The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book

by Kathleen Kaska

  Story Date: 1894 or 1895

  1. John Hector McFarlane is arrested for the murder of Jonas Oldacre because his wallet and identification were found near the dead body.

  2. McFarlane is arrested in Holmes’s apartment while pleading for the detective’s help.

  3. Oldacre changed his will and bequeathed McFarlane 5,000 pounds.

  4. Holmes feels that he will fail in solving this mystery, but he strongly believes that the solution depends upon the housekeeper’s testimony.

  5. On the night Oldacre was murdered, McFarlane spent the night in a country inn because it was too late to return home.

  6. Inspector Lestrade finds a witness who saw McFarlane leave the Oldacre house on the night of the murder.

  7. Holmes discovers a hidden room in Oldacre’s house, which puts Holmes on the right track in proving McFarlane’s innocence.

  8. Holmes flushes the murderer from his hiding place by announcing in a loud voice that he is about to take target practice on the wall in the corridor.

  9. Because Oldacre was being blackmailed, he conceived the scam as a way to elude his blackmailers.

  10. Once caught, the murderer tries to pass off the affair as a joke.

  QUIZ 42 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN”

  Published in Collier’s and in the Strand in December 1903

  By the time Conan Doyle published The Return of Sherlock Holmes, his American readers were as anxious for more Holmes stories as the British. To satisfy his American publisher and readership, Conan Doyle set the background for this well-calculated story in the United States. Conan Doyle was rather pleased with this tale and ranked it as number three on his list of favorite Sherlock Holmes cases. The following quiz contains ten multiple choice questions.

  Story Date: 1898

  1. After noticing several obvious clues, what does Holmes predict that Watson is about to do concerning his investments?

  A. Watson is not considering investing in diamond mines in India.

  B. He is not considering investing in South African securities.

  C. He has just sold several shares of stock and is planning to invest in a new shipping company.

  D. He is wondering if it is too late to invest in his friend’s dairy business in Kenya.

  2. How long had the Cubitt family been residing at Riding Thorpe in the county of Norfolk?

  A. The Cubitt family had purchased the estate two years earlier.

  B. The Cubitts had been at Riding Thorpe since the turn of the century.

  C. The family had owned the estate for five centuries.

  D. The family had purchased the estate right after the French Revolution.

  3. What promise did Mr. Cubitt have to make to his wife before she would marry him?

  A. Mrs. Cubitt insisted that her husband leave half of his estate to her family.

  B. Mr. Cubitt must never refer to her maiden name.

  C. Mrs. Cubitt insisted that Mr. Cubitt never ask about her past.

  D. Mr. Cubitt would have to promise never to inquire about her father.

  4. How did Mrs. Cubitt react when her husband showed her the drawing of the dancing figures?

  A. Mrs. Cubitt fainted.

  B. Mrs. Cubitt was furious and stormed out of the house.

  C. She hurried off to church and remained there for the rest of the afternoon.

  D. She rushed to town and sent a telegram.

  5. What did Mrs. Cubitt suggest that she and her husband do when the strange messages began to appear more frequently?

  A. Mrs. Cubitt suggested that they contact Sherlock Holmes.

  B. She suggested that they burn all of the messages.

  C. She suggested that she and her husband take a trip and get away for a while.

  D. Mrs. Cubitt suggested that they pray together every evening until the messages stop arriving.

  6. Where did most of the messages appear?

  A. On the sundial in the garden

  B. On the second step of the front entrance

  C. On the door of the stable

  D. On the windowsill in the breakfast room

  7. What problem faces Holmes when he arrives at Riding Thorpe to begin his investigation?

  A. Mr. and Mrs. Cubitt have both been shot. Mr. Cubitt is dead, and his wife is in serious condition.

  B. Mrs. Cubitt has left her husband.

  C. Mr. Cubitt has shot the person responsible for writing the messages.

  D. Mrs. Cubitt was arrested for a crime she committed before she met her husband.

  8. What key piece of evidence does Holmes discover while studying the scene of the crime?

  A. The gun found in the room did not fire the shots.

  B. A third shot had been fired.

  C. One victim was shot at close range, the other from a distance.

  D. Both victims had been shot with the same bullet.

  9. How does Holmes lure the murderer back to the scene of the crime?

  A. Holmes writes him a letter using the code of the dancing men and asks him to come for a visit.

  B. Holmes advertises in the newspaper that a reward will be given if anyone can decipher the code.

  C. Holmes sends a newspaper boy to the village to tell everyone that Mrs. Cubitt has died.

  D. Holmes closes up the Cubitt house, making it look as if it is abandoned.

  10. Who invented the code of the dancing men?

  A. Elsie Cubitt

  B. Elsie’s father, Mr. Patrick

  C. The man who was pursuing Elsie Cubitt

  D. It was an old prison code that her father learned when he was in jail.

  QUIZ 43 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE SOLITARY CYCLIST”

  Published in Collier’s in December 1903 and in the Strand in January 1904

  At the beginning of this story, Holmes is too busy to begin working on Violet Smith’s case; he is currently involved with a complicated problem concerning tobacco millionaire John Vincent Harden. Irritated at the intrusion, but not wanting to turn down Miss Smith’s plea for assistance, Holmes sends Watson to carry out the initial investigation. Apparently, when Conan Doyle first submitted this story to the Strand, editor Herbert Greenhough Smith felt that Holmes did not play an active enough role in the mystery. Conan Doyle had to revise the story before publication. As a result, Holmes appears in the middle of the story to severely chastise Watson for his poor investigative skills and then proceeds to solve the mystery himself, as usual. The following quiz contains ten short-answer questions.

