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Quiz about BackTranslated Spanish Agatha Christie Titles
Quiz about BackTranslated Spanish Agatha Christie Titles

Back-Translated Spanish Agatha Christie Titles Quiz


Just like my quiz about German titles, this quiz gives you a Spanish title plus back-translation of an Agatha Christie novel and a clue. Your job is to tell me the English title. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by PearlQ19. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
PearlQ19
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
338,784
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
458
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: rabbit1964 (10/10), Rumpo (9/10), Guest 212 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. "El cuadro" ("The Painting"): A painting of a house and Tuppence's reaction to it spark off this mystery, which takes its English title from Shakespeare. Which one is it? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "Las manzanas" ("The Apples"): Unusually dark, this novel focuses on the death of a child, and the things she said she saw. Apples do play a role. Which novel is it? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. "Navidades trágicas" ("Tragic Christmas"). Season's greetings of a different kind is what awaits the sleuth at the house of a rich old tyrant. Which full-length novel is it in English? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. "El misterioso señor Brown" ("The Mysterious Mr. Brown"): Two young adventurers hunt for a missing girl and butt heads with this eponymous foe. Which Christie novel is it? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. "La trayectoria del bumerán" ("The Trajectory of the Boomerang"): This Spanish title refers to the American title of the novel, which is "The Boomerang Clue". However, what is the original (British) title of that novel, chosen by Ms. Christie herself? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "El misterio de la guía de ferrocarriles" ("The Mystery of the Railway Guide"): The railway guide in the title startles Poirot and Hastings, as it is planted at each crime scene. This is the only time Poirot is hunting a serial killer. Which novel is it? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "El misterio de Sans Souci" ("The Mystery of Sans Souci"): A secret agent's last words, "Song Susie", are eventually deciphered to be a heavily accented version of the French "Sans Souci". Sans Souci is a quiet little guesthouse, but rumor has it that a spy is hiding there. Tommy Beresford is sent to investigate. Which novel is it? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. "La venganza de Nofret" ("The Revenge of Nofret"): Could there really be a vengeful spirit on the loose, killing members of an Egyptian household? It sure looks that way... Which is the novel? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. "Sangre en la piscina" ("Blood in the Swimming Pool"): Blood in the swimming pool is indeed the first thing that Poirot sees upon his arrival at the house. At first he thinks that the owners of the house are staging some sort of murder game for him, but the theatrically posed victim turns out to be very dead. Which novel is it?

Answer: (British title (two words) or American title (three words))
Question 10 of 10
10. "Pleamares de la vida" ("The Tides of Life"): Tides are also referenced in the American title of this mystery, "There is a Tide..." Which is the original title of this Poirot novel? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Nov 15 2024 : rabbit1964: 10/10
Nov 14 2024 : Rumpo: 9/10
Nov 13 2024 : Guest 212: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "El cuadro" ("The Painting"): A painting of a house and Tuppence's reaction to it spark off this mystery, which takes its English title from Shakespeare. Which one is it?

Answer: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs"

The Spanish title is rather fitting, considering that it is the pretty painting in Tommy Beresford's aunt Ada's room that starts it all. Tuppence is convinced that she has seen the house in the painting before, and while Tommy is away on a conference, she embarks on a mission to find it. She promptly gets caught up in a mystery and almost gets herself killed.
2. "Las manzanas" ("The Apples"): Unusually dark, this novel focuses on the death of a child, and the things she said she saw. Apples do play a role. Which novel is it?

Answer: "Hallowe'en Party"

Poor Ariadne Oliver declares that she'll never eat an apple again after seeing twelve-year-old Joyce drowned in the apple-bobbing tub.
"Hallowe'en Party" has a strange, dreamy atmosphere and is a rather sinister story about an undiscovered murder, a forged testament, and a beautiful garden.
3. "Navidades trágicas" ("Tragic Christmas"). Season's greetings of a different kind is what awaits the sleuth at the house of a rich old tyrant. Which full-length novel is it in English?

Answer: "Hercule Poirot's Christmas"

"A Christmas Tragedy" is a short story featuring Miss Marple; "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" is a not-so-short short story featuring Hercule Poirot. "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" deals with the murder of Simeon Lee, an old adventurer and family tyrant, whose numerous children (legitimate or not) all have a motive for killing him.
4. "El misterioso señor Brown" ("The Mysterious Mr. Brown"): Two young adventurers hunt for a missing girl and butt heads with this eponymous foe. Which Christie novel is it?

