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The Labours of Hercules (1947) Quiz

This quiz is based on a collection of Hercule Poirot stories in which Poirot is portrayed as a "modern Hercules". (Beware - possible spoilers).

A multiple-choice quiz by MotherGoose. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
MotherGoose

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
168,683

Updated
Mar 14 22

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
757

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Peachie13 (13/15), Guest 103 (13/15), Guest 174 (15/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. In the foreword, Hercule Poirot is discussing his retirement plans with his friend, Dr Burton. What does Hercule Poirot plan to do when he retires? Hint

study the classics

bee-keeping

write his memoirs

grow vegetable marrows

NEXT>

Question 2 of 15

2. As a result of his conversation with Dr Burton, Poirot decides to take on only select cases which, in some way, reflect or symbolise the Twelve Labours of Hercules. He assigns his secretary to collect information about Hercules, the hero of Greek mythology, for him to study. What is his secretary's name? Hint

Miss Oliver

Georges

Miss Lemon

Hastings

NEXT>

Question 3 of 15

3. The first Labour of Hercules was "The Nemean Lion". This case involves the kidnapping of a Pekinese dog. What was the name of the Peke who symbolises the Nemean lion? Hint

Shan Tung

Augustus

Nanki Poo

Tricki Woo

NEXT>

Question 4 of 15

4. The second Labour of Hercules was "The Lernean Hydra". What did the Hydra correspond to in this story? Hint

necklace

gossip

politics

poison

NEXT>

Question 5 of 15

5. The third Labour of Hercules was "The Arcadian Deer". In this story, a young mechanic asks Poirot to locate a lady with whom he has fallen in love. What is her name? Hint

Marie

Bianca

Katrina

Juanita

NEXT>

Question 6 of 15

6. The fourth Labour of Hercules was "The Erymanthian Boar". Poirot finds himself stranded at a ski resort, trapped with a man described as "one of the most dangerous killers alive today". In which country did this story take place? Hint

Switzerland

Holland

France

Denmark

NEXT>

Question 7 of 15

7. Hercule Poirot's fifth case involved a political scandal which, if publicised, would bring about the fall of the British government. Which of the Labours of Hercules corresponds to this story? Hint

The Capture of Pylus

The Augean Stables

The Conquest of Elis

The Capture of Iole

NEXT>

Question 8 of 15

8. The sixth Labour of Hercules was "The Stymphalean Birds". In this story, two women represent the birds. Which of the following crimes do they attempt to perpetrate? Hint

blackmail

jewel theft

kidnapping

art forgery

NEXT>

Question 9 of 15

9. The seventh Labour of Hercules was "The Cretan Bull". Why did Diana Maberly consult Hercule Poirot in this story? Hint

she had been accused of embezzlement

her fianc� broke off their engagement

she was trying to locate her birth mother

she was the victim of blackmail

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. The eighth Labour of Hercules was "The Horses of Diomedes". In this story, who asks Hercule Poirot for help in a drug-peddling case? Hint

Lady Carmