Hercule Poirot | 10 Question Literature Multiple Choice Quiz

Answer: Peter Ustinov

Peter Ustinov made Poirot humourous, which to me was a good thing. He portrayed Poirot in other films such as 'Death on the Nile' and 'Appointment with Death'. Poirot has been portrayed by many actors such as Albert Finney and David Suchet. In the '30s he was played by Austin Trevor and in 1965 by Tony Randall.

More recently Alfred Molina played Poirot in a remake of 'Murder on the Orient Express'.

Answer: 12

The victim was an American named Ratchett, and the murder was not as cut and dried as it seemed. This novel is also known as 'Murder on the Calais Coach' in the U.S., and is widely regarded as one of Christie's best works.

Answer: 1920

The story had Poirot investigating a typical country house murder. Mrs Inglethorp was poisoned at Styles House in the English village of Styles St. Mary. Poirot came to England as a refugee after World War I, and his time in the Belgian police force. He was already a force to be reckoned with!

Answer: All of these

Poirot is also famous for his total lack of modesty (some would call it pomposity!), his need for order and symmetry and his love of sweet liqueurs such as creme de menthe and syrop de cassis.

Answer: Chief Inspector Japp

Ariadne Oliver was never a superintendent, Hastings was a Captain in the army, and Superintendent Edgeware was just a figment of my (not Christie's) imagination. Japp was an inspector at Scotland Yard and often called for Poirot's assistance. The two knew each other from Poirot's time in the Belgian police force, and although they had very different detecting techniques, they always got the right man - or woman - in the end.

Answer: Anne Hart

Anne Hart's book was first published in 1990, and the amount of detail she has gleaned from Poirot books is amazing. She has also written a similar book about Jane Marple.

Answer: 33

From 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' to 'Curtain: Poirot's Last Case'. Poirot was the first fictional character to have a front page obituary in the 'New York Times'.

Answer: 5ft 4ins

In 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' Hastings explained in his narrative: 'Hardly more than 5ft 4ins but carried himself with great dignity'.

Answer: The Clocks

I didn't think this was one of Christie's best works, as it seemed very straightforward, and I was unsure of Poirot's role. Colin Lamb, however, was a nice character - a spy who fell in love with a female suspect in the murder case!

Answer: Ariadne Oliver

Ariadne first appeared in 'Parker Pyne Investigates' in 1934, but was already an old friend of Poirot. I have even heard talk of Ariadne's character being based on Agatha Christie herself.