Death Comes as the End (1944) Quiz | Christie, Agatha

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The ka-priest's daughter, a widow who returned to her father's house; the story is told from her perspective

Answer: Renisenb

Renisenb's husband of eight years, Khay, had died and she was left a widow with a daughter, Teti. When she returned home, she felt like nothing had changed, as if she had never been away. And everything was virtually the same until her father brought home a concubine. Renisenb was the only member of the family who attempted to be friendly to Nofret.

2. The mortuary or ka-priest; a pompous and fussy man whose infatuation with his new concubine proves disastrous

Answer: Imhotep

Imhotep was a mortuary or ka-priest. A person's ka was their life force - that part of the soul which made the difference between being alive and being dead. A ka-priest was paid by families to maintain their dead relative's tomb and make food and drink offerings and daily prayers for that person's spirit in the after-life.

Imhotep was what we today would call a control freak. He was very reluctant to give his sons any responsibility and always found fault with the way they carried out his instructions, particularly if they did not do things the way he thought they should have been done. His sons resented him for keeping a tight control of the family business and being resistant to making them partners.

3. The ka-priest's mother and matriarch of the family; she is almost blind but she doesn't miss very much

Answer: Esa

Esa thought her son, Imhotep, was a fool for bringing home a concubine and told him to his face that "there's no fool like an old fool". Imhotep believed the deaths in the family were a result of Nofret's ghost exacting revenge on them but Esa believed their misfortunes were the result of a human rather than a spirit intervention. Esa was the sixth death to occur in this novel.

She was killed by absorption of poison through the skin when somebody poisoned her massage ointment. Everybody assumed she simply died of old age as she looked so peaceful.

4. The eldest son; a henpecked husband and an anxious, cautious man who managed the mortuary business when his father was away

Answer: Yahmose

Yahmose is described as "slow, prudent and prone to look for difficulties where none existed". After his wife Satipy's death, Yahmose appeared to gain more confidence. He almost died when he drank poisoned wine. Yahmose was the eighth and last death when he was shot with an arrow.

5. The wife of the eldest son and the mother of two young boys; everyone dreaded her sharp tongue

Answer: Satipy

Satipy is described in this novel as a tall and handsome woman. She was very forceful, at times a bully, and she berated her husband endlessly, pressuring him to ask his father to make him a partner in the family business. Satipy was the second death in this novel. She fell from a path above a cliff, an incident which was witnessed by Renisenb and Hori (business advisor to Imhotep).

6. The middle son; a handsome braggart with a terrible temper and poor judgement

Answer: Sobek

Sobek complained that his father would not give him any responsibility but Imhotep did not trust his judgement. Sobek thought he was cleverer than his brothers and father. He was the third person to die when he drank poisoned wine. After his death, his wife told Renisenb that she did not love or respect him because of his constant unfaithfulness and that men were only necessary to create children.

7. The middle son's wife and devoted mother of three children; seemingly meek and submissive

Answer: Kait

Kait was a plain woman who was devoted to her children and seldom thought or spoke about anything else. She was in daily conflict with her domineering sister-in-law Satipy and her way of coping was quiet obstinacy. Kait was a rather stupid woman and Esa thought Kait's stupidity could be dangerous.

8. The youngest son who did not like taking orders, avoided work, and was spoiled by his father

Answer: Ipy

Ipy was 16 years old and full of the arrogance of youth. Ipy believed he was smarter than everybody else and that he could manipulate his father into doing whatever he wanted. His father indulged him and usually took his side against his brothers. Ipy was the fifth death. He was found drowned in the lake.

9. The beautiful but malicious concubine, the proverbial cat among the pigeons; all the family, except one, loathed her

Answer: Nofret

Nofret was Imhotep's newly acquired concubine. She was only 19 years old and very beautiful. Her arrival stirred up a hornet's nest. Nofret made no effort to get along with Imhotep's family. Instead she goaded them into acting badly towards her and rejected Renisenb's friendly overtures.

Nofret was the first death to occur in this novel. She fell from a path on the cliff. Was it an accidental fall or was she pushed? Nobody in the family mourned her passing except Imhotep, and even Imhotep, who had previously taken Nofret's side against his family, was pragmatic when it came to her funeral expenses, looking for ways to economize and saying "a concubine is--er ahem--only a concubine".

10. The housekeeper who was devoted to Imhotep and barely tolerated by the rest of the family, who found her nauseatingly obsequious

Answer: Henet

Henet was unattractive in both face and personality. She whined constantly, telling the family how devoted she was and how they did not appreciate her, which, of course, made it harder for them to be grateful. Imhotep was the only one who appreciated her loyalty and he alone was fond of her.

Henet liked to eavesdrop and gossip and, on occasion, make mischief. She was the seventh death when she was killed in the linen storeroom. Somebody wrapped her in a linen sheet and suffocated her.

Source: Author MotherGoose

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Death Comes as the End (1944) Trivia Quiz

This is the only novel that Agatha Christie did not set in the 20th century. The story is set in Egypt 2000 BCE. Match the major characters in this Agatha Christie novel with their descriptions. (NO SPOILERS)

Questions		Choices
1. The ka-priest's daughter, a widow who returned to her father's house; the story is told from her perspective		Ipy
2. The mortuary or ka-priest; a pompous and fussy man whose infatuation with his new concubine proves disastrous		Imhotep
3. The ka-priest's mother and matriarch of the family; she is almost blind but she doesn't miss very much		Henet
4. The eldest son; a henpecked husband and an anxious, cautious man who managed the mortuary business when his father was away		Esa
5. The wife of the eldest son and the mother of two young boys; everyone dreaded her sharp tongue		Kait
6. The middle son; a handsome braggart with a terrible temper and poor judgement		Yahmose
7. The middle son's wife and devoted mother of three children; seemingly meek and submissive		Satipy
8. The youngest son who did not like taking orders, avoided work, and was spoiled by his father		Renisenb
9. The beautiful but malicious concubine, the proverbial cat among the pigeons; all the family, except one, loathed her		Sobek
10. The housekeeper who was devoted to Imhotep and barely tolerated by the rest of the family, who found her nauseatingly obsequious		Nofret