but in fact only "discovers" his accomplice pretending to be the victim; the real murder occurs after that. In "The Sittaford Mystery", the murderer (during a session of table-turning) pinpoints the murder to the time the fake message of death arrives.

In "Murder on the Orient Express", the victim's watch is shattered to imply a certain time of murder; in addition, numerous events in the victim's compartment are staged while the victim is, in fact, only sound asleep.
5. In which novels is every suspect involved into either the murder or its cover-up?

Answer: "Murder on the Orient Express" and "The Hollow"

In "Murder on the Orient Express", all passengers are involved in planning and encompassing the death of the victim. In "The Hollow", the victim begs the witnesses to cover up the murderer's identity and confuse the investigator - which they do, and do it thoroughly.
6. What happens in "Murder in Mesopotamia", "Third Girl" and "Why Didn't They Ask Evans"?

Answer: the murderer or their partner impersonates someone else

Identity change and impostors are commonly featured in Agatha Christie's works. These three novels, however, contain three pretty unbelievable disguises:
In "Murder in Mesopotamia" the murderer is the victim's first husband but manages to pass off as someone else despite getting very close to her. In "Third Girl", a girl does not notice that her own flatmate is none other but a family member she knows well. In "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?", the murderer manages to disguise as someone else, although both - the impostor and the man he impersonates - are well known to the people being fooled.
7. Frequently, the one who involved the investigator in the first place turns out to be the murderer. In which of the following novels is that the case?

Answer: "Lord Edgware Dies" (a.k.a. "Thirteen At Dinner"), "Peril at End House" and "The ABC Murders"

In "Lord Edgware Dies", the murderer involves Poirot under the pretense of obtaining a divorce for her from the victim, thus "proving" that she didn't have a motive when the actual murder occurred.
In "Peril at End House", Poirot is led to believe that the murderer is in danger, so he insists that a relative should come to visit - a suggestion that the murderer had been aiming at all the time.
In "The ABC Murders", the murderer sends Poirot letters announcing his murders to obscure the fact that only one of those murders is really important by making it part of a series.
8. In two subtly crafted, psychological novels, "Ordeal by Innocence" and "Curtain", the villain of the piece did not actually commit any murder(s) at all.

Answer: True

In "Ordeal by Innocence", the man convicted of the murder turns out to be innocent, but only insofar as he did not deal the fatal blow. He still was the brains behind everything.

In "Curtain", Poirot goes on the mission of catching a man he compares to Shakespeare's Iago - someone who never raises his hand against anyone else but talks others into doing so.
9. What do the respective murderers in "Crooked House", "A Murder Is Announced", "The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side" and "Peril at End House" do?

Answer: stage murder attempts on their own lives

In "Crooked House", the staged unsuccessful murder attempt occurs during investigation in order to avoid suspicion while in the other three, the murderers make it look as if they had been the intended targets of the murders that actually happened.
10. Bonus question: what do "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" and "Peril at End House" have in common?

Answer: a chance remark by Hastings enables Poirot to solve the case

In "Styles", it is Hastings's remark about straightening the nippes on the mantlepiece that ultimately helps to recover an important document.
In "Peril at End House", it is his musing over different ways to abbreviate the name Margaret that does the trick.

I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for playing!
Source: Author PearlQ19

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series My Christie Quizzes:

Every now and then I go on an Agatha Christie binge, and when I do, it is reflected in my quiz-writing activities. Here are all my Christie quizzes in one place ... including some very old ones when I was young and inexperienced and my English wasn't what it is today.

  1. Agatha Christie's Plot Devices Average
  2. The Christie Couples Average
  3. The Christie Couples, Vol. II Average
  4. The Christie Couples, Vol. III Average
  5. The Christie Couples, Vol. IV Average
  6. The Christie Couples, Vol. V Average
  7. Write Down What You Saw... Average
  8. The Plot, She Thickens Average
  9. "Evil Under the Sun": Book vs. Movie Average
  10. Glimpsed Again: Recurring Supporting Characters Average
  11. Back-Translated German Agatha Christie Book Titles Average
  12. More Back-Translated German Christie Titles Tough

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