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The Bad Beginning Trivia Questions and Answers
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1. At the beginning of the book, what did the Baudelaire's parents give them permission to ride on to the seashore?
Answer: trolley
Interesting Information:In the book it had said that occasionally their parents would give them permission to take a rickety trolley alone to the seashore. Lemony Snicket explains that the word "rickety" means "unsteady" or "likely to collapse".
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
bus, cab, subway
2. "...their parents gave them permission to take a rickety trolley--the word 'rickety' you probably know, here means_______--alone to the seashore, where they would spend the day as a sort of vacation as long as they were home for dinner."
Answer: unsteady or likely to collapse
Interesting Information:Some synonyms for rickety are shaky, wobbly, and unstable. It comes from the word rickets, or rachitis, a disease caused by lack of Vitamin D.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
Some incorrect choices:
cheerful or causing happiness, dirty or very grimy, dreary or causing sorrow
3. How old is Violet in Book 1?
Answer: Fourteen
Interesting Information:She is the oldest sibling.
Difficulty: Average.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Fifteen, Eleven, Thirteen
4. In chapter 1 who tells the Baudelaires that their parents have died in a fire?
Answer: Mr Poe
Interesting Information:"As the figure reached them they saw that it was someone they knew: Mr Poe." Mr Poe also says that they are going to stay with him until he can find them a guardian.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Count Olaf, Justice Strauss, No one
5. Who is the oldest Baudelaire orphan, and what does he, she like to do best?
Answer: Violet, invents things
Interesting Information:At 14, she made a promise to her parents that she would take care of her younger siblings. Unfortunately, she takes over this responsibility sooner than expected.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events- Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Klaus, reads books, Sunny, bites things, Isadora, writes poems
6. '"It only seems scary,"____ said, as if reading _____ thoughts, "because of all the mist"'.
Fill in the FIRST blank.
Answer: Klaus
Interesting Information:'"It only seems scary," KLAUS said, as if reading his sister's thoughts,"because of all the mist"'.
Klaus was talking about the mysterious figure approaching them, who turned out to be Mr. Poe. Klaus was talking to Violet, as apposed to Sunny or someone more fortunate than the Baudelaires.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Quizzes: Quiz the First
7. What did the Baudelaires have for dinner one of the nights they stayed with Mr. Poe?
Answer: All of these
Interesting Information:Lemony Snicket explains that "blanched" is another word for boiled. Mr. Poe had announced at dinner that they were to leave his household the next morning.
Difficulty: Average.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
boiled chicken, boiled potatoes, blanched string beans
8. "The smell of cooking food is often a calming one, and the kitchen grew cozy as the sauce simmered, a culinary term which here means_______."
Answer: cooked over low heat
Interesting Information:The word simmered is a modification of a Middle English word, simpire.
From the food glossary at hungrymonster.com: "To cook food gently in liquid at a temperature (about 185 degrees F) low enough so that tiny bubbles just begin to break the surface".
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
Some incorrect choices:
cooled down, boiled, fried in hot oil
9. What does Sunny say when Mr Poe arrives at the beach?
Answer: "Odo yow"
Interesting Information:Odo yow means "How do you do?".
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
"Wdo yow", "Dwo yow", "Fdo yow"
10. In chapter 2 what are Mr Poe's children called?
Answer: Edgar and Albert
Interesting Information:"Mrs. Poe had purchased clothing for the orphans that was in grotesque colours and itched. The two Poe children-Edgar and Albert-were loud and obnoxious boys with whom the Baudelaires had to share a room which smelt of some ghastly flower." Also in this chapter Mr. Poe finds a new guardian for the Baudelaires- Count Olaf.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Duncan and Isadora, Beverly and Elliot, Mr Poe doesn't have children
11. Where did the Baudelaires learn about the horrible news of their parents ?
Answer: Briny Beach
Interesting Information:The children were enjoying a pleasant day at the beach when Mr. Poe came and told them the unfortunate news.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events- Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Mr. Poe's home, 667 Dark Avenue, Tedia
12. How many people besides Count Olaf were in his troupe?
Answer: 9
Interesting Information:Count Olaf had left the Baudelaire orphans chores to do, and one of them was to cook dinner for his troupe. They had to cook for 13 people - the three of them, and Count Olaf and his nine troupe members.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
11, 13, 7
13. "The word 'standoffish' is a wonderful one, but it does not describe Count Olaf's behavior toward the children. It means_______"
Answer: reluctant to associate with others
Interesting Information:Some synonyms for standoffish are aloof, reserved, distant, and shy.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
Some incorrect choices:
