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Sad Cypress (1940) Trivia Quiz

Match the major characters in this novel with their description. (NO SPOILERS)

A matching quiz by MotherGoose. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
MotherGoose

Time
4 mins

Type
Match Quiz

Quiz #
402,686

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
168

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.

Questions		Choices
1. French-speaking Belgian detective with an egg-shaped head; he claimed that the lies people tell are just as useful as the truth.		Mary Gerrard
2. Doctor to Laura Welman; described as a young man of 32 with sandy hair and "a pleasantly ugly freckled face".		Elinor Carlisle
3. Laura Welman's housekeeper for 18 years; she did not like Mary Gerrard and thought she was a troublemaker and an opportunist.		Mrs Bishop
4. Nephew to Laura Welman's late husband; he was engaged to Laura's niece but the engagement was broken when he fell in love with another woman.		Ted Bigland
5. A wealthy widow who had suffered a stroke; she died intestate, much to the surprise of her relatives.		Peter Lord
6. The daughter of the lodge-keeper; a beautiful young woman who was a favourite of Laura Welman.		Roderick (Roddy) Welman
7. A young woman who was Laura Welman's next-of-kin; she is accused of the murders of Laura Welman and Mary Gerrard.		Laura Welman
8. The district nurse who was described as "the biggest gossip in the village"; she claimed to be missing a tube of morphine hydrochloride.		Jessie Hopkins
9. Laura Welman's lawyer; he was not impressed that Hercule Poirot had been brought into the case and considered Poirot's questions "improper".		Mr Seddon
10. A farmer's son who was described as a "good-looking, fair young giant"; he had a big crush on Mary and wanted to marry her.		Hercule Poirot

Select each answer

1. French-speaking Belgian detective with an egg-shaped head; he claimed that the lies people tell are just as useful as the truth.

2. Doctor to Laura Welman; described as a young man of 32 with sandy hair and "a pleasantly ugly freckled face".

3. Laura Welman's housekeeper for 18 years; she did not like Mary Gerrard and thought she was a troublemaker and an opportunist.

4. Nephew to Laura Welman's late husband; he was engaged to Laura's niece but the engagement was broken when he fell in love with another woman.

5. A wealthy widow who had suffered a stroke; she died intestate, much to the surprise of her relatives.

6. The daughter of the lodge-keeper; a beautiful young woman who was a favourite of Laura Welman.

7. A young woman who was Laura Welman's next-of-kin; she is accused of the murders of Laura Welman and Mary Gerrard.

8. The district nurse who was described as "the biggest gossip in the village"; she claimed to be missing a tube of morphine hydrochloride.

9. Laura Welman's lawyer; he was not impressed that Hercule Poirot had been brought into the case and considered Poirot's questions "improper".

10. A farmer's son who was described as a "good-looking, fair young giant"; he had a big crush on Mary and wanted to marry her.

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. French-speaking Belgian detective with an egg-shaped head; he claimed that the lies people tell are just as useful as the truth.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is requested by Dr Peter Lord to help prove Elinor Carlisle's innocence when she is charged with murder. In a 1966 interview published in London's "Sunday Times", Agatha Christie made the comment that "'Sad Cypress' could have been good, but it was quite ruined by having Poirot in it. I always thought something was wrong with it but didn't discover that until I read it again sometime after".

2. Doctor to Laura Welman; described as a young man of 32 with sandy hair and "a pleasantly ugly freckled face".

Answer: Peter Lord

Dr Peter Lord is in love with Elinor Carlisle but is aware she is in love with Roddy Welman. Despite that, when Elinor is accused of murder, he approached Hercule Poirot to ask him "to find evidence that will prove that she didn't do it!" Poirot asked, "Supposing she is guilty - do you still want to get her acquitted?" To which Dr Lord replied, "Yes." The ending of the novel suggests that Elinor will eventually get over Roderick Welman and fall in love with Dr Lord.

3. Laura Welman's housekeeper for 18 years; she did not like Mary Gerrard and thought she was a troublemaker and an opportunist.

Answer: Mrs Bishop

Mrs Bishop strongly disapproved of foreigners. She was very frosty with Hercule Poirot initially but thawed out towards him once he mentioned that he had been a guest at Sandringham (the private home of Queen Elizabeth II). She told Poirot that Mary Gerrard was a "snake in the grass" who came between Roddy and Elinor, and that Mary was "artful" and "above herself".

4. Nephew to Laura Welman's late husband; he was engaged to Laura's niece but the engagement was broken when he fell in love with another woman.

Answer: Roderick (Roddy) Welman

Dr Peter Lord did not understand what Elinor saw in Roderick, describing him as a "long-nosed, supercilious ass with a face like a melancholy horse!" (I couldn't see the attraction either!)

5. A wealthy widow who had suffered a stroke; she died intestate, much to the surprise of her relatives.

Answer: Laura Welman

Laura Welman had said many times that Elinor, her niece, and Roderick (Roddy), her nephew by marriage, were her only family and intimated that, at her death, everything would come to one or the other or more probably both of them. So it was a big surprise when her lawyer informed them that Laura had died intestate (without a will).

6. The daughter of the lodge-keeper; a beautiful young woman who was a favourite of Laura Welman.

Answer: Mary Gerrard

Laura Welman was fond of Mary Gerrard and took an interest in her. She paid for her schooling and for various extras, such as lessons in piano, French and German. This led to some people feeling that, as a result, Mary had ideas above her station.

7. A young woman who was Laura Welman's next-of-kin; she is accused of the murders of Laura Welman and Mary Gerrard.

Answer: Elinor Carlisle

Elinor was madly in love with Roddy but kept her emotions to herself because it was very obvious that Roddy, although he loved her, didn't feel about her the way she felt about him. She was very careful to appear off-hand and casual about their engagement as she knew that Roddy would not appreciate any display of devotion and adoration.

8. The district nurse who was described as "the biggest gossip in the village"; she claimed to be missing a tube of morphine hydrochloride.

Answer: Jessie Hopkins

Nurse Eileen O'Brien was Laura Welman's nurse after her stroke. She was assisted by the District Nurse, Jessie Hopkins, who came in each day to help Nurse O'Brien with making the bed and attending to Mrs Welman's personal hygiene needs. The missing morphine hydrochloride proved to be the murder weapon in the deaths of Laura Welman and Mary Gerrard.

9. Laura Welman's lawyer; he was not impressed that Hercule Poirot had been brought into the case and considered Poirot's questions "improper".

Answer: Mr Seddon

As Laura Welman died intestate, her entire fortune went to Elinor Carlisle. Mr Seddon assisted Elinor to make bequests to various members of staff and to Mary Gerrard, in accordance with Laura's known wishes. When Elinor is accused of murder, Mr Seddon makes the necessary arrangements for her defence.

10. A farmer's son who was described as a "good-looking, fair young giant"; he had a big crush on Mary and wanted to marry her.

Answer: Ted Bigland

Mrs Bishop did not like Mary and told Poirot that Ted was "as nice a boy as you could find. But, oh, no, my fine lady (Mary) was too good for him! I'd no patience with such airs and graces!" Nurse Jessie Hopkins told Poirot that Ted was "very gone on Mary" but "I told her she was a cut above him". According to Nurse Hopkins, Ted was "quite sore" about that.

Source: Author MotherGoose

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