Secret Santa Stumper Trivia Quiz

Answer: wine, teakettle, CDs

Clue 1 states that Helga bought the CDs after the teakettle.
Clue 2 states that Helga bought teakettle after the wine.
Therefore, the correct order in which Helga made her purchases is wine, teakettle, CDs.
(Bear in mind this doesn't tell us yet where to fit the novel.)


In the Early Middle Ages, gift-giving was primarily between people with a legal relationship and from inferiors to superiors. By the time of the Protestant Reformation, gift-giving to children had become common practice in Europe. (And in many places, gift-giving is on St. Nicholas Day, December 6.)

Answer: Tuesday

We figured out in question 1 (using clues 1 and 2) that the wine was purchased before the teakettle and the CDs. This means Helga could purchase the wine only on a Monday or a Tuesday, since she needed at least two more days to make the other purchases. Clue 3 states that Helga did not buy the wine on Monday. Therefore Helga bought the wine on Tuesday.


Merlot is a red wine, and its name means "little blackbird" in an old French dialect spoken in Bordeaux, a port city in southwestern France. The color of any red wine comes from a pigment in grapeskin called anthocyanin, present also in blueberries, cherries, and plums, not to mention orchids and hydrangeas.

Answer: Wednesday

We just figured out (in the previous question) that Helga bought the wine on Tuesday. The teakettle was purchased after the wine (clue 2), so that's either Wednesday or Thursday. But the teakettle was also purchased before the CDs (see clue 1, or review question 1), so the only day that fits is Wednesday.


Electric teakettles have become rather sophisticated. The higher-end models have multiple temperature settings from 165°F to boiling, and they keep the water warm for 20-30 minutes. Some even have a clear borosilicate glass body and a thermometer on the outside for the obsessive tea-drinker to gauge the progress!

Answer: Thursday

Clue 1 states the CDs were purchased after the teakettle. We figured out in question 3 that the teakettle was purchased on Wednesday. Therefore, the CDs were purchased on Thursday.


Technology companies Philips and Sony together developed the compact disc (CD). The first commercial CD was produced in West Germany on August 17, 1982 and played Chopin waltzes. An audio CD contains 74 minutes of music because Philips and Sony wanted to create a medium that would hold Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in its entirety, and the longest recording available ran 74 minutes.

Answer: Monday

Helga bought the wine on Tuesday (question 2).
She bought the teakettle on Wednesday (question 3).
The CDs were purchased on Thursday (question 4).
Therefore, Helga bought the novel on Monday.


The novella 'Das Fräulein von Scuderi' (1819) by E. T. A. Hoffmann is considered one of the first modern works of mystery fiction. It influenced Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' (1841), considered the first modern detective story (a sub-genre of mystery), although Poe called it a "tale of ratiocination" (viz. logical and methodical reasoning). The first full-length mystery novels were 'The Woman in White' (1860) and 'The Moonstone' (1868), both by Wilkie Collins.

Answer: Wednesday

Monday is out; the novel was purchased on Monday, but clue 4 indicates that the Peter is not getting the novel.
Tuesday is also out, because the wine was purchased on a Tuesday, but clue 6 indicates that Peter can't have the wine, either.
Clue 5 states that Helga bought Jack's present after Peter's; so Peter's wasn't bought on Thursday, since that's the last day Helga shopped.
Therefore, Helga bought Peter's gift on Wednesday.


Wednesday is an alteration of Old English 'wodnesdæg' ("Woden's day"). The modern pronunciation, /WENS-day/, arose in the 15th century.

Answer: teakettle

We have figured out so far:
Monday = novel
Tuesday = wine
Wednesday = teakettle
Thursday = CDs
Peter's present was bought on Wednesday (question 6), so it was the teakettle.


Electric teakettles generally work by thermal conduction. At the microscopic level, heat is the motion of molecules, and the energy is transferred from molecule to molecule by direct contact. The heat transfers to the water, directly in contact with the heating element. Conduction is also how the handle of the metallic teaspoon sticking out of your cup of tea eventually gets warm.

Answer: CDs

Helga bought Jack's present after Peter's present (clue 5).
Peter's present was the teakettle, purchased on Wednesday (see questions 6 and 7).
The only present purchased after the teakettle was the CDs, on Thursday (see clue 1 and question 4).
Therefore, Jack will receive the CDs of old-time radio programs.


In the USA, "old-time radio" refers to programs broadcast from 1920 through the early 1960s (or thereabouts). These include drama, comedy, variety, Western, mystery, horror, crime, science fiction, quiz games, and even histories like "You Were There". The first commercial radio station in the USA was KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA, which aired its first programs in 1920. By 1947, 82% of Americans listened to the radio regularly. Television diminished US commercial radio programming considerably starting in the 1950s, but some die-hards like "Have Gun -- Will Travel" and "Suspense" persisted into the 1960s.

Answer: novel

It wasn't the wine (clue 6).
It wasn't the CDs; that was for Jack (question 8).
It wasn't the teakettle; that was for Peter (question 7).
Therefore, Daphne is getting the novel (which, as you may recall, was purchased on Monday [question 5]).


According to 'Guinness World Records' the most popular mystery author of all time is Agatha Christie (1890-1976), who began writing in the 1920s. She was the first recipient of the the Grand Master Award, the Mystery Writers of America's highest honor. Her first novel 'Snow Upon the Desert', written in the 1910s, was declined by publishers, though her next novel, 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' (1920), featuring the detective Hercule Poirot, met with much more success.

Answer: wine

On Monday, Helga bought the novel for Daphne (questions 5 and 9).
On Wednesday, she bought the teakettle for Peter (questions 6 and 7).
On Thursday, she bought the CDs for Jack (questions 4 and 8).
Therefore, on Tuesday, Helga bought the wine for Ida.


The health benefits of red wine come from polyphenols, which include resveratrol, a blood thinner that may reduce the risk of stroke, and various tannins, which are antioxidants. In general, the drier and younger the wine, the greater the tannin levels, and therefore the greater the health benefits.