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Quiz about Frederick Forsyths The Shepherd

Frederick Forsyth's "The Shepherd" Quiz

From the author of "Day of the Jackal" and "Odessa File" comes this novellette of an RAF pilot's Christmas Eve flight home.

A multiple-choice quiz by tjoebigham. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
tjoebigham

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
197,992

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
285

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 70 (5/15), Guest 104 (12/15), Guest 174 (0/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. What country, year and air station does the story begin from? Hint

Germany, 1957, Celle

Israel, 1967, Tel Aviv

France, 1962, Bourget

Syria, 1974, Damascus

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Question 2 of 15

2. What jet does the pilot fly? Hint

Vampire

Camel

Spitfire

Falcon

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Question 3 of 15

3. Where does the pilot plan to land? Hint

Penzance

Lakenheath

Plymouth

Canterbury

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Question 4 of 15

4. What happens ten minutes into the pilot's flight? Hint

he runs into a UFO

his compass and radio fail

he runs out of fuel

he flies into the 1890's

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Question 5 of 15

5. What does the pilot do first? Hint

bails out of his plane

pray

wet his pants

slow his plane's speed

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Question 6 of 15

6. What's the second disaster that happens to the pilot? Hint

his engines fail

he loses his oxygen

he goes blind

fog blocks out the earth

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Question 7 of 15

7. What maneuver does the pilot adopt? Hint

do the old mantra "om"

fly upside down

fly in small triangles

fly backwards

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Question 8 of 15

8. What plane appears from the fog to guide the pilot to safety? Hint

Sopwith Camel

DeHavilland Mosquito

F-118

Autogiro

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Question 9 of 15

9. What letters are on the plane? Hint

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Question 10 of 15

10. What air station has the pilot landed at? Hint

Heathrow Airport

RAF Minton

Le Bourget Field

RAF Merriam St. George

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Question 11 of 15

11. Who's the officer who greets the pilot? Hint

Flight Lieutenant Marks

Flight Lieutenant Harris

Flight Lieutenant Biggles

Squadron leader Peter D. Carter

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Question 12 of 15

12. What the name of the station's mess steward? Hint

Sherman

Harry

Joe

Oswald

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Question 13 of 15

13. What was the name of the pilot of the rescue airplane? Hint

John Kavanagh

Joe Keller

Jerry King

James Kensington

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Question 14 of 15

14. What's so unusual about the pilot of the rescue aircraft? Hint

he's deaf

he's an escapee from an asylum

he died in 1943

he's a cross-dresser

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Question 15 of 15

15. Who did Forsyth dedicate the story to? Hint

his wife Carole

Dylan Thomas

Truman Capote

Charles Dickens

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 14 2024 : Guest 70: 5/15
Nov 30 2024 : Guest 104: 12/15
Nov 26 2024 : Guest 174: 0/15
Nov 22 2024 : Guest 24: 15/15
Nov 22 2024 : Guest 74: 9/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What country, year and air station does the story begin from?

Answer: Germany, 1957, Celle

It is the height of the Cold War when the unnamed RAF pilot narrates his flight home on Christmas Eve from the German air station of Celle. (1957 was the year of my birth, incidentally)

2. What jet does the pilot fly?

Answer: Vampire

What a name for a jet, especially around Christmas, huh? Falcon's a made-up name, the other two are from the two World Wars.

3. Where does the pilot plan to land?

Answer: Lakenheath

From Lakenheath, he plans to catch a bus to London and from there ride to his home, Kent. Canterbury is in Kent, and besides being the background of Chaucer's famed Tales, is the birthplace of famed British filmmaker Michael Powell.

4. What happens ten minutes into the pilot's flight?

Answer: his compass and radio fail

A blown fuse knocks out his compass and radio, so he can't find his way or radio for help. Two of the false answers might be more fitting for the old "Twilight Zone" TV show!

5. What does the pilot do first?

Answer: slow his plane's speed

He remembers his old instructor, Flight Sergeant Norris, telling him it's best to slow the plane down so to conserve valuable fuel. He prays later, and won't bail out because he is over the North Sea later and doesn't want to risk freezing to death in the ocean. He doesn't wet himself either!

6. What's the second disaster that happens to the pilot?

Answer: fog blocks out the earth

If his oxygen ran out or his engines stalled he'd be dead! And blindness wouldn't be any better! Fog rises over the land when a sea breeze blows over the frigid earth, thus blocking out any views of city lights that would give the pilot bearings.

7. What maneuver does the pilot adopt?

Answer: fly in small triangles

Another procedure taught to him by Norris is to fly in small triangles so that he can be detected on radar screens and help can be sent to him.

8. What plane appears from the fog to guide the pilot to safety?

Answer: DeHavilland Mosquito

The DeHavilland Mosquito is a propeller-driven plane of WW2 vintage. It is ostensibly the rescue aircraft or "shepherd" (appropriate in the Yuletide season!) sent to guide the pilot to the nearest airstrip.

9. What letters are on the plane?

Answer: JK

No, JK isn't for Joe Kennedy, Jr., firstborn son of Joseph Kennedy. Joe, Jr. died in a secret bombing mission.

10. What air station has the pilot landed at?

Answer: RAF Minton

The pilot thinks he's landed at RAF Merriam St. George, but he learns he's at Minton, a barely used RAF storage depot.

11. Who's the officer who greets the pilot?

Answer: Flight Lieutenant Marks

Marks is an old "ground wallah" who runs the near deserted air station. Peter D. Carter is the pilot who gets a second chance at life in the Powell-Pressburger fantasy "A Matter of Life and Death" (US title "Stairway To Heaven")

12. What the name of the station's mess steward?

Answer: Joe

Steward Joe looks after the pilot when the latter is squared away for the night in a spare room.

13. What was the name of the pilot of the rescue airplane?

Answer: John Kavanagh

The pilot learns John Kavanagh, an Irishman, flew the WW2 plane that guided him to the air station (his initials were on the plane).

14. What's so unusual about the pilot of the rescue aircraft?

Answer: he died in 1943

Saw it coming, didn't you? Kavanagh fell into the North Sea on Christmas Eve, 1943. Still, it's a heck of a good Christmas story if you can find a copy!

15. Who did Forsyth dedicate the story to?

Answer: his wife Carole

Forsyth wrote the story as a Christmas gift for his wife Carole. Hope you enjoyed the quiz!

Source: Author tjoebigham

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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