Published in the Strand and in Hearst’s International in January 1924
Conan Doyle’s theme for “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire” was influenced by friend and fellow writer Bram Stoker, author of Dracula. However, there is some speculation that the story may have in part been based on a true account of a girl named Constance Kent, who was accused of murdering her infant half brother and her governess. She was acquitted for lack of evidence and spent the rest of her life in a convent. Years later, possibly wanting to clear her conscience before she met her maker, Kent confessed to the crimes. This quiz contains ten true/false statements about a bloodsucking tale that was convincing enough to make the most skeptical characters believe in vampires (all except Holmes, that is).
Story Date: November 1896
1. Robert Ferguson and Dr. Watson knew one another in medical school.
2. Ferguson needs Holmes’s assistance because he believes that his wife has become deranged and is endangering his two sons.
3. Ferguson is embarrassed by his speculations and tells Holmes that he is requesting help on behalf of a friend.
4. In spite of her problems, Mr. Ferguson’s second wife is loving and devoted to her husband’s son by his first marriage.
5. Because of his suspicions, Mr. Ferguson sends his wife away to stay with relatives.
6. Holmes begins to develop his theory when he notices an encyclopedia of poisons on the bookshelf.
7. Holmes’s theory is almost confirmed when he gathers information about the ailment of the family dog.
8. Holmes gets a clear picture of the emotional condition of Ferguson’s oldest son while watching him play in the garden.
9. Mrs. Ferguson keeps the truth from her husband because she does not want to hurt him.
10. Holmes recommends that Jack Ferguson spend a year in a private boys’ school where he can be around boys of his own age.
QUIZ 66 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS”
Published in Collier’s in October 1924 and in the Strand January 1925
When Conan Doyle was offered knighthood he told his mother that he did not approve of royal titles and that the title he valued most was that of “Doctor.” It was a matter of principle not to accept knighthood. To his pleading mother he remarked, “I tell you, Ma’am, I can’t do it! As a matter of principle!” His mother retorted, “If you wish to show your principles by an insult to the king, no doubt you can’t.” As in so many instances, his mother’s good sense won out, and he was knighted on August 19, 1902. However, if he was not allowed to refuse the title in real life, he could do so in fiction. For this adventure there are ten multiple choice questions.
Story Date: June 1902
1. When Watson begins to tell his story about the three Garridebs, what incident does he recall happening at about the same time?
A. Holmes was recovering from the flu.
B. Holmes speaking for the first time about his possible retirement
C. He and Holmes were still adjusting to Holmes’s return after his absence.
D. Holmes’s refusal of knighthood
2. 2. How does Holmes know that the American John Garrideb has lived in England for an extended period of time?
A. John Garrideb uses many English colloquialisms.
B. Garrideb is very knowledgeable about London and the surrounding area.
C. His entire wardrobe is English.
D. His American accent is only slightly detectable.
3. How does Holmes know that John Garrideb is lying about being from Kansas?
A. John Garrideb has a Chicago accent.
B. Holmes mentions an old friend who lived in Topeka, and John Garrideb says that he also knows the man. However, Holmes just fabricated the character.
C. John Garrideb refers to Wichita as the capital of Kansas.
D. He misspells the word “Kansas” when writing down his apparent benefactor’s address.
4. How does Holmes know that John Garrideb placed the Birmingham newspaper ad himself, and that Howard Garrideb was merely a creation of John Garrideb?
A. In placing the ad, John Garrideb uses the American spellings for three of the words.
B. Holmes finds a receipt for the ad in John Garrideb’s coat pocket.
C. Holmes hires one of his assistants to follow Garrideb.
D. Holmes finds the address of the Birmingham newspaper on Garrideb’s blotting pad.
5. Where does John Garrideb send Nathan Garrideb in order to get him away from his apartment?
A. John Garrideb sends Nathan Garrideb tickets to view an archaeological exhibit at the British Museum.
B. To an antique auction advertising rare books
C. To interview a man named Howard Garrideb
D. He sends him to a recital performed by students who study and play ancient musical instruments.
6. What does Nathan Garrideb collect?
A. Butterflies, flint instruments, and plaster skulls of ancient man
B. Impressionist art, Spanish tapestries, and relics belonging to saints
C. First edition books, carved wooden walking sticks, and Pygmy blow darts
D. Horseshoes, chess sets, and Egyptian papyri
7. What happens to Dr. Watson when he and Holmes corner Killer Evans?
A. Evans slashes Watson with a knife while trying to escape.
B. Watson tumbles down two flights of stairs during their attempt to subdue Evans.
C. Evans clubs Watson with one of Nathan Garrideb’s antique cudgels.
D. Evans shoots Watson in the thigh.
8. Why was John Garrideb sent to prison in 1895?
A. Garrideb was convicted of swindling a client out of several thousand dollars.
B. He was caught trying to bribe a judge in a murder case.
C. He shot and killed a man over cards.
D. He was convicted of perjury.
9. What excuse does Holmes give Nathan Garrideb for gaining access to his apartment while he is gone?
A. Holmes asks to study his collections.
B. Holmes offers to wait for John Garrideb to return with more information.
C. Holmes tells Nathan Garrideb that his collections may be in danger of being stolen.
D. Holmes tells Garrideb that he has purchased several items for his collection which will be delivered while Garrideb is away.