cheerful and out-going, moody and criticizing, intelligent and caring
14. At what beach were the Baudelaire children when they found out that their parents had been killed?
Answer: Briny Beach
Interesting Information:They were the only people on the beach that day.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Shiny Beach, Bondi Beach, Wale Beach
15. In chapter 3 what does Count Olaf use instead of a signature?
Answer: Eye
Interesting Information:"Instead of a signature Count Olaf would draw an eye at the bottom of his note." These notes were instructing them to do difficult chores like repairing windows and repainting doors.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Ear, Nose, He just uses a normal signature
16. Where did the children live the LONGEST in the story?
Answer: Count Olaf's house
Interesting Information:They didn't know what kind of wretched man Count Olaf was until later in the story.
Difficulty: Average.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events- Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Mr. Poe's house, Lucky Smells Lumbermill, Prufrock Preparatory School
17. What did the Baudelaires have for a closet while they were living with Count Olaf?
Answer: cardboard box
Interesting Information:Count Olaf had only given them a cardboard box for all of their clothes. Also, all three of them had to share one room.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
a regular closet, bookshelf, refrigerator
18. "Klaus sighed, and relinquished--a word which here means_______"
Answer: gave to Count Olaf even though he didn't want to
Interesting Information:Klaus relinquished the book about nuptial law after Count Olaf showed him and Violet that Sunny was dangling from the tower.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
Some incorrect choices:
thought over his next plan, reflected over the past few weeks, finished off the food
19. What colour handkerchief was Mr Poe always coughing into?
Answer: White
Interesting Information:He didn't seem to do anything but cough.
Difficulty: Average.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Yellow, Blue, Pink
20. In chapter 4 what dish do the Baudelaires cook for Count Olaf?
Answer: Puttanesca sauce
Interesting Information:"The Baudelaires copied the recipe for puttanesca sauce onto a scrap piece of paper." Count Olaf wasn't impressed with their cooking
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Lasagne, Coconut cream cake, Nothing
21. Who was Count Olaf's next door neighbor?
Answer: Justice Strauss
Interesting Information:Justice Strauss let the Baudelaires use her library to research things, or just to read. The children also help her in the garden and when they went shopping.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events- Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Phil, Esme Squallor, He had no neighbor
22. What does Mr. Poe always do?
Answer: cough
Interesting Information:Mr. Poe would always be coughing. He would always have to stop in the middle of every sentence and cough into his white handkerchief.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
sneeze, pass wind, hop on one leg
23. "But thanks to her adroit inventing skills--the word 'adroit' here means_______--everything worked the way it was supposed to work, and suddenly Violet found herself feeling a piece of metal instead of a cloth rope."
Answer: skillful
Interesting Information:This happens when Violet makes a grappling hook, and climbs up the tower to save Sunny. When she gets to the top, she realizes that the hook had caught onto one of the hook-handed man's hooks.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
24. Who did the children stay with the first night?
Answer: Mr Poe
Interesting Information:They stayed at Mr Poe's house for the night, and then in the morning they went to stay with Count Olaf.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Count Olaf, Aunt Josephine, Uncle Monty
25. In chapter 5 what is Mr Poe's bank called?
Answer: Mulctuary Money Management
Interesting Information:"Finally a receptionist at subservient said she knew Mr Poe worked at Mulctuary Money Management." In the bank Mr. Poe refused to help them because of the legal term 'Loco Parentis'.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Lloyds of London, Halifax, Abbey National
26. What was Olaf expecting for dinner one night?
Answer: Roast Beef
Interesting Information:The children had found the recipe for Puttanesca sauce from a cookbook in Justice Strauss's library. Count Olaf was very disappointed.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events- Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Pasta with Puttanesca sauce, Salmon from Cafe Salmonella, Happy Hamburgers from the Anxious Clown
27. At how many treacherous banks did the Baudelaires have to ask for Mr. Poe before they found him?
Answer: Three
Interesting Information:Trustworthy Bank, Faithful Savings and Subservient Financial Services. I assumed the banks were treacherous because it is a treacherous book. As explained in 'The Austere Academy', assumptions are dangerous to make, especially in the morning. Unfortunately for me, I am not only writing this in the morning, but underwater, trying to escape the shark above me.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Quizzes: Quiz the First
Some incorrect choices:
At least four, Four, Sixteen
28. How many banks did the Baudelaires have to go to before finding the bank Mr. Poe works at?
Answer: 3
Interesting Information:The Baudelaire children had to go to a lot of banks before finding Mr. Poe. At one of the banks, a receptionist had told them that she knew he worked at Mulctuary Money Management.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
5, 2, 7
29. "Afraid to untie or untape her sister for fear of incurring--a word which here means_______--Count Olaf's wrath, Violet stroked Sunny's hair and murmured that everything was all right."
