The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book

by Kathleen Kaska

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

  Even though Conan Doyle presents us with a young, college-age Holmes in this story, the detective’s skills are as sharp as Holmes in later years. Most writers who create a serial character develop that character over time and, in doing so, allow the reader and character to bond. However, the magic of Sherlock Holmes was present in the very first story. Perhaps fans appreciated the consistency and predictability of Holmes, taking comfort in the fact that he, in all his detective glory, remains forever a mainstay in literature. The following quiz contains ten short-answer questions about a case Holmes allowed Watson to pursue one winter’s night.

  Story Date: 1870s

  1. Who is the visitor who causes Mr. Trevor to drink until he passes out?

  2. Why does Holmes’s friend, Victor Trevor, invite him for a second visit just two months after his first visit?

  3. What puzzle does Holmes solve which eventually leads him to discover Mr. Trevor’s secret?

  4. How do Holmes and Victor Trevor find out the true story about Mr. Trevor’s past?

  5. What crime did Mr. Trevor commit when he was a young man?

  6. Who led the mutiny on the Gloria Scott?

  7. How did Mr. Trevor escape from the Gloria Scott?

  8. What happened to the Gloria Scott after Mr. Trevor escaped?

  9. Who was the only survivor that Trevor and Evans rescued?

  10. What did Trevor, Evans, and Hudson tell the rescue ship’s captain?

  QUIZ 32 “THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL”

  Published in the Strand in May 1893

  Conan Doyle wrote “The Musgrave Ritual” while traveling by train with his first wife, Louise, on their way to Boulogne, France. Louise Doyle’s health had begun to deteriorate, and Conan Doyle decided to take her on a short holiday away from the blustery winter of Britain.

  The story begins with Watson complaining of Holmes’s untidy habits and the fact that he keeps records of his early cases in a large tin box. These habits mirror those of the author, who was just as much a pack rat concerning his papers and files as his fictional character. Louise Doyle often complained about her husband’s unwillingness to throw anything away, and the scene at the beginning of the story could have easily taken place in the Doyle household. The following quiz contains ten true/false statements.

  Story Date: 1879

  1. Holmes and Reginald Musgrave met in college.

  2. Brunton, the butler, was a midshipman in the navy before he became employed by the Musgraves.

  3. According to Musgrave, Brunton’s only shortcoming was his tendency to bet on the horses.

  4. Musgrave fired Brunton because he was too forward with the female staff.

  5. The Musgrave Ritual, having lost meaning and significance over the centuries, is a series of questions and answers passed down from generation to generation.

  6. Brunton broke his engagement to Rachel Howells, the second housemaid.

  7. By studying the spelling in the document, Holmes determines that the Musgrave Ritual was drawn up during the time of King Henry VIII.

  8. In calculating the site of the ritual from the catechism, Holmes is off track on his projection because he reads the message backward.

  9. Holmes and Musgrave realize that Brunton must be in the cellar because his cigarette case was found nearby.

  10. Holmes deduces that Brunton was locked in the cellar by his ex-lover, Rachel Howells.

  QUIZ 33 “THE REIGATE SQUIRES”

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

  In the story of “The Reigate Squires” (the American title was “The Reigate Puzzle”), Holmes’s tendency to overwork has affected his physical health. Watson recalls how Holmes “had broken down under the strain of an investigation which had extended over two months, during which period he had never worked less than fifteen hours a day and had more than once, as he assured me, kept to his task for five days at a stretch.” This habit of overworking to near collapse and exhaustion was also reminiscent of the author. Below are ten multiple choice questions.

  Story Date: April 1887

  1. Where was Holmes convalescing when Dr. Watson received a letter that he had been ill?

  A. On the Devonshire Coast

  B. In Lyons, France, at the Hotel Dulong

  C. The Langham Hotel in the West End

  D. In a little village in the Scottish Highlands

  2. What is found in William Kirwin’s hand when his body is discovered?

  A. A piece of a note

  B. A button from a jacket

  C. A piece of a map

  D. A train ticket stub

  3. While Holmes is writing an advertisement asking for information about the burglary, how does he trick Alec Cunningham into giving him a writing sample?