10. What happens to Nathan Garrideb when he finds out that he will not receive his expected reward?
A. He donates his collections to a museum and leaves for the continent.
B. He never recovers from the shock and is placed in a nursing home.
C. He shuts himself up in his apartment, and no one ever sees him in public again.
D. He refuses to believe that he was the victim of a scam and vows to continue the search for more Garridebs.
QUIZ 67 “THE PROBLEM OF THOR BRIDGE”
Published in the Strand in February and March 1922
In 1924 an apparent murder occurred near Conan Doyle’s home in Crowborough. Norman Thorne was arrested for killing his girlfriend, chopping up her body, and burying it in the chicken coop. He proclaimed his innocence all the way to the gallows. While Thorne admitted cutting up the body and burying it, he claimed that the woman had hanged herself because she was jealous of another woman whom he had been seeing. He theorized that his girlfriend planned revenge for his deception by committing suicide and making it appear as if a murder had been committed, hoping that Thorne would be arrested.
If this indeed was her plan, it worked. Conan Doyle used this theme in the story “The Problem of Thor Bridge.” Here are ten short-answer questions about this cleverly plotted mystery.
Story Date: Late 1900
1. Why is Miss Dunbar, the governess of J. Neil Gibson’s children, arrested?
2. Why does Marlow Bates rush in to visit Holmes before the arrival of J. Neil Gibson, Mr. Bates’s employer?
3. Why does Holmes initially refuse to accept Mr. Gibson as a client?
4. Why did Miss Dunbar decide to stay with the Gibson family even after Mr. Gibson made advances toward her?
5. Why did the police arrest Miss Dunbar?
6. Why is Holmes concerned about the note found in Mrs. Gibson’s hand?
7. Why is Holmes suspicious about the location of the murder weapon?
8. What does Holmes find on the bridge that causes him concern?
9. Who planted the damaging evidence that led to Miss Dunbar’s arrest?
10. What does Holmes purchase from the village shop in order to set up a demonstration of the murder and subsequently clear Miss Dunbar?
QUIZ 68 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE CREEPING MAN”
Published in the Strand and in Hearst’s International in March 1923
Conan Doyle often included Robert Louis Stevenson on his list of favorite authors. It is quite possible that Stevenson’s story “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” could have been the influence for “The Adventure of the Creeping Man.” The following quiz contains ten true/false statements.
Story Date: September 1903
1. Miss Presbury, Professor Presbury’s daughter, requests that Holmes investigate her father’s odd behavior.
2. Holmes considers the diary dates to be the most important evidence.
3. When Professor Presbury left home for a fortnight he traveled to Prague.
4. After the professor returned from his trip, he informed his assistant that he would no longer be allowed to open any of the professor’s mail.
5. Mr. Bennett provides Holmes with a detailed diary of the professor’s odd behavior, which allows Holmes to develop a theory.
6. The professor’s daughter wakes up in the middle of the night and sees her father climbing trees in the garden.
7. Mr. Bennett obtains from the professor’s blotting paper the address of the man in London who is sending the professor the mysterious packages.
8. The situation comes to a climax when the professor falls out of a tree and almost kills himself.
9. Holmes suspects that the professor’s odd behavior stems from the fact that Professor Morphy’s daughter refused to marry Professor Presbury.
10. Because of this case, Holmes proposes to write a monograph on how people and other primates behave the same in certain situations.
QUIZ 69 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE LION’S MANE”
Published in Liberty in November 1926 and in the Strand in December 1926
Like his creator, Sherlock Holmes kept a collection of reference books and files which he used to help prove and substantiate his theories in solving mysteries. In the case of “The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane,” Holmes refers to a book written by an English writer, Reverend John G. Wood, who published a collection of essays in 1874 entitled Out of Doors: A Selection of Original Articles on Practical Natural History. The following quiz contains ten multiple choice questions about how the aged Holmes, still mentally sharp, reveals the true cause of Fitzroy McPherson’s death.
Story Date: 1907
1. Even though Fitzroy McPherson was a natural athlete, what incident had weakened his heart?
A. A war injury
B. He had typhoid.
C. He had malaria.
D. He had rheumatic fever.
TRIVIA FACTS : DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .
1. Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini were close friends and had attended a séance in which Conan Doyle’s wife, Jean, acted as the medium. Lady Doyle claimed to have contacted Houdini’s deceased mother. The magician was skeptical of the event and later published an article questioning Lady Doyle’s spiritual powers.