  Story Date: 1895

  1. On what day does Violet Smith appear at Holmes’s doorstep requesting help?

  2. How does Holmes know that Violet Smith is a musician?

  3. How did Miss Smith come to be employed by Mr. Carruthers?

  4. Why is Holmes convinced that Miss Smith knows the identity of the cyclist?

  5. Why did Mr. Carruthers forbid Mr. Woodley to visit his home?

  6. How does Holmes gain information about the cyclist?

  7. Why does Miss Smith quit her job with Mr. Carruthers?

  8. Why does Watson fear that the situation may turn tragic?

  9. Why does Mr. Woodley believe that he has the right to marry Miss Smith?

  10. Who does Woodley find to help him carry out his scheme?

  QUIZ 44 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE PRIORY SCHOOL”

  Published in Collier’s in January 1904 and in the Strand in February 1904

  In several of the stories published in the collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle draws on his school days at Hodder prep school and at Edinburgh University. Hodder was used for the setting of “The Priory School.” Also, the founder of the Priory School, Thorneycroft Huxtable, was probably based on Hodder’s head teacher, Father Edward Ignatius Purbrick.

  This quiz contains ten true/false statements.

  Story Date: Early 1900s

  1. Holmes reads the newspaper and discovers that the son of the Duke of Holdernesse has been abducted.

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p; 2. The Duke of Holdernesse offers a 10,000 pound reward for the return of his son.

  3. Lord Saltire was enrolled in school just two weeks before he disappeared.

  4. Holmes knows that the bicycle tracks found in the soil were not made by Mr. Heidegger’s bicycle, because the tire impression was of a different type of tire than that found on the teacher’s bicycle.

  5. The Duke believes that his estranged wife arranged for the boy’s abduction.

  6. Lord Saltire’s cap is found near a mire in Lower Gill Moor.

  7. Lord Saltire is found in an upstairs room of the Fighting Cock public house.

  8. When the Duke realizes that Holmes has discovered the truth, His Grace offers the detective 12,000 pounds to keep the situation quiet.

  9. No one was ever arrested for the abduction.

  10. When the Duke discovers who the kidnapper is, he refuses to prosecute because the unstable man is the son of a close friend.

  QUIZ 45 “THE ADVENTURE OF BLACK PETER”

  Published in Collier’s in February 1904 and in the Strand in 1904

  While writing “The Adventure of Black Peter,” Conan Doyle drew from his experience in 1880 when, as a young man uncertain of his direction in life, he signed on as a surgeon aboard a whaling ship, the Hope. Ignoring the advice of friends and relatives who tried to discourage this decision, Conan Doyle accepted the offer without hesitation. He spent seven months with a company of seafaring men who loved to spin a good yarn. What better experience for a budding young author? In his autobiography, Conan Doyle often reflected on this experience as one of the most enjoyable and satisfying times in his life. The following quiz contains ten multiple choice questions.

  Story Date: July 1895

  1. Who is the police inspector who calls upon Holmes for assistance in solving the gruesome murder of Peter Carey?

  A. Inspector Lestrade

  B. Inspector Hopkins

  C. Inspector Gregson

  D. Inspector Jones

  2. In what activity was Holmes engaged at the beginning of the story, claiming that it was good exercise?

  A. Fencing with a master who disliked him

  B. Sparring with a boxer who was training for a world match

  C. Stabbing a pig’s carcass with a harpoon

  D. Cycling while blindfolded, allowing his sixth sense to guide him

  TRIVIA FACTS : DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .

  1. The idea of ending Holmes’s life in a tumble over Reichenbach Falls was conceived when Conan Doyle and his wife visited the falls while vacationing in Switzerland.

  2. Conan Doyle considered refusing King Edward VII’s offer of knighthood because he believed that the award was in honor of his talent as the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Finally realizing that the honor was due to his contributions to the Boer War efforts, Conan Doyle accepted knighthood on behalf of the British soldiers.