  A. Holmes asks him to write down his address so the paper will know who to bill for the ad.

  B. Holmes writes down the wrong time, and Cunningham corrects it.

  C. Holmes begins to write the ad, but because of his recent illness, he claims that his handwriting is still a bit shaky.

  D. Holmes says that since Cunningham was at the scene of the crime, he would be more articulate in composing the ad.

  4. What does Holmes do to create a distraction so that he can search the pockets of Alec Cunningham’s dressing gown?

  A. Holmes pretends to faint, sending everyone scurrying for a brandy bottle.

  B. Holmes claims that he saw someone running across the lawn.

  C. Holmes claims that he smells smoke coming from the study.

  D. He pretends to accidentally knock over a bowl of oranges.

  5. What does Holmes deduce from the note?

  A. It is written by a person of foreign origin.

  B. It is written by a woman.

  C. It is written by two different people.

  D. It is written by someone who has had very little education.

  6. How many other deductions does Holmes glean from the note?

  A. Seven

  B. Twelve

  C. Sixteen

  D. Twenty-three

  7. Who witnessed the robbery at Mr. Acton’s house?

  A. William Kirwin

  B. Annie Morrison

  C. Colonel Hayter

  D. Mr. Acton

  8. How does Holmes know that Kirwin was not shot at close range?

  A. There were no powder burns on Kirwin’s clothes.

  B. The wound was such that the gun could not have been close to the body.

  C. The buckshot was scattered across the entire torso.

  D. Kirwin placed his arms in front of his body as if to shield himself.

  9. What were the thieves looking for when they broke into Mr. Acton’s house?

  A. Mr. Acton’s will

  B. A paper claiming that Mr. Acton owned half of the neighboring estate

  C. Letters of blackmail

  D. A damaging newspaper article

  10. What piece of this puzzle does Holmes choose to ignore, feeling that since the criminals have been apprehended, this information was not necessary?

  A. The real owner of the estate

  B. The nature of the relationships of Annie Morrison, Alec Cunningham, and William Kirwin

  C. The meaning of the note

  D. The reason for Kirwin’s murder

  QUIZ 34 “THE CROOKED MAN”

  Published in the Strand in July 1893

  At the time Conan Doyle wrote “The Crooked Man,” his younger brother, Innes, was a subaltern in the Royal Artillery Regiment stationed at Aldershot, the largest military camp in England. This small bit of personal trivia found its way into this story; Colonel James Barclay, commanding officer of the Irish regiment of the Royal Mallows at Aldershot, was found murdered in his home. This quiz contains ten short-answer questions about a tale of lost love, betrayal, and revenge.

  Story Date: 1888 to 1889

  1. What was unusual about Colonel Barclay’s beha
vior?

  2. How long had the colonel and Mrs. Barclay been married?

  3. Where had Mrs. Barclay been right before the colonel’s murder?

  4. What stranger’s name does Mrs. Barclay shout while arguing with her husband?

  5. What is the apparent cause of the colonel’s death?

  6. Who enters the colonel’s study along with the intruder?

  7. Who gives Holmes the details about what happened on the way home from the meeting of the Guild of St. George?

  8. Why does Mrs. Barclay turn against her husband?

  9. What caused Colonel Barclay’s death?

  10. Holmes reproaches himself for not using his astute sense of reasoning to deduce that the name “David,” uttered by Mrs. Barclay, was made in reference to which famous book?

  TRIVIA FACTS : DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .

  1. When Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes stories appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, illustrator D. H. Friston portrayed Holmes as an overweight and effeminate dandy.

  2. When A Study in Scarlet was published in book form in 1888, Conan Doyle’s father, Charles Doyle, drew the illustrations. The tall, fair-haired Holmes resembled a younger Charles Doyle wearing a beard.