2. In 1913 Conan Doyle supported many causes, calling for reforms that would eventually make England a more modern, progressive country, thus giving her a strategic advantage in the event of war. He wrote several letters to the press urging the government to construct a tunnel under the English Channel. According to Conan Doyle, this passage between England and France would prevent a blockade during war, allowing a continuous flow of food and supplies to and from the continent. He fought for the Divorce Reform Association, which supported giving incompatible couples the right to divorce on that ground alone, and he tried to ban the practice of using bird feathers to decorate women’s apparel.
2. Who discovers McPherson dying on the beach and hears his last words?
A. Holmes
B. Murdoch, the mathematical coach
C. His fiancée, Miss Bellamy
D. Watson
3. What did Fitzroy McPherson do for a living?
A. He was the swimming coach at a nearby college.
B. He was a schoolmaster at a private boys school.
C. He was a private tutor.
D. He was a science teacher at an athletic and training school.
4. What clue leads Holmes to believe that McPherson fell while scrambling up the beach trail?
A. There are slide marks above where his body is found.
B. If McPherson fell down the hill, he would be covered with cuts and scrapes.
C. All of McPherson’s belongings are still on the beach.
D. Holmes finds an open handprint with fingers pointed up toward the incline.
5. Why does Holmes believe that McPherson had not had his swim?
A. His towel is still dry.
B. His hair is not out of place.
C. His swimming trunks are not wet.
D. He swims for an hour each morning, and it was too early for him to have completed his exercise.
6. What four items did Holmes find in McPherson’s pockets?
A. Three shells, two shillings, cigarettes, and a match book
B. A handkerchief, a large knife, a folding card-case, and a note from his lover
C. A book of poetry, a wedding ring, a marriage license, and a picture of a woman
D. A letter from his mother, a pocket watch and chain, a button from his shirt, and a receipt from his tailor
7. Why is Ian Murdoch a suspect in the apparent murder of McPherson?
A. Murdoch was jealous of McPherson’s success and was very vocal about his feelings.
B. McPherson threatened to expose a sinister incident from Murdoch’s past.
C. Murdoch lost his girlfriend to McPherson.
D. Witnesses overheard them quarreling, and Murdoch swore that he would kill McPherson.
8. What mysterious incident happens to McPherson’s dog?
A. The dog dies in exactly the same place where McPherson’s body is found.
B. It disappears the day McPherson dies.
C. When the dog was found on Murdoch’s front porch, it would not leave.
D. The dog attacks Murdoch.
9. Why did McPherson and Miss Bellamy keep their engagement secret?
A. His job required that he remain single.
B. Miss Bellamy’s father was against the marriage.
C. Murdoch was still angry over losing Miss Bellamy to another man.
D. McPherson’s old, dying uncle may have disinherited him if he knew that he was getting married.
10. What confirms Holmes’s theory as to why McPherson died and why Murdoch was attacked?
A. Holmes consults with a marine biologist.
B. Holmes remembers a book written by a man who had experienced a similar incident.
C. He remembers a newspaper article about other swimmers near the area who died from the same conditions.
D. He waits near the area where both men were attacked and finds the culprit.
QUIZ 70 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE VEILED LODGER”
Published in Liberty in January 1927 and in the Strand in February 1927
When Conan Doyle submitted “The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger” for publication, his editor requested another story instead because he claimed that Holmes was not at his best in this case. Rather than exercise his powers of deduction, the Great Detective simply listens to the confession of a guilt-ridden woman, after which he recalls and surmises the tragedy as he remembers.
Conan Doyle refused his editor’s request, and the story was published. The following quiz contains ten short-answer questions.
Story Date: exact date uncertain
1. Who requests that Holmes take Mrs. Ronder’s case?
2. Why does Mrs. Ronder want to make a confession years after the tragedy?
3. What name does Mrs. Ronder write on a piece to paper to entice Holmes to take her case?
4. What was the name of the lion that mauled Mrs. Ronder?
5. Why was the lion fed only by Mr. and Mrs. Ronder?
6. What two facts lead Holmes to believe that another man was involved on that tragic night?
7. Why had Mrs. Ronder turned against her lover?
8. How did Leonardo make Mr. Ronder’s attack look as if it was caused by the lion?
9. What does Holmes fear when Mrs. Ronder tells him that the case is closed?
10. What does Mrs. Ronder send Holmes two days after her confession?
QUIZ 71 “THE ADVENTURE OF SHOSCOMBE OLD PLACE”
Published in Liberty in March 1927 and in the Strand in April 1927
In 1910 Hawley Harvey Crippen was on trial for murdering his wife and burying her in the cellar. After the murder he attempted to flee England on the SS Montrose, along with his mistress, who had dressed up as Crippen’s son for the ocean journey. Scotland Yard discovered the wife’s body and, using the new telegraph system, wired the captain of the ship with instructions to arrest Crippen. Conan Doyle attended Crippen’s trial, and seventeen years later used the true story as fodder for another Holmes tale. The following quiz contains ten true/false statements about how Holmes, Watson, and their canine assistant solve the mystery.
Story Date: exact date uncertain
The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book Page 14