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Quiz about Are You As Good As Sherlock Holmes

Are You As Good As Sherlock Holmes? Quiz

In each of the following questions you will try to come to the same conclusion as the master detective or identify the clue that led him to his conclusion. All the puzzles are directly from the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. Beware red herrings!

A multiple-choice quiz by Philian. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Philian

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
160,360

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2375

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 222 (8/10), L_Clayton (7/10), Guest 161 (1/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In the case of "The Norwood Builder" how did Sherlock Holmes deduce the location of the concealed room? Hint

He read the old document about priest holes.

He tapped on the wooden panels until he got a different echo.

He paced out the length of the corridor on the floor below.

He caught the housekeeper taking food to the occupant of the secret hiding place.

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Question 2 of 10

2. In the case of "The Dancing Men" what was the initial clue that allowed Holmes to trace Watson's thoughts so that he concluded that Watson would not invest in South African securities? Hint

Watson was rubbing the wound he had from the Afghan War.

Watson had sticking plaster on the left side of his face.

Watson had chalk between his left finger and thumb.

Watson had clay on one of his boots.

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Question 3 of 10

3. In the case of "The Solitary Cyclist" what did Holmes deduce about his client from her spatulate finger ends? Hint

He concluded that she was a typist.

He concluded that she was a pianist.

He concluded that she had been tortured.

He concluded that she had recently been digging.

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Question 4 of 10

4. How does Holmes deduce that whatever had affected Dr. Huxtable in "The Priory School" had happened three days earlier? Hint

He observed the shabbiness of the doctor's clothing.

He noted the mud splashes from rain three days earlier on the doctor's boots.

He noted the date in the newspaper the doctor was carrying.

He observed the state of the stubble on Dr.Huxtable's chin.

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Question 5 of 10

5. In the case of "Lady Frances Carfax" which clue led Holmes to deduce that Watson had paid a recent visit to the Turkish baths? Hint

The way in which Watson's complexion had changed.

The way in which Watson's boots were tied.

The odour that clung to Watson's outer clothing.

The small stain that he noticed on one of Watson's gloves.

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Question 6 of 10

6. In "The Valley of Fear" what clue did Holmes use to demonstrate to Inspector MacDonald that Professor Moriarty must have a secret source of income? Hint

The magnificent collection of silver he keeps in display cabinets.

A diamond encrusted ring that Moriarty wears.

A valuable painting by Greuze.

The deed of ownership of a large house in Mayfair.

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Question 7 of 10

7. What conclusion did Holmes come to when he noted the missing dumb-bell in "The Valley of Fear"? Hint

That it had been used as a murder weapon and was now hidden.

That it had been used to weight down something thrown into the nearby moat.

That it meant they were looking for a one-armed man as the murderer,

That the dumb-bell had been used to wedge open a concealed door.

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Question 8 of 10

8. In "The Red-Headed League" what did Holmes deduce from the fact that his client had a right cuff that was very shiny and a left elbow that had a smooth patch? Hint

That the man had done a lot of gardening recently.

That the man had done a lot of carpentry work recently.

That the man had done a lot of writing recently.

That the man had recently employed a slatternly servant.

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Question 9 of 10

9. In "A Case of Identity" what clue led Holmes to deduce that Miss Mary Sutherland spent a lot of time type-writing? Hint

The way in which she hunched forward in her seat.

There were traces of the ink from the typewriter ribbon on her fingers.

There was a double line on the plush of her sleeves.

The tips of her fingers were larger than normal.

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Question 10 of 10

10. In "The Speckled Band" what clue led Holmes to deduce that Miss Helen Stoner had taken a good drive in a dog-cart along heavy roads on the morning she came to Baker Street? Hint

The driver of the dog-cart had mud on his whip.

Her dog's feet were covered with the traces of mud.

Her jacket was spattered with mud.

The horse in her dog-cart was splashed with mud.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the case of "The Norwood Builder" how did Sherlock Holmes deduce the location of the concealed room?

Answer: He paced out the length of the corridor on the floor below.

This story occurs in "The Return of Sherlock Holmes". The builder contrived circumstances in which it looked like he had been murdered. He concealed himself and suspicion was thrown on a young solicitor. Holmes tells Lestrade, "When I paced one corridor and found it six feet shorter than the corresponding one below, it was pretty clear where he was."

