Don't Quote Me! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hercule Poirot

The retired Belgian policeman, Hercule Poirot, probably Agatha Christie's most famous sleuth, spoke these words which show both his keen understanding of human thought processes and his ability to manipulate their responses in "Three Act Tragedy" (US title "Murder in Three Acts"). Poirot is almost obsessively tidy and systematic both with physical objects and with his analysis of events. Unlike Sherlock Holmes, he relies more on the psychology of the criminal than on the use of physical evidence. Starting with his first appearance in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" in 1920, and ending with his death in "Curtain" in 1975, he featured in 33 novels and 51 short stories.

Answer: Pennywise

Pennywise the Clown is the form assumed by the title character of Stephen King's novel "It" when It is hunting children. Pennywise often has balloons with which to lure the children, and fangs and large claws with which to kill them. It assumes many other forms, and we never know which is It's 'true' form, although it seems that a spider is the closest approximation the limited human mind can make to It's physical nature.

It's real existence is in the deadlights, in a non-physical realm of existence, and comprehending that leads to instant insanity. Poor Georgie wanting his boat leads to the first encounter we see with It, although we discover that it is not the first time It has killed in Derry.

At the end of the book, the fact that everyone has started to forget the details of their experiences with It is suggested to mean that It has finally been completely destroyed.

Answer: St Paul

This quotation is taken from "The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (King James Version)" Chapter 1, verses 3-6 and Chapter 13, verses 11-13. Chapter 13 is perhaps one of the most often cited of all of Paul's writings, which include between seven and fourteen of the epistles (letters) found in the New Testament. St Paul lived roughly from 5CE to 67CE, and was highly influential in spreading the newly-formed faith of Christianity around the Mediterranean.

His writings also contributed strongly to the direction in which the new faith developed.

Many of his sayings have become part of the language, used both with intentional reference to his writings and by those who are unaware of the origins of the phrase.

Answer: Peter Rabbit

The story continues: "Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries; but Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's garden, and squeezed under the gate!" Of course he ran into trouble, as foreshadowed by his mother, but escaped, wet and sorry, having lost only his jacket and shoes. We learn that it was the second time in a fortnight that he had arrived home missing these articles of clothing - he doesn't seem to be a quick learner!

The incorrect options are also title characters in books by Beatrix Potter.

Answer: Henry V

Henry V of England was known as a fighting king, who fought on the field with his men, unlike the leader of the French forces who opposed him in this crucial battle in the Hundred Years War, which took place on St Crispin's Day in 1415. In 1599, Shakespeare wrote some stirring speeches of patriotism and brotherhood in warfare for this character - the St Crispin's Day speech, of which part was quoted in the question, and the speech at Harfleur ("Once more unto the breach, dear friends...") both provide a familiar cultural reference.

The 1944 movie version featuring Laurence Olivier emphasized these aspects of the play, during a time when the country was once again engaged in a bitter war.

Answer: Tom Sawyer

Tom certainly managed to change his punishment into a treat - by the end of the day others had applied three layers of whitewash to the fence for him, and he had gathered in an apple, "a kite, in good repair, ... a dead rat and a string to swing it with, ... twelve marbles, part of a jews-harp, a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six fire-crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass doorknob, a dog-collar--but no dog--the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange-peel, and a dilapidated old window sash." This entertaining Saturday occurred near the start of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".

The other options are also characters in the same book - Joe and Huck shared his adventures, and Muff Potter was originally accused of murdering Dr Robinson, but was cleared when Tom discovered the truth.

Answer: Black Beauty

Anna Sewell's immortal "Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse" was first published in 1877, with the intention of making people aware of the dreadful treatment meted out to many working animals at the time. Black Beauty started life as a carefree foal growing up on a property called Birtwick, a life which was terminated when he was three years old, and the property was sold off after the death of his master's wife. His next position was one where he was treated less lovingly, and started the long decline that led to his breakdown while working as a hackney horse, drawing a London cab. When he had finally, irretrievably, broken down, he was sent to the sales, where he was rescued by the kindly Mr Thoroughgood, at the urging of his grandson Willie. After giving Beauty the chance to heal, Mr Thoroughgood sold him to some female friends, whose groom turned out to be the stableboy who had once caused Beauty to become ill due to improper care after a hard run, and who was delighted to have the chance to offer some reparation for the past injury.

The closing lines of the novel read "My ladies have promised that I shall never be sold, and so I have nothing to fear; and here my story ends. My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my old friends under the apple-trees." I cried as a twelve-year-old when I read them, and I still choke up.

Answer: Gollum

In "The Hobbit" we know this character as Gollum, a name based on the funny swallowing sound it makes when talking to itself. In "The Lord of the Rings", we learn that his name was originally Smeagol. Smaug is the dragon whose lair the expedition plans to raid in order to retrieve the dwarves' treasure. Beorn, a man who can change shape into that of a black bear, assists them on their quest, as does Elrond, a half-elf who gives them shelter at his home of Rivendell during their journey.

Gollum is a minor character in "The Hobbit", who serves principally as a mechanism for giving Bilbo the ring with which he can become invisible, which becomes an important plot device. Neither the ring nor Gollum appear as significant in this book as they are seen to be in "The Lord of the Rings".

Answer: Ebenezer Scrooge

"A Christmas Carol" tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, who is made to see the error of his cold-hearted ways during the course of the night before Christmas as four ghosts make him aware of the world, and his place in its past, present and future. He changes his tune by the end of things, addressing his long-suffering employee Bob Cratchit with these words near the end of the novella:

"A merry Christmas, Bob," said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. "A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year. I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob. Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!"

Answer: Deep Thought

The 'pan-dimensional beings' who created the computer Deep Thought to find the answer to "The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything" were vastly disappointed to get the answer forty-two after more than seven million years of calculations. Deep Thought pointed out that the problem was that they didn't actually know what the question was, so they couldn't understand the answer; hence the construction of the Earth, a supercomputer designed to determine what the question was. Unfortunately, Vogons blew it up to make way for a hyperspace bypass minutes before calculations were complete. And that is where the book starts - the rest is revealed as Arthur and Ford travel through the universe, having escaped Earth just before it disappeared. Along their journey, guided by the invaluable "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", they join forces with Ford's 'cousin' Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy, his companion Trillian, and the suicidally-depressed robot Marvin.