Ordeal by Innocence (1958) Quiz | Christie, Agatha

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The missing witness who provided a posthumous alibi for the man convicted of murdering his adoptive mother.

Answer: Arthur Calgary

Arthur Calgary gave Jack (Jacko) Argyle a lift on the night of the murder. Unfortunately, circumstances meant that Calgary never knew about the murder or that Jacko had been accused, tried and incarcerated. Shortly after dropping Jacko off in Drymouth, Calgary had been hit by a lorry while crossing the street, resulting in his hospitalisation and some temporary amnesia. Upon discharge from the hospital, he immediately left England to participate in an Antarctic expedition, thus he was unaware of the murder or Jacko's predicament until his return to England. Calgary was able to clear Jacko's name by confirming his alibi.

Unfortunately, it came a bit too late as Jacko had died of pneumonia while in prison.

2. The man accused and convicted of murdering his adoptive mother; his family described him as mentally unstable and "one of nature's misfits".

Answer: Jacko Argyle

His family did not appear to have any animosity towards Jacko for his alleged crime. They told Arthur Calgary that Jacko had "an awful temper" but also that he possessed great charm. They indicated that he could be violent and "was mentally unstable, though unfortunately not in the legal sense of the term", but felt he was not really responsible for his actions.

When Philip asked about Jacko's background, Leo told him that "Jacko was an orphan and was handed over to us by an old grandmother. She was killed in the blitz and he stayed with us. It was as simple as that".

3. An Argyle in-law who was a pilot during the war; he was paralysed and confined to a wheelchair after a bout of polio.

Answer: Philip Durrant

Confined to a wheelchair, Philip had little to do but observe the members of the household. "People - really that was all that life held for him now. Just people. People to study, to find out about, to sum up. Decide for himself what made them tick and find out if he was right. Really, it could all be very interesting...Only this very evening, sitting in the library, he had realised how little he really knew about his wife's family".

Thus Philip held his own private investigation into the death of his mother-in-law. Unfortunately, this resulted in him becoming the second murder victim.

4. Jacko's widow, whom he kept secret from his family; she was a dance hostess who had been carried away by his charm but didn't expect the marriage to last.

Answer: Maureen Clegg

Maureen told Arthur Calgary that the Argyles "were classy people, had a big house and all that. I wouldn't have gone down very well. Jackie thought it best to keep me dark. Besides, he said if he took me along his mother'd want to run my life as well as his. She couldn't help running people, he said, and he'd had enough of it". She also told him that "although I was fond of Jackie and all that, he wasn't what you call the steady type. I never did think really that
our marriage would last".

Maureen had initiated divorce proceedings while Jacko was in prison. Jacko's death made her a widow and she married an electrician, Joe Clegg, shortly thereafter.

5. One of the Argyle adoptees, who was described as a graceful, dark-skinned "half-caste", the offspring of a drunken prostitute and a sailor.

Answer: Christina (Tina) Argyle

Tina told Arthur Calgary that she disliked and distrusted her brother, Jacko. She had no doubt that he was guilty of murdering their mother. "It never occurred to me that there could be any other solution". Of all the children, she was the only one who truly loved Rachel and was grateful for the life Rachel had given her.

6. A wealthy woman who was murdered before the novel begins; she had a very strong maternal instinct but was not able to have children of her own.

Answer: Rachel Argyle

Rachel was not able to have children of her own so she fostered numerous children during the war years (WW2), eventually adopting five of them - Mary, Micky, Christina (Tina), Hester and Jack (Jacko). Rachel was wealthy and was able to ensure that the children were well cared for, had a good education, a generous allowance and "a good start in the professions she chose for them".

Unfortunately, although she meant well, all but one of her children regarded her as too controlling and overbearing.

7. A car salesman and one of the Argyle children; he bitterly resented the fact that his biological mother sold him to the Argyles for 100 pounds.