  3. Illustrator Sidney Paget, who gave the public its immortal images of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, used his brother Walter as a model for Holmes and Conan Doyle as a model for Dr. Watson. This image of Sherlock Holmes was sexier and more appealing and resulted in thousands of young women reading the exploits of this dashing detective.

  4. Shortly after the Walter Paget image of Holmes was published, Walter Paget attended a performance at the Covent Gardens Opera House where a woman saw him and shouted, “There goes Sherlock Holmes!” As a result, more eyes were on Paget than on the stage. This was only the first of many similar incidents that eventually caused Paget to regret sitting as a model for Holmes.

  QUIZ 35 “THE RESIDENT PATIENT”

  Published in the Strand in August 1893

  The criminal activities of the infamous bank robber Adam Worth must have held great interest for Conan Doyle. Worth’s clever plotting succeeded in allowing him access to bank vaults in the United States, making him extremely wealthy. Details of his crimes have appeared in several Sherlock Holmes stories, including “The Resident Patient.” In this tale, Holmes makes reference to the bank robber when he speaks of the “Worthingdon” bank gang. This quiz contains ten multiple choice questions.

  Story Date: October in the late 1800s

  1. In what type of medicine does Dr. Trevelyan specialize?

  A. He specializes in nervous diseases, especially catalepsy.

  B. Dr. Trevelyan is a heart specialist.

  C. He is a dermatologist.

  D. He specializes in tropical diseases.

  2. What arrangement did Mr. Blessington make with Dr. Trevelyan concerning his practice?

  A. Mr. Blessington purchased all of Dr. Trevelyan’s supplies, while Dr. Trevelyan agreed to treat whomever Mr. Blessington requested, no questions asked.

  B. Mr. Blessington guaranteed Dr. Trevelyan a full appointment book, under the condition that Mr. Blessington make all of the appointments.

  C. Mr. Blessington paid Dr. Trevelyan’s expenses and kept one-fourth of all the money collected.

  D. Mr. Blessington paid Dr. Trevelyan’s rent, and Dr. Trevelyan agreed to treat only people afflicted with the same medical condition as Mr. Blessington.

  3. How did Mr. Blessington conclude each day?

  A. He came into Dr. Trevelyan’s office for an examination.

  B. He asked Dr. Trevelyan for an oral report of the condition of all of his patients.

  C. Mr. Blessington counted the money Dr. Trevelyan collected for the day.

  D. Mr. Blessington thoroughly examined the financial books.

  4. Why is Mr. Blessington paranoid of being burgled?

  A. Mr. Blessington’s entire collection of Chinese pottery had been stolen.

  B. Mr. Blessington is paranoid and distrustful of everyone.

  C. His best friend had been killed during a robbery.

  D. He doesn’t trust banks, and he keeps everything he owns in a box in his room.

  5. Who do the intruders say they are when they make an appointment to visit Dr. Trevelyan?

  A. A Russian nobleman and his son who are seeking medical attention

  B. A brother and a nephew of Mr. Blessington

  C. Two new doctors who want Dr. Trevelyan’s advice about a complex case

  D. They are from Mr. Blessington’s church, and it was recommended by a church member that they consult Dr. Trevelyan.

  6. How does Mr. Blessington know that someone has been in his room?

  A. The door is left ajar.

  B. He smells the residue of cigarette smoke.

  C. Someone has left his vanity drawer open and has spilled his cologne.

  D. He notices footprints in the carpet.

  7. What initial clue leads Holmes to realize that Blessington’s apparent suicide was really a murder?

  A. There are several different cigar ends and holders left in Blessington’s room, indicating the presence of other men.

  B. Blessington is hanging from the lamp fixture, but the box from which he apparently jumped is pushed too far from the body.

