Hickory Dickory Dock (1955) Trivia Game | Hickory Dickory Dock

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Hercule Poirot's incredibly efficient secretary; she almost never makes mistakes and organises Hercule Poirot's life so that it runs like a well-oiled machine.

Answer: Miss Felicity Lemon

As this novel opens, we learn of the incredulity of Hercule Poirot when he discovers that his perfect secretary, Miss Lemon, who never makes mistakes, had actually made three errors in a letter she had typed for him and had not noticed them. Such a thing was unheard of. She was clearly not herself that day.

2. Miss Lemon's widowed sister; she is the matron or caretaker of a student hostel who presents Poirot with a "unique and beautiful problem" involving petty theft and vandalism.

Answer: Mrs Hubbard

Mrs Hubbard (we never learn her first name) is Miss Felicity Lemon's sister. She struck Poirot as a "softer" and "rounder" version of Miss Lemon. She fears that there is a kleptomaniac within her household because of a series of petty thefts involving the most bizarre combination of items - including one evening shoe, a cheap bracelet (costume jewelry), a valuable diamond ring, a powder compact, a lipstick, a stethoscope, a cigarette lighter, a pair of old flannel trousers, electric light bulbs, a box of chocolates, a silk scarf, a rucksack, boracic powder, bath salts and a cookbook. Two of the items (scarf and rucksack) are later found "cut to ribbons".

3. A self-confessed kleptomaniac who worked in the dispensary at a local hospital; her murder was arranged to look like suicide.

Answer: Celia Austin

Celia had a crush on Colin McNabb, a post-graduate student in psychiatry and psychology, but Colin is only interested in his studies. Celia was talked into pretending to be a kleptomaniac by Valerie Hobhouse in order to attract Colin's attention. The plan works, but on the night Colin announces their engagement, Celia apparently commits suicide.

4. Famous Belgian detective with "suspiciously black hair and a moustache of ferocious proportions"; he tells Inspector Sharpe that the key to solving the crimes (murder, theft and vandalism) is conversation.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot tells Inspector Sharpe that engaging suspects in conversation is the key to solving the crimes. He said that all the murderers he had ever come across enjoyed talking and eventually they would say something "unfortunate" which would expose them.

5. Greek landlady/owner of the student hostel on Hickory Road; she has a volatile temperament and an unhealthy weakness for brandy.

Answer: Mrs Nicoletis

When the police search the Hickory Road hostel, Mrs Nicoletis strenuously objects to them searching her room. She refuses to hand over the key to her cupboard so the police chisel it open, resulting in a cascade of empty brandy bottles tumbling out--which explained her over-emotional behaviour.

6. A medical student described as a "big friendly young man" with red hair; his rucksack and stethoscope were among the stolen items.

Answer: Leonard (Len) Bateson

Len is an amiable young man with a quick temper. He was furious when his stethoscope was stolen. He becomes a potential suspect when the police discover that his father is confined to a mental hospital. The murderer attempted to frame Len by placing red hairs between the fingers of one of his victims, but Hercule Poirot quickly saw through that, stating that, as the victim was struck down from behind, she could not possibly have grasped her assailant by the hair.

7. A childish student who took pleasure in baiting other people; he was studying Medieval History and Italian at London University and was known to use green ink for his study notes and letters.

Answer: Nigel Chapman

Patricia Lane told Inspector Sharpe that "Nigel is really very much his own worst enemy. I'm the first to admit that he's got a very difficult manner. It prejudices people against him. He's rude and sarcastic and makes fun of people, and so he puts people's backs up and they think the worst of him.

But really he's quite different from what he seems. He's one of those shy, rather unhappy people who really want to be liked but who, from a kind of spirit of contradiction, find themselves saying and doing the opposite to what they mean to say and do."

8. A hard-working, ambitious student from Jamaica who was studying law; her studies were sabotaged by green ink being poured over her notes.

Answer: Elizabeth Johnston

Green ink was used to implicate Nigel Chapman, who was known to use it for his letters and study notes. However, Mrs Hubbard told the police that Celia filled her fountain pen with Nigel's green ink and a handkerchief extensively stained with green ink was found in Patricia Lane's drawer when the police conducted their search. In fact, everybody in the hostel had access to Nigel's ink.

9. A physiotherapist at a local hospital; she was "full of sweetness and righteousness" but underneath that, she had a nasty streak and was known to snoop.

Answer: Jean Tomlinson

Valerie referred to Jean as "Pious Jean" because of her "holier than thou" attitude. Jean told Valerie that she mistook Nigel's attache case for her own and thus accidentally discovered that Nigel had a passport with a name other than his own. Valerie immediately exposed the lie by saying ""Look here, Jean, you can't get away with that. Nigel's attache case is a good deal larger than yours and it's an entirely different colour. While you're admitting things, you might just as well admit that you are that sort of person. All right. You found a chance to go through some of Nigel's things and you took it." Jean, however, became quite indignant and refused to admit to snooping.

She was also revealed to be a racist in her comment to Inspector Sharpe that she thought Mr Akibombo was likely to be the person who sabotaged Elizabeth's study notes with Nigel's ink. She cited jealousy as his motivation because "all these coloured people are very jealous of each other and very hysterical".

10. A West African student residing at the Hickory Road hostel; he is described as "frightfully nice" with "curly black hair... smiling white teeth and childlike rather plaintive eyes".

Answer: Mr Akibombo

Mr Akibombo is keen to assist the police to find Celia's murderer. He tells them that if they give him a piece of her hair and nail clippings, he would see if he could find out by "old method - not scientific, not modern, but very much in use where I come from".

Inspector Sharpe politely declines his offer and murmurs to himself, "I sincerely hope we do meet with success--if only to maintain prestige".

Source: Author MotherGoose

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Hickory Dickory Dock (1955) Trivia Quiz

Match the major characters in this novel with their description. (NO SPOILERS)

Questions		Choices
1. Hercule Poirot's incredibly efficient secretary; she almost never makes mistakes and organises Hercule Poirot's life so that it runs like a well-oiled machine.		Nigel Chapman
2. Miss Lemon's widowed sister; she is the matron or caretaker of a student hostel who presents Poirot with a "unique and beautiful problem" involving petty theft and vandalism.		Hercule Poirot
3. A self-confessed kleptomaniac who worked in the dispensary at a local hospital; her murder was arranged to look like suicide.		Mrs Nicoletis
4. Famous Belgian detective with "suspiciously black hair and a moustache of ferocious proportions"; he tells Inspector Sharpe that the key to solving the crimes (murder, theft and vandalism) is conversation.		Leonard (Len) Bateson
5. Greek landlady/owner of the student hostel on Hickory Road; she has a volatile temperament and an unhealthy weakness for brandy.		Celia Austin
6. A medical student described as a "big friendly young man" with red hair; his rucksack and stethoscope were among the stolen items.		Elizabeth Johnston
7. A childish student who took pleasure in baiting other people; he was studying Medieval History and Italian at London University and was known to use green ink for his study notes and letters.		Jean Tomlinson
8. A hard-working, ambitious student from Jamaica who was studying law; her studies were sabotaged by green ink being poured over her notes.		Mr Akibombo
9. A physiotherapist at a local hospital; she was "full of sweetness and righteousness" but underneath that, she had a nasty streak and was known to snoop.		Miss Felicity Lemon
10. A West African student residing at the Hickory Road hostel; he is described as "frightfully nice" with "curly black hair... smiling white teeth and childlike rather plaintive eyes".		Mrs Hubbard