Answer: Micky Argyle

Micky told Arthur Calgary that Rachel was not his mother and Jacko was not his brother. He had overheard a conversation between Rachel and Leo that revealed his mother had sold him to the Argyles for 100 pounds. He bitterly resented being abandoned by his biological mother and hated his adoptive mother, despite the fact that Rachel gave him love, a nice home, a good education and other benefits. Rachel couldn't understand why Micky wanted to return to his mother, who clearly didn't care much about him, and his home in the London slums.

8. A Swedish nurse and masseuse who came to live with the Argyles during the war; she was described as being "as plain as a currant bun".

Answer: Kirsten (Kirsty) Lindstrom

Kirsten is referred to throughout the novel as both Kirsten and Kirsty. She was a Swedish nurse and masseuse who originally came to help Rachel with her war nursery and remained with the family as the housekeeper after the war. The family thought that she was quite devoted to Rachel but over the years her admiration had turned to contempt.

"Once, Kirsten thought, she herself had been full of affection for her employer, full of admiration. She couldn't remember exactly when she had begun to dislike her, when she had begun to judge her and find her wanting. So sure of herself, benevolent, tyrannical - a kind of living walking embodiment of Mother Knows
Best. And not really even a mother! If she had ever borne a child, it might have kept her humble".

9. Leo Argyle's secretary; Leo planned to marry her after the death of his wife but their relationship was strained by the renewed investigation into the murder.

Answer: Gwenda Vaughan

Leo and Gwenda fell in love while Leo's wife, Rachel, was still alive but observed propriety. After Rachel died, and Jacko had been convicted of her murder, there appeared to be no impediment to their relationship and future marriage. However, Arthur Calgary's revelation that Jacko was innocent threw suspicion back onto the members of the household. Leo and Gwenda's relationship stalled and their wedding was postponed indefinitely.

10. A serene young lady who is the eldest of the Argyle children; she is obsessively neat and dotes on her husband.

Answer: Mary Durrant

Rachel and Leo Argyle were unable to have children of their own. Mary was the eldest of their children and the first to be adopted. The Argyles met Mary when they were visiting New York and their car knocked Mary down. Thankfully she was not seriously hurt.

The Argyles discovered that Mary was an orphan who was being cared for, reluctantly, by her aunt and uncle. Mary's guardians were happy to allow the Argyles to adopt her, so Mary O'Shaughnessy became Mary Argyle, then Mary Durrant upon her marriage to Philip Durrant.

Source: Author MotherGoose

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Ordeal by Innocence (1958) Trivia Quiz

Match the major characters in this Agatha Christie novel with their descriptions. (NO SPOILERS)

Questions		Choices
1. The missing witness who provided a posthumous alibi for the man convicted of murdering his adoptive mother.		Jacko Argyle
2. The man accused and convicted of murdering his adoptive mother; his family described him as mentally unstable and "one of nature's misfits".		Rachel Argyle
3. An Argyle in-law who was a pilot during the war; he was paralysed and confined to a wheelchair after a bout of polio.		Kirsten (Kirsty) Lindstrom
4. Jacko's widow, whom he kept secret from his family; she was a dance hostess who had been carried away by his charm but didn't expect the marriage to last.		Christina (Tina) Argyle
5. One of the Argyle adoptees, who was described as a graceful, dark-skinned "half-caste", the offspring of a drunken prostitute and a sailor.		Arthur Calgary
6. A wealthy woman who was murdered before the novel begins; she had a very strong maternal instinct but was not able to have children of her own.		Micky Argyle
7. A car salesman and one of the Argyle children; he bitterly resented the fact that his biological mother sold him to the Argyles for 100 pounds.		Gwenda Vaughan
8. A Swedish nurse and masseuse who came to live with the Argyles during the war; she was described as being "as plain as a currant bun".		Mary Durrant
9. Leo Argyle's secretary; Leo planned to marry her after the death of his wife but their relationship was strained by the renewed investigation into the murder.		Philip Durrant
10. A serene young lady who is the eldest of the Argyle children; she is obsessively neat and dotes on her husband.		Maureen Clegg