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Dashiell Hammett Trivia

Dashiell Hammett Trivia Quizzes

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Dashiell Hammett created some classic characters in his hard-boiled detective stories and novels, including Sam Spade (in "The Maltese Falcon") and Nick and Nora Charles (in "The Thin Man").
2 Dashiell Hammett quizzes and 30 Dashiell Hammett trivia questions.
1.
  The Maltese Falcon   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
A quiz on the original 1930 novel by Dashiell Hammett that is a cornerstone of the hard-boiled crime novel.
Average, 20 Qns, tjoebigham, Dec 21 17
Average
tjoebigham
1170 plays
2.
  Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The first and perhaps best of the "hard-boiled" detective genre writers, Hammett wrote this novel with a goal of seeing just how many murders he could cram into a story.
Average, 10 Qns, pgapgapga, Feb 29 04
Average
pgapgapga
289 plays
trivia question Quick Question
The job having been finished, so to speak, and the reports filed on this $10,000 job for the Agency, what does the Opget from his boss?

From Quiz "Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest""




Related Topics
  American Literature [Literature] (53 quizzes)

  Mystery & Detective Fiction [Literature] (105 quizzes)


Dashiell Hammett Trivia Questions
1. What is the name of the central character?

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: No name is given

He is known as "the Continental Op" from Hammett's previous short works, always writing in the first person and never giving his name.

2. How is Sam Spade described in the novel?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: a blond satan

Hammett described Spade's face as having a series of V's that made him look {satanic;} very far from Bogart's face in the classic 1941 movie!

3. There is a public entertainment event that many of the principal characters attend or have much interest in. Identify the event.

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Boxing match

Ike Bush is murdered for not taking a dive in this bout.

4. How many murder victims are there?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: four

Spade's partner Miles Archer, Floyd Thursby, Captain Jacobi and Caspar Gutman.

5. Give the name of the first murder victim.

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Donald Willsson

Donald started the whole story going by wanting to open up investigations on city corruption, and ironically died due to unfounded jealousy of a bank teller. Beaumont is from "The Glass Key".

6. Who are the police detectives?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Polhaus and Dundy

The official nemeses of Spade (though Polhaus is more sympathetic to the private dick), they were played by Barton MacLaine and Ward Bond.

7. The predominant female character is an openly mercenary lady of the evening, week or month(depending on how much $ the gent has to spend), but with an ongoing relationship with Max Thaler. Name her.

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Dinah Brand

A little overweight, sloppy, but evidently has "it"! Leggett is from "The Dain Curse"

8. Who is Spade's secretary?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Effie Perrine

Effie was the first in a long line of secretaries in the hard-boiled genre, of which Mike Hammer's Velda was a part. Lee Patrick played her.

9. Who is responsible for Dinah's death?

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Reno Starkey

Did you get the idea that this character was introduced late in the story just so another murder could happen without tying up any of the other principals? Starkey shows up and Dinah's dead within 20 pages.

10. Who is Spade's lawyer?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Sid Wise

Mason was created long after 'Falcon' was published!

11. What is Max Thaler's major personal distinction?

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: He speaks in a whisper

The guys all knew Max as "Whisper".

12. How many times does Miles' widow Iva appear?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: three

Two times in Spade's office and once outside Brigid's apartment. Gladys George played her in the Huston film.

13. Who did Noonan forgive for killing Noonan's brother Tim?

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Max Thaler

Noonan was mislead by the Op into thinking Max shot Tim. In reality (though we're talking about fictional characters) Tim was shot in a struggle with police officer Bob MacSwain over Tim's affair with Bob's wife and his then dumping her for another girl.

14. What was the name of Brigid's 'sister'?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Corinne

Brigid said her 'sister' was threatened by Thursby so that one of the detectives would get rid of him.

15. When Thaler breaks out of jail, where does he hide out?

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Elihu's mansion

Elihu is pretty much forced to shelter Max due to all the incriminating information Max has on Elihu's way of running the city. Paul is the political manipulator of "The Glass Key".

16. Having chosen to experience an evening of drinking and drugs with Dinah, what does the central character fear he may have done?

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Killed Dinah

The Op has some interesting dreams from his drug abuse, and isn't so sure that he didn't stick that ice pick into Dinah.

17. What hotel did Spade meet 'gunsel' Wilmer at?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Belvedere

'Gunsel' is slang for a young homosexual, as well as a gunman. Hammett sneaked in the trio's gayness at a time in American history when homosexulity was hardly mentioned in society.

18. The job having been finished, so to speak, and the reports filed on this $10,000 job for the Agency, what does the Opget from his boss?

From Quiz Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest"

Answer: Merry hell

The boss, referred to by the Op here and in the other stories as the Old Man, usually only shows polite indifference, but has an emotional response to the Op's liberties in the field on this case.

19. What did Gutman have in the book that he didn't have in the film?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: a daughter

In the book Gutman's daughter Rhea has only one scene with {Spade;} Huson wisely dropped her in the movie.

20. What organization made the Falcon?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Knights Templar

Based on Malta, the Knights made the Falcon as tribute to King Charles V of Spain, when pirates seized it.

21. Who was the Russian the black bird was stolen from?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Kemidov

Borodin is the famed composer-chemist, the other two famous authors.

22. What happened on Spade's second meeting with Gutman?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Spade got drugged

Gutman had Spade's drink drugged to keep him out of the way while he and his cronies searched for the Falcon.

23. What was the name of the ship set afire?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: La Paloma

The 'La Paloma's' captain Jacobi was shot as his ship was torched but got the Falcon to Spade's office before he died. Huston's actor father Walter played Jacobi.

24. Who did Spade pick as his fall guy, who didn't kill Archer?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: Wilmer

Spade needed a patsy to get the police off his back for the murders of Thursby and Jacobi, which Wilmer did. He killed Gutman at the end for his agreeing to Spade's offer.

25. When Spade found a bill missing in his payment from Gutman, what did he make Bridgid do?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: strip

In a risque scene that couldn't make it into the 1941 film, Spade forces Bridgid to strip in his bathroom to make sure she isn't hiding the missing bill. Of course Gutman took it.

26. What did the Falcon turn out to be made of?

From Quiz The Maltese Falcon

Answer: lead

The scene of Sidney Greenstreet's Gutman discovering the false Falcon is one of the all-time great film scenes.

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