2. In the case of "The Dancing Men" what was the initial clue that allowed Holmes to trace Watson's thoughts so that he concluded that Watson would not invest in South African securities?

Answer: Watson had chalk between his left finger and thumb.

Holmes deduced first of all that Watson had been playing billiards and had used the chalk to steady the cue. Watson only ever plays billiards with a man named Thurston. Thurston had an option on some South African property which he wanted Watson to share with him. Watson had told Holmes about this and about the expiry date of the option. Watson had not asked for his cheque book which was locked in Holmes' drawer and therefore he did not intend to invest his money.

3. In the case of "The Solitary Cyclist" what did Holmes deduce about his client from her spatulate finger ends?

Answer: He concluded that she was a pianist.

The client was Miss Violet Smith and earlier in the interview Holmes had deduced that she was a cyclist by the "slight roughening on the side of the sole caused by the friction of the edge of the pedal". The spatulate finger ends, combined with the "spirituality about the face" led him to the conclusion that the young lady played the piano on a regular basis.

4. How does Holmes deduce that whatever had affected Dr. Huxtable in "The Priory School" had happened three days earlier?

Answer: He observed the state of the stubble on Dr.Huxtable's chin.

Dr. Huxtable has delayed consulting Sherlock Holmes because the case involves the disappearance of the son of the Duke of Holdernesse. Both the schoolteacher and the Duke want to avoid a public scandal. Holmes is annoyed that he will be coming late on the scene when most of the clues may have been obscured or destroyed.

5. In the case of "Lady Frances Carfax" which clue led Holmes to deduce that Watson had paid a recent visit to the Turkish baths?

Answer: The way in which Watson's boots were tied.

Watson's boots were fastened with an elaborate double bow which was not his usual method of tying them. He concludes only two other people were likely to have tied them - a bootmaker or a boy at the baths. As Watson's boots were new it was unlikely to have been a bootmaker. This story occurs in "His Last Bow".

6. In "The Valley of Fear" what clue did Holmes use to demonstrate to Inspector MacDonald that Professor Moriarty must have a secret source of income?

Answer: A valuable painting by Greuze.

Holmes points out to MacDonald that Professor Moriarty has an income of seven hundred pounds a year. The Greuze painting was worth at least four thousand pounds. Moriarty has no other legal source of income. Holmes suggests that Moriarty gets his money by being the controlling genius behind many of the crimes that are committed in England.

7. What conclusion did Holmes come to when he noted the missing dumb-bell in "The Valley of Fear"?

Answer: That it had been used to weight down something thrown into the nearby moat.

Holmes had used Watson's umbrella to fish a bundle weighted by the dumb-bell out of the moat at Birlstone Manor House. The bundle contained the clothes of the man who had come to kill Mr. Douglas but who had been killed himself. His body was believed to be that of his would-be victim until Holmes solved the case whose origins lay in the U.S.A.

8. In "The Red-Headed League" what did Holmes deduce from the fact that his client had a right cuff that was very shiny and a left elbow that had a smooth patch?

Answer: That the man had done a lot of writing recently.

This story occurs in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". Mr. Jabez Wilson had been busily employed in copying out the Encyclopaedia Britannica. This task was a ruse to get him away from his place of business so that crooks could tunnel to a nearby bank. The left elbow was smooth because that was where it rested on the desk.

9. In "A Case of Identity" what clue led Holmes to deduce that Miss Mary Sutherland spent a lot of time type-writing?

Answer: There was a double line on the plush of her sleeves.

Holmes tells Watson that the knee of the trouser is a sure guide to the occupation of a man but that the sleeves are the best indication of what a woman does for a living. He has observed that a sewing machine would leave a similar mark but only on one sleeve. The marks in the plush were from where the typewriter presses against the table.

10. In "The Speckled Band" what clue led Holmes to deduce that Miss Helen Stoner had taken a good drive in a dog-cart along heavy roads on the morning she came to Baker Street?

Answer: Her jacket was spattered with mud.

It was the lady herself who carried the traces of her journey. The left arm of her jacket was spattered "in no less than seven places". From this Holmes also deduced that she had travelled by a dog-cart for as he said, "There is no vehicle save a dog cart which throws up mud in that way, and then only when you sit on the left-hand side of the driver."

Source: Author Philian

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