  C. Upon close examination of the body, Holmes finds a needle puncture behind the ear.

  D. Holmes ascertains that he had died before he was hanged.

  8. Why does Blessington keep a rope under his bed?

  A. He is superstitious and believes that it will keep him from having nightmares.

  B. He is afraid of fires, and he wants to be prepared for a window escape if necessary.

  C. He uses it to raise and lower necessities when he is ill and refuses to let anyone in the house.

  D. He believes that his bed often moves in the middle of the night, and so he ties it to the radiator.

  9. Which recently hired employee lets the killers in and out of Blessington’s house?

  A. The cook

  B. The downstairs maid

  C. The page

  D. The coachman

  10. How does Holmes deduce that Mr. Blessington is lying about not knowing who his intruders are?

  A. Mr. Blessington does not look Holmes in the eye while Holmes questions him.

  B. Holmes sees the fear in Mr. Blessington’s eyes and speculates that Mr. Blessington knows who the intruders are.

  C. Mr. Blessington is fidgeting while Holmes questions him.

  D. Mr. Blessington is too evasive when Holmes questions him.

  QUIZ 36 “THE GREEK INTERPRETER”

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

  In this story, Holmes reveals to Watson that he has an older brother who “has better powers of observation than I [Holmes].” Conan Doyle gives his readers a detailed picture of Holmes’s brother, down to the exact time he enters and leaves his club every day. But why did Conan Doyle include detailed statistics about Mycroft if he was to appear in only one other story? Conan Doyle may have realized that two high-profile characters were a bit too much to contend with. Mycroft is briefly mentioned in two other stories, but he remains loyal and supportive of his younger brother, whom he clearly trusts more than anyone. The following quiz contains ten short-answer questions.

  Story Date: 1880s

  1. Who brought this case to Holmes’s attention?

  2. What nervous habit does Harold Latimer, the kidnapper, have?

  3. How does Mr. Melas communicate with the kidnapped victim without the captors knowing?

  4. How much is Mr. Melas paid for interpreting for the kidnappers?

  5. Who answers Mycroft’s ad about the missing Greek lady?

  6. How do the kidnappers try to dispose of Mr. Melas and Paul Kratides?

  7. Why is Sophie kidnapped?

  8. How do the kidnappers disguise Paul Kratides so that his sister does not recognize him?

  9. What ha
ppens to the two men who kidnap Sophie?

  10. How do the kidnappers try to force Paul Kratides to sign the paper, giving them what they want?

  QUIZ 37 “THE NAVAL TREATY”

  Published in Harper’s in October and in the Strand in October and November 1893

  “The Naval Treaty” was based on a case in London in which a man named Charles Marvin had been accused of selling secret government documents to the yellow press. He had worked as a clerk in the foreign office and had used his position to gain the information. This quiz about a true-to-life story contains ten true/false statements.

  Story Date: 1880s

  1. Watson met Perry Phelps when they were in India.

  2. Phelps’s nickname in school was “Tadpole.”

  3. Phelps received his assignment to the foreign office from a recommendation by a college professor.

  4. Phelps was given the important assignment of copying a secret treaty between England and Italy.

  5. After Phelps suffered a mental and physical breakdown, he was sent to a sanitarium to recover.

  6. Holmes deduces ten clues after listening to Phelps’s story.

  7. Holmes enlists the help of Scotland Yard detective Inspector Lestrade.

  8. When the commissioner’s wife failed to bring Phelps his coffee, he went to see what had detained her, and in doing so, he left the treaty unguarded.

  9. Holmes received a slight flesh wound when he and the villain wrestled with a pistol.

  10. The stolen papers were in Phelps’s room the entire time.

  QUIZ 38 “THE FINAL PROBLEM”

  Published in the Strand and in McClure’s in December 1893

  After the publication of “The Final Problem” in which Holmes apparently died in a tumble over Reichenbach Falls while fighting with his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes fans were in shock. To many dedicated readers, Sherlock Holmes was a real person. They waited anxiously for the next Holmes installment to hit the stands. No more Holmes was unthinkable.