  3. In 1903 Collier’s, Conan Doyle’s American publisher, offered him $45,000 for thirteen more Holmes stories.

  3. Rather than sleep in his comfortable home with his family, where did Black Peter Carey spend his evenings?

  A. Black Peter spent his nights in a small hut decorated like a ship.

  B. Black Peter would get drunk every night at the local pub, pass out, and sleep under the table.

  C. No matter what the weather, Black Peter slept outside on his cot.

  D. Black Peter slept in the cold barn with the sheep.

  4. What was the name of Black Peter’s ship?

  A. Black Sea

  B. Dark Moon

  C. Serpent

  D. Sea Unicorn

  5. What evidence suggests that Black Peter had an appointment on the night of his murder?

  A. In his hand is a note with a date and time.

  B. His daughter heard voices coming from his hut.

  C. There is a bottle of rum and two glasses on the table.

  D. His door was unlocked and there was no sign of a forced entry.

  6. Why does John Hopley Neligan search Black Peter’s residence?

  A. Neligan is searching for a logbook.

  B. He is searching for letters written to Black Peter by his father.

  C. He is searching for Black Peter’s will.

  D. He is searching for a photo proving that Black Peter and his father were acquaintances.

  7. How does Holmes know that Neligan did not kill Black Peter?

  A. Neligan does not have the nerve to attack a man as strong and vicious as Black Peter.

  B. Neligan is not physically strong enough to stab Black Peter in the manner in which he was killed.

  C. Holmes did not find Neligan’s footprints around the scene of the crime.

  D. Neligan is left-handed, and the killer stabbed Black Peter with his right hand.

  8. What was the killer’s initial intention when he called upon Black Peter on the night he was murdered?

  A. The man intended to blackmail Black Peter.

  B. He planned to get Black Peter drunk and search his trunk.

  C. He wanted to frighten Black Peter into confessing his crime.

  D. He wanted see how Black Peter prospered as a result of the man he murdered.

  9. How does Holmes know that the tobacco pouch with the initials P. C. was not Black Peter’s?

  A. The tobacco in the pouch did not match the tobacco in Black Peter’s pipe.

  B. Black Peter seldom smoked, and there was not a pipe in his hut.

  C. Black Peter smoked cigarettes, and the pouch contained pipe tobacco.

  D. Black Peter Carey’s first name was not really Peter.

  10. What do Holmes and Watson do as soon as the case is solved?

  A. They leave for Norway.

  B. They attend a violin recital.

  C. They head to Holmes’s favorite tobacco shop for more shag.

  D. They take a hansom to the British Museum to view a maritime exhibit.

  QUIZ 46 “THE ADVENTURE OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS MILVERTON”

  Published in Collier’s in March 1904 and in the Strand in April 1904

  In developing the character of the notorious blackmailer, Charles August Milverton, there is some indication that Conan Doyle used loan shark Henry Padwick as a model. The suave Padwick was known to attract his lady victims with merely a smile. As Conan Doyle describes Milverton, “With a smiling face and a heart of marble, he will squeeze and squeeze until he has drained them [victims] dry.” This fiery tale of greed and redemption is analyzed in ten short-answer questions.

  Story Date: Late 1800s, exact date uncertain

  1. Why does Lady Eva Blackwell contact Holmes?

  2. How does Holmes gain entrance to Milverton’s house?

  3. What scandalous evidence does Milverton have that would ruin Lady Blackwell?

  4. How does Holmes plan to foil Milverton’s attempt at blackmail?

  5. At what time does Milverton retire to bed most evenings?

  6. Why is Milverton still awake past his usual bedtime on the night Holmes and Watson arrive?

  7. Where were Holmes and Watson when Milverton was murdered?

  8. What does Holmes do before he and Watson flee Milverton’s house?

  9. How does Holmes confirm the identity of the mysterious lady who shot Milverton?

  10. Why does Inspector Lestrade believe that two criminals are responsible for Milverton’s murder?

  QUIZ 47 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX NAPOLEONS”

  Published in Collier’s in April 1904 and in the Strand in May 1904

  The story of “The Six Napoleons” presents an element of Sherlock Holmes’s character that is rare, indeed. Conan Doyle gives his detective—a man of steel nerves, stern conviction, and unsurpassed confidence—a shy moment when, at the conclusion of the story, Holmes receives an earnest barrage of compliments from Inspector Lestrade. Holmes’s initial reaction is one of embarrassment, as Watson describes: “and as he [Holmes] turned away, it seemed to me that he was more nearly moved by the softer human emotions
than I had ever see him.” But his shyness quickly evaporates as “[a] moment later he was the cold and practical thinker once more.” The following quiz contains ten true/false statements.

  Story Date: 1900

  1. The Napoleon bust is stolen from Morse Hudson’s shop on Kensington Road.

  2. The famous French sculptor, Divine, created plaster casts of the bust of Napoleon.

  3. Dr. Watson believes that the person who is smashing the Napoleon sculptures suffers from a condition called “idée fixe” (fixed idea), resulting in obsessive delusions.

  4. The theft of the fourth bust is more serious because the thief left a threatening letter.

  5. After each of the busts is stolen, the thief smashes them in a well-lighted area.

  6. Finding a name and address in the coat pocket of the dead man put Holmes on the right track.

  7. When Holmes visits the manufacturer of the busts, the manager of the company informs Holmes that the cousin of the man in the photograph works for him.

  8. Holmes anticipates the thief’s next victim, and Holmes, Watson, and Inspector Lestrade set up a stakeout and catch him.

  9. When Holmes manages to purchase the last of the six Napoleon busts, he scrapes the gloss off the back, revealing a secret code engraved in the plaster.