Answer: "The Secret Adversary"

"The Secret Adversary" introduces Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley, who are both broke and unemployed after the war. They have the vague idea of offering their services for some barely legal activities but end up working for the Secret Service - the start of a long and fruitful relationship.
5. "La trayectoria del bumerán" ("The Trajectory of the Boomerang"): This Spanish title refers to the American title of the novel, which is "The Boomerang Clue". However, what is the original (British) title of that novel, chosen by Ms. Christie herself?

Answer: "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?"

Agatha Christie chose the title after hearing the brother of a friend comment that the characters in a book should have asked "Evans". At that point, she did not yet know what role Evans would play in her next book, but the title was set.
The American (and, consequently, the Spanish) title probably refers to the fact that a character had spent time in Australia, and that what goes around always comes around.
6. "El misterio de la guía de ferrocarriles" ("The Mystery of the Railway Guide"): The railway guide in the title startles Poirot and Hastings, as it is planted at each crime scene. This is the only time Poirot is hunting a serial killer. Which novel is it?

Answer: "The ABC Murders"

Poirot starts to receive ominous letters announcing murders that will take place at a given time and place. The victims are picked in alphabetical order by their initials, and a copy of the "ABC Railway Guide" is left at each scene. Is there a serial killer on the loose, or is it all just a ruse...?
7. "El misterio de Sans Souci" ("The Mystery of Sans Souci"): A secret agent's last words, "Song Susie", are eventually deciphered to be a heavily accented version of the French "Sans Souci". Sans Souci is a quiet little guesthouse, but rumor has it that a spy is hiding there. Tommy Beresford is sent to investigate. Which novel is it?

Answer: "N or M?"

The secret agent was not mistaken: there is indeed something rotten in the house of Sans Souci. The only question is: Which spy is hiding there? "N" or "M"? Tommy starts investigating, assisted by his quick-witted wife, Tuppence, who did not agree with the Secret Service's plans to leave her out of it.
8. "La venganza de Nofret" ("The Revenge of Nofret"): Could there really be a vengeful spirit on the loose, killing members of an Egyptian household? It sure looks that way... Which is the novel?

Answer: "Death Comes as the End"

This is Christie's only period novel, set in Ancient Egypt. The main character is a young widow, Renisenb, and it is her family that is apparently haunted by the vengeful spirit of her father's concubine, Nofret.
9. "Sangre en la piscina" ("Blood in the Swimming Pool"): Blood in the swimming pool is indeed the first thing that Poirot sees upon his arrival at the house. At first he thinks that the owners of the house are staging some sort of murder game for him, but the theatrically posed victim turns out to be very dead. Which novel is it?

Answer: The Hollow

The last word of the victim is "Henrietta". Is it an accusation, a declaration of love, or something else entirely?
10. "Pleamares de la vida" ("The Tides of Life"): Tides are also referenced in the American title of this mystery, "There is a Tide..." Which is the original title of this Poirot novel?

Answer: "Taken at the Flood"

Neither the German ("Der Todeswirbel" = "The Vortex of Death") nor the Spanish title is a direct translation of the English. The international title closest to the original (at least in a language I can understand) is the Portuguese: "Arrastado na torrente".

The French one is, "Le Flux et le Reflux". All those international titles reference tides in one way or another, but the Spanish one takes a more poetic angle.
Source: Author PearlQ19

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series My Christie Quizzes:

Every now and then I go on an Agatha Christie binge, and when I do, it is reflected in my quiz-writing activities. Here are all my Christie quizzes in one place ... including some very old ones when I was young and inexperienced and my English wasn't what it is today.

  1. Agatha Christie's Plot Devices Average
  2. The Christie Couples Average
  3. The Christie Couples, Vol. II Average
  4. The Christie Couples, Vol. III Average
  5. The Christie Couples, Vol. IV Average
  6. The Christie Couples, Vol. V Average
  7. Write Down What You Saw... Average
  8. The Plot, She Thickens Average
  9. "Evil Under the Sun": Book vs. Movie Average
  10. Glimpsed Again: Recurring Supporting Characters Average
  11. Back-Translated German Agatha Christie Book Titles Tough
  12. More Back-Translated German Christie Titles Tough

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