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Quiz about A Perfect Spy by John le Carre

"A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre Quiz

This is the first quiz on the great spy writer John le Carre. As it is my first attempt at a quiz, I hope you enjoy it.

A multiple-choice quiz by martinjudo. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
martinjudo

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
280,521

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
230

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The story is told by our hero. Who is he/she? Hint

Jack Brotherhood

Richard Pym

Peggy Wentworth

Magnus Pym

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Our hero's main contact within the Czech Secret service had the code names Greensleeves and Poppy. But what was his real name? Hint

Syd

Jack

Thomas

Axel

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Question 3 of 10

3. What is the name of our hero's son? Hint

Tom

Sefton Boyd

Syd

Jack

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Question 4 of 10

4. What or who did our hero's father insist on bringing with him to every place he resided? Hint

bentley motorcar

green filing cabinet

bible

Lippsie

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Question 5 of 10

5. What was the name of Sefton Boyd's sister? Hint

Peggy

Lippsie

Mary

Jemima

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Question 6 of 10

6. What did our hero's father do for a living? Hint

plumber

he was a conman

diplomat

sailor

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Question 7 of 10

7. With whom is our hero staying during the telling of the story? Hint

Herr Ollinger

Miss Dubber

Thomas Mann

Peggy Wentworth

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Question 8 of 10

8. For which political party did our hero's father stand for election? Hint

Liberal

Labour

Tory

Whig

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Question 9 of 10

9. Mary is our hero's second wife. Who was her lover before him? Hint

Axel

Richard Pym

Jack Brotherhood

Syd Lemon

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Question 10 of 10

10. What happens to our hero at the end of the book? Hint

he is reinstated in the secret service

he betrays Axel to the Americans

he marries Miss Dubber

he commits suicide

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Mar 09 2024 : Guest 86: 9/10
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The story is told by our hero. Who is he/she?

Answer: Magnus Pym

Magnus was played by Peter Egan in the mini-series based on the book. John le Carre was himself an intelligence agent during the cold war and was one of the agents betrayed by Kim Philby to the Russians.

2. Our hero's main contact within the Czech Secret service had the code names Greensleeves and Poppy. But what was his real name?

Answer: Axel

Throughout the book we never get a definitive surname for Axel. Axel tries, like the British and American intelligence services, to locate Magnus and offer him protection in Czechoslovakia.

3. What is the name of our hero's son?

Answer: Tom

The whole is in the form of a letter to his son detailing his life story; from the betrayals by his father to the betrayals he himself committed.

4. What or who did our hero's father insist on bringing with him to every place he resided?

Answer: green filing cabinet

This book is autobiographical in that le Carre takes heavily from his own father's life as a conman. It appears to be a cathartic look at his own relationship with his father.

5. What was the name of Sefton Boyd's sister?

Answer: Jemima

As of 2006 le Carre has been writing for 40 years with 19 books published.

6. What did our hero's father do for a living?

Answer: he was a conman

John le Carre's real name is David John Moore Cornwell. The character of Magnus' father is based on his own father who was imprisoned several times for elaborate confidence tricks. The relationship between Magnus and Richard shows le Carre's own troubled feelings towards his amoral father.

7. With whom is our hero staying during the telling of the story?

Answer: Miss Dubber

From 1959 until 1964 le Carre worked for the British Foreign Service in West Germany.

8. For which political party did our hero's father stand for election?

Answer: Liberal

He was betrayed by Magnus when Peggy Wentworth confronted him at a political rally where he was asked if he had a criminal record. Which, of course, he had, thus stopping him from standing for any political office.

9. Mary is our hero's second wife. Who was her lover before him?

Answer: Jack Brotherhood

This book is autobiographical and the three-way relationship between Jack, Mary and Magnus mirrors a similar experience in le Carre's own life just after the end of his first marriage.

10. What happens to our hero at the end of the book?

Answer: he commits suicide

le Carre had written two books before he garnered acclaim for "A Spy who came in from the Cold" (1961), a book which showed the espionage world as cold and clinical evoking an atmosphere of gray despair.

Source: Author martinjudo

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