Answer: bringing about
Interesting Information:Incur comes from the Middle English word 'incurren', which is from the Old French 'encorir' which is from the Latin word 'incurrere' which means 'to run upon'.
Difficulty: Average.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
Some incorrect choices:
commanding, soothing, mellowing
30. In chapter 6 what does Count Olaf put in the oatmeal?
Answer: Raspberries
Interesting Information:"The children took seats at the kitchen table and stared nervously at their oatmeal. If you knew Count Olaf, and he suddenly served you a meal, wouldn't you be afraid there was something terrible in it, like poison or ground glass? But instead, Violet Klaus, and Sunny found that fresh rap berries had been sprinkled on top of each of their portions." Count Olaf uses these raspberries in combination with asking them to be in a play to 'welcome them into the family'.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Strawberries, Nothing, Cherries
31. Who is Count Olaf's kind and generous neighbor?
Answer: Justice Strauss
Interesting Information:Without Justice Strauss letting the Baudelaires use her library, Violet would be married to Count Olaf.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Justin Stange, Jay Stiller, Julius Strause
32. Where was Sunny locked in a cage?
Answer: At the top of Olaf's tower
Interesting Information:Poor Sunny was trapped inside a cage with no way out. Violet tried to rescue her but got caught as well. For Sunny to live, Violet had to marry Count Olaf.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events- Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
In a nearby vehicle, Up high in a tree, Inside a room in Olaf's house.
33. What was the name of the play that Count Olaf wanted the Baudelaires to participate in?
Answer: The Marvelous Marriage
Interesting Information:Count Olaf had made Violet be the person who was going to marry him in "The Marvelous Marriage". Klaus and Sunny had to play some of the cheering people in the crowd.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
The Miraculous Marriage, The Magnificent Marriage, The Majestical Marriage
34. "Violet found their situation lamentably deplorable, a phrase which here means_______."
Answer: it was not at all enjoyable
Interesting Information:This happens after Violet was caught by the hook-handed man in the tower. She had tried to save Sunny, but had failed. Klaus was brought up to the tower, too. They were locked up there until the time of the play ("The Marvelous Marriage") in the evening.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
Some incorrect choices:
it was very enjoyable, it was very boring, it was not at all boring
35. For Puttanesca the Baudelaires needed: olives, capers, anchovies, garlic and two other things. What were those two other things?
Answer: Chopped parsley and tomatoes
Interesting Information:They needed all these ingredients to make one big meal.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
Chopped parsley and fishes, Chopped tomatoes and oregano, Chopped fish and tomatoes
36. In chapter 7 whose library do the Baudelaires visit?
Answer: Justice Strauss's Library
Interesting Information:"The Baudelaire children had a slightly different incentive for reading these books, of course. Their incentive was not heaps of money, but preventing Count Olaf from doing something horrible to them in order to get heaps of money. But even with this incentive, getting through the law books in Justice Strauss's library was a very, very, very hard task." The law book they read was called 'Inheritance Law and its implications'
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Charles's Library, Uncle Monty's Library, Aunt Josephine's Library
37. "The backstage area was in complete pandemonium--a word which here means_______."
Answer: actors and stagehands running around attending to last-minute details
Interesting Information:Pandemonium came from the epic poem "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. It was the capital of Hell. It has come to be a regular word, just like if someone is called 'a scrooge', it means he/she is a miser (from 'A Christmas Carol').
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Lemony's Definitions
Some incorrect choices:
order, much to the dismay of the Baudelaires, peace, giving the Baudelaires time to think, disorder, making the children very happy
38. What did the orphans need to remember to buy for Count Olaf's meal?
Answer: A fish
Interesting Information:They also needed many other different ingredients.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1
Some incorrect choices:
A dog, A cat, An octopus
39. In chapter 8 how many times does the author say the sentence: "He found himself reading the same sentence over and over"?
Answer: 3 times
Interesting Information:It says the sentence three times. The sentences Klaus was reading were from the book 'Nuptial Law'.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
1 time, 2 times, 4 times
40. Who likes to invent things?
Answer: Violet
Interesting Information:Violet is thinking hard when she has her hair tied up with a ribbon.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
From Quiz: The Bad Beginning
Some incorrect choices:
Klaus, Sunny, Mr. Poe
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