Holmes and Poirot Trivia Quiz

Answer: Afghan War

Poirot's first book is 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles'. In this novel, we are first introduced to Captain Hastings, who is convalescing after being injured in the First World War. The first Sherlock Holmes story is 'A Study in Scarlet'. In this novel, we first meet Watson and are told that he has returned from the second Afghan war, where he was injured in the battle of Maiwand.

Answer: Whitehaven Mansions

Sherlock Holmes of course stays at 221B, Baker Street, an address which has been immortalized. Hercule Poirot's address is 56B, Whitehaven Mansions. 'The ABC Murders' features a letter sent to Poirot's address, wherein a killer deliberately sent a letter to the wrong address to throw Poirot off the track.

Answer: Dulcie Duveen

The second Holmes novel 'A Sign of Four' features Mary Morstan; at the end of the novel Watson marries Mary. Similarly, in the second Poirot novel 'Murder on the Links', Hastings meets his love Dulcie Duveen (whom he calls Cinderella) and marries her. Bella Duveen is Dulcie's sister. We meet Cynthia Murdoch in 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' and Hastings is shown to be in love with her.

But Cynthia ends up marrying Lawrence Cavendish and Hastings is heartbroken. But Poirot consoles him saying "We may hunt together again, and then who knows".

This prophecy becomes true. Incidentally, Cynthia is auburn haired and Poirot throughout his association with Hastings pulls his leg about his auburn hair fixation.

Answer: Georges

Mrs. Hudson is Sherlock Holmes housekeeper. Poirot does not have a housekeeper but has a faithful valet named Georges who assists him. Miss Lemon is his secretary who assists him only in his office! Ariadne Oliver is an authoress who appears in many Poirot novels.

Answer: M. Giraud

Prior to Sherlock Holmes, a famous fictional detective was Edgar Allen Poe's Dupin. Holmes severally criticizes Dupin saying that he was an inferior fellow. Similarly, Christie uses Poirot to take a potshot at Sherlock Holmes. In 'Murder on the Links', the official detective in charge of the case is M. Giraud from the French Surete. Giraud is shown to be highly energetic and looking for footprints, cigar ash, etc (similar to Holmes). Poirot lashes out at Giraud calling him the human fox hound. Poirot shows his preference for using the gray cells, rather than physically running around.

Answer: The Adventure of the Priory School

'The Adventure of the Priory School' is a short story from the Sherlock Holmes collection 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes', where a Duke organizes the kidnapping of his son. At the end of the story, Holmes dramatically corners the Duke, touching him on the shoulder and saying "I accuse you".

Inspired by this story, Christie wrote a Poirot short story 'The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly'. In this story, a rich man organizes the kidnapping of his son and at the end Poirot gives him a blank sheet of paper and asks him to write the address where the boy is kept.

Answer: The Adventure of the Abbey Grange

'The Adventure of the Abbey Grange' is a short story from the collection 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes'. In this novel, Holmes finds out that the murderer Captain Croker was justified in carrying out the murder to kill the evil husband of his love. Holmes asks Watson to be the jury and Watson pronounces him not guilty. 'Murder on the Orient Express' is the classic Poirot novel, where Poirot finds out that all the suspects were involved in the murder (the dead man was a kidnapper and cold blooded killer).

He proposes an alternate solution and with the concurrence of the doctor and the train official retires from the case, allowing the suspect to escape.

Answer: The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton

'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton' is a short story from the collection 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes'. The novel features a lady who comes to Holmes asking him to intercede with a blackmailer Charles Augustus Milverton. Holmes and Watson burgle Milverton's house, but at the same time an old victim kills Milverton. Holmes burns all the incriminating evidence and they escape.

A similar Poirot story, in a satirical vein, is 'The Veiled Lady'. Here also, a Lady Millicent asks Poirot to retrieve a letter from a blackmailer named Lavington. Poirot and Hastings burgle his house and retrieves the letter.

The ending is completely different from the Holmes story, with Lady Millicent revealed as a crook who had tried to use Poirot as a cat's paw to steal some jewels from Lavington (who was also a crook).

Answer: The Affair at the Victory Ball

'A Study in Scarlet' was the first novel where Holmes and Watson are introduced, however 'A Scandal in Bohemia' was the first short story that featured Holmes. Poirot and Hastings are introduced in the novel 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles'. 'The Affair at the Victory Ball' which was a part of the collection 'Poirot's Early Cases', was the first short story featuring Poirot.

Answer: He dies of a heart attack

'The Adventure of the Final Problem' features Holmes fight with Professor Moriarty in the Reichenbach falls, when Holmes falls to his death. 'Curtain' is Poirot's last case, where Poirot and Hastings return to the venue of their first adventure Styles. Poirot kills the villain Norton and as an atonement for the killing, does not take his heart medicine, leading to his death.

While Conan Doyle brought back Holmes on popular demand ('The Empty House'), Poirot never came back.