The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book

by Kathleen Kaska

  Story Date: 1881 to 1890

  1. How much money does the prestigious client want to borrow from Mr. Holder’s bank?

  A. 1,000 pounds

  B. 27,500 pounds

  C. 50,000 pounds

  D. 18,000 pounds

  2. How many beryls are in the coronet?

  A. 39

  B. 21

  C. 99

  D. 7

  3. Who does Mr. Holder tell about keeping the coronet in his dressing bureau?

  A. Mr. Holder’s boss, the bank president

  B. His son, Arthur, and his niece, Mary

  C. His client

  D. The bank security guard who has been an employee for over thirty years

  4. Besides catching Arthur with the coronet in his possession, what other reason does Mr. Holder have for suspecting his son of stealing three beryls from the coronet?

  A. He suspects Arthur of needing money to pay a blackmailer.

  B. Arthur had been arrested for stealing when he was in boarding school.

  C. Arthur has considerable gambling debts.

  D. Arthur spoke of needing a fortune to win the woman he loves.

  5. What request does Arthur make of his father before his father turns him over to the police?

  A. Arthur wishes to spend five minutes alone with Mary.

  B. Arthur asks if he could take a certain book with him to the police station.

  C. Arthur pleads to his father that he not tell Mary of the arrest until the morning.

  D. Arthur requests that his father allow him to leave the house for five minutes.

  6. Why does Mary turn down Arthur’s marriage proposal?

  A. Mary knows that Arthur is the thief.

  B. Mary is under the spell of Sir George Burnwell.

  C. Mary will not marry Arthur because he is broke.

  D. Mary is not romantically interested in Arthur; she thinks of him as a brother.

  7. What does Mary do when the truth is revealed?

  A. Mary leaves her uncle a note saying that she is leaving forever.

  B. Mary tries to kill herself by taking arsenic.

  C. Mary ends her relationship with Sir George Burnwell.

  D. Mary wants to turn herself in to the police.

  8. Why does Arthur run after the thief?

  A. He knows that if the coronet is missing his father will suspect him.

  B. Arthur wants to protect his father from losing his job.

  C. Arthur knows the thief and plans to blackmail him.

  D. Arthur is trying to protect the woman he loves.

  9. How does Holmes know that Sir George was at the Holder household the night of the robbery?

  A. There is blood on the snow outside the window, and Sir George recently cut his hand.

  B. While waiting outside the window for his accomplice to pass him the coronet, Sir George smokes a cigarette. Upon investigating, Holmes finds the butt and realizes that it is the same unusual brand that Sir George smokes.

  C. Holmes purchases a pair of Sir George’s shoes from Sir George’s valet and matches them to the tracks that were left in the snow.

  D. Holmes finds a key in the snow and remembers that Sir George’s key ring is empty of keys.

  10. Why does Mr. Holder suspect his maid, Lucy Parr, of stealing the beryls?

  A. Lucy has been in his service for only a short time, and she has many admirers. While sneaking out to see a beau, she may have overheard Mr. Holder mention that he had brought the coronet home.

  B. Lucy was wandering around the house and gazing out the windows during the night that the beryls were stolen. Her excuse is that she enjoys watching the moon.

  C. Lucy asked for a considerable raise and was angry when Mr. Holder turned her down.

  D. Lucy’s boyfriend will not marry her until he makes his fortune.

  QUIZ 27 “THE ADVENTURE OF THE COPPER BEECHES”

  Published in the Strand in June 1892

  Conan Doyle’s mother, Mary Doyle, was a great influence in her son’s life. He often consulted her on important matters, especially those that required career decisions. Mary Doyle had an intuitive insight to the needs of her son and often steered him in the right direction. At one point when Conan Doyle was threatening to write his last Sherlock Holmes story, Mary Doyle encouraged him to persevere and write a story with a Gothic flair. The result was “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,” a story listed as one of his readership’s favorites. This quiz contains ten short-answer questions about the story in which Holmes professes, “There has been some villainy here.”

  Story Date: 1890s

  1. What is the name of the agency where Miss Violet Hunter registers her services as a governess?

  2. What was the initial offer Jephro Rucastle made to Miss Hunter?

  3. What strange request does he make of her if she accepts the position?

  4. How much time has passed before Holmes receives an urgent summons from Miss Hunter?

  5. Where does Miss Hunter arrange to meet Holmes?

  6. How many theories does Holmes have concerning Miss Hunter’s predicament?

  7. To where was Mr. Rucastle’s daughter reported to have moved?

  TRIVIA FACTS : DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .

  1. Who did Conan Doyle use as the model for “the woman”? One theory is that opera singer Irene Adler, Holmes’s nemesis in “A Scandal in Bohemia,” was based on Ludmilla Huble, a singer and actress from Vienna. However, many Sherlockians believe that Adler was modeled after New Jersey– born entertainer, Lilly Langtree.

  2. Holmes illustrator Sidney Paget used Queen Victoria’s grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm, as the model for the King of Bohemia in Conan Doyle’s story “A Scandal in Bohemia.”

  8. How does Miss Hunter know that a man is watching her from the road?

  9. What keeps intruders away from the Rucastle house at night?

  10. What is Mr. Rucastle’s excuse for having the secret room in the deserted wing of the house?

  Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the Guy Ritchie film Sherlock Holmes 2009

  FOUR

  THE SECOND COLLECTION: MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

  “Because I made a blunder, my dear Watson—which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than anyone would think who only knew me through your memoirs.”

  —SHERLOCK HOLMES

  FROM FAILURE COMES SUCCESS, from misunderstanding comes clarity, and from theory comes fact. In the first story in this collection, making the wrong assumption forces Holmes to reevaluate the case of a missing racehorse, Silver Blaze, which eventually places Holmes on the right track, so to speak. Together again at Baker Street, Holmes and Watson unravel puzzles, solve riddles, and discover lost government secrets. From the stories in this collection, “Silver Blaze,” “The Yellow Face,” “The Stockbroker’s Clerk,” “The Gloria Scott,” “The Musgrave Ritual,” “The Reigate Squires,” “The Crooked Man,” “The Resident Patient,” “The Greek Interpreter,” “The Naval Treaty,” and “The Final Problem,” more is learned of Watson’s school days, of Holmes’s very first case, of his older brother, and finally of Holmes’s apparent demise at the hands of Professor Moriarty.

  Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1894, initially was to contain twelve stories, including “The Adventure of the Cardboard Box.” However, when this story was first published in the Strand Magazine in 1893, it received a disapproving reaction because of the subject of adultery. The tale was edited from the book, only to appear twenty-three years later in the book His Last Bow during a time when moral standards had apparently relaxed. Of the eleven short stories in this collection, Conan Doyle listed seven as his favorites.

  QUIZ 28 “SILVER BLAZE”

  Published in the Strand in December 1892 and in Harper’s in February 1893

  Early in 1892, Conan Doyle was enjoying being a writer; he was working on a historical novel entitled The Refugees, when the Strand Magazine approached him about writing anoth
er collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. This request disrupted his peace of mind as he shouted to his mother, “They have been bothering me for more Sherlock Holmes tales. Under pressure I offered to do a dozen for a thousand pounds, but I sincerely hope that they won’t accept it now.” The magazine eagerly accepted, and Conan Doyle wove into his writing schedule time to create eleven new Holmes stories, the first of which was “Silver Blaze.” The following quiz contains ten short-answer questions about a mystery deserving of Holmes’s “strongest black tobacco.”

  Story Date: 1881 to 1891

  1. Why does Holmes not immediately rush off to Dartmoor when he receives a telegram from Colonel Ross asking for assistance in locating the missing racehorse?

  2. What did the well-dressed, mysterious man, whom the maid encountered on her way to bringing the stableboy his supper, have in his hand?

  3. When the authorities found the body of trainer John Straker, what item, which was subsequently identified by the maid as belonging to the stranger, did the trainer have in his hand?

  4. What damaging evidence leads to the arrest of Fitzroy Simpson?

  5. After being misled by the newspaper report, which clue put Holmes back on track?

  6. What are the two items found in John Straker’s pockets that led Holmes to developing his theory?

  7. Where does Holmes discover Silver Blaze?

  8. When Holmes returns to London to follow up on his theory, what does he take with him?

  9. What question does Holmes ask the stableboy as the carriage door is opened for the detective?

  10. Why does Colonel Ross not recognize his horse in the race?

  QUIZ 29 “THE YELLOW FACE”

  Published in the Strand and in Harper’s in February 1893

  According to notes from Conan Doyle’s diary dated 1892, “The Yellow Face” was initially called “The Livid Face.” It is unclear as to why the title was changed. Character Grant Munro does, however, report having seen a “yellow livid face” in the window. “The Yellow Face” is, after all, more reflective of the person whom the title describes. The following quiz contains ten true/false statements about one of the few Holmes investigations that Watson describes as a failure.

  Story Date: 1880s

  1. Holmes knows Grant Munro’s name before he introduces himself because Holmes notices the name in the lining of his coat.

  2. Grant Munro is a country doctor.

  3. Munro’s wife told him that her first husband and child had died of yellow fever.

  4. Munro first became suspicious about his wife’s activities when she asked him for 100 pounds and would not tell him why she wanted the money.

  5. Munro was suspicious about his new neighbors because he saw a woman who looked very much like his wife living in the cottage.

  6. Mrs. Munro told her husband that she left the house in the middle of the night because she had a headache.

  7. Munro becomes angry with his wife when he discovers her coat hanging in the cottage next door.

  8. Holmes theorizes that Mrs. Munro’s husband is not really dead and that he has returned and is blackmailing her.

  9. In order to conceal the face of the child, Mrs. Munro covers it with a mask.

  10. When Mr. Munro discovers his wife’s secret, he is repulsed and leaves her.

  QUIZ 30 “THE STOCK-BROKER’S CLERK”

  Published in the Strand and in Harper’s in March 1893

  In “The Stock-broker’s Clerk” Holmes is perhaps at his best at deductive reasoning. Having not seen his dear friend Dr. Watson for almost three months (Watson was busy setting up his medical practice and settling down in his marriage), Holmes visits Dr. Watson and uses deductive reasoning to catch up on lost time. Here are ten multiple choice questions about a tale with a plot similar to “The Red-Headed League,” written almost two years earlier.

  Story Date: June in the late 1880s

  1. How does Sherlock Holmes know that Dr. Watson has a summer cold?

  A. Holmes notices that Dr. Watson’s nose is red, there are medicine bottles on the side table, and the room is very warm.

  B. Holmes notices that Watson’s new slippers are slightly scorched. The only reasonable explanation, according to Holmes, is that Watson was warming his feet by the fire, which is rarely done in the summer, unless one is sick.

  C. Holmes smells vapor rub and detects a hoarseness in Watson’s voice.

  D. Dr. Watson has a history of having summer colds, during which time he loses his appetite. Holmes notices his untouched breakfast.

  2. How does Holmes know that Dr. Watson’s medical practice, which he just purchased from a retired doctor, is more lucrative than the practice next door?

  A. The sign post in front is decoratively designed while the neighboring doctor’s is very plain.

  B. The curb in front is chipped and scarred, indicating that more carriages have arrived at this location.

  C. The steps to Dr. Watson’s office are worn down more than the steps leading to the other doctor’s office.

  D. The door knocker is very worn and smooth compared to the one next door.

  3. What does Pinner require of Pycroft if he agrees to take the job?

  A. Pinner does not want Pycroft to notify his prospective employer of his decision not to accept his offer.

  B. Pycroft is to tell no one about his new job.

  C. Pinner wants Pycroft to write an insulting letter to Mawson, declining the offer for the new position.

  D. Pinner wants Pycroft to decline the new position with Mawson, giving the reason that the job was too difficult.

  4. What first causes Pycroft to become suspicious concerning the new company for which he now works?

  A. When he arrives for his first appointment, no one is there to meet him.

  B. He is told that all transactions are made with cash.

  C. He is told that once he enters the office, he may not leave under any circumstances, until dismissed at the end of the day.

  D. When Pycroft enters the office, he notices that the room is very austere, lacking carpet, curtains, tables, and other employees.

  5. What is Pycroft’s first duty for his new employer?

  A. Pycroft is assigned the task of marking off all the hardware sellers and their addresses listed in the Paris directory.

  B. He is told to take an inventory of all the stock in the warehouse.

  C. Pycroft is to act as receptionist to all deliveries, writing down the names and addresses of each person arriving at the office.

  D. Pycroft is to answer all of Mr. Harry Pinner’s correspondence.

  6. When does Pycroft become suspicious about his new employers, suspecting that the two brothers are really the same man?

  A. Pycroft notices a severe scar on the hands of both men.

  B. Pycroft notices a sliver of brown pigment in the left blue eye of each man.

  C. Each man is missing a tiny portion of his right earlobe.

  D. Each man has a gold filling in the second tooth in the upper left jaw.

  7. How do Holmes and Watson arrange an interview with Mr. Pinner?

  A. They pose as landlords who arrive to inspect the office of their new tenant.

  B. They arrive with Pycroft seeking employment.

  C. They arrive disguised as plumbers to fix the drain.

  D. They pretend to be interested investors.

  8. On which two “fairly obvious” points does Holmes deduce the solution to this mystery?

  A. The 500 pounds per year salary offered to Pycroft, and the name of Pinner’s company

  B. Arthur Pinner’s black beard and the fact that Pinner quizzed Pycroft on the status of the stock market

  C. Pinner makes Pycroft write a declaration of service concerning his new job, and he requires that Pycroft not arrive at Mawson’s office on Monday morning as expected.

  D. The alleged row Pinner had with the manager of Mawson’s office and the 100 pounds advance Pinner gave to Pycroft

 
9. What does Henry Pinner do when he discovers that his brother was caught robbing the stock-broking company?

  A. Mr. Pinner leaves town on the first train.

  B. Mr. Pinner has a nervous breakdown and confesses immediately.

  C. Mr. Pinner claims that he is innocent of his brother’s scam, and was used as a dupe.

  D. Mr. Pinner tries to hang himself.

  10. How does Henry Pinner learn of his brother’s arrest?

  A. He sees the police rushing into the building and suspects the worst.

  B. His brother manages to send a note via a messenger before the police handcuff him.

  C. On his way to the office, Mr. Pinner overhears two men talking about the arrest.

  D. He reads about his brother’s arrest in an early edition of the Evening Standard.

  TRIVIA FACTS : DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .

  1. It is believed that Conan Doyle, on occasion, would weave current events and facts into his Sherlock Holmes stories. For example, several references (names, locations, anecdotes) to his colleague Oscar Wilde were mentioned in “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client” and in “Silver Blaze.”

  2. According to Conan Doyle’s biographer, Charles Higham, Conan Doyle first conceived of the idea of writing a story about the Mormons in Utah after reading an engrossing article in the London Times entitled “The Last Struggles of the Mormons.” The article appeared in March 1886. Later that year, Conan Doyle wrote A Study in Scarlet; the second half of the story is set in Utah among a Mormon community.

  QUIZ 31 “THE GLORIA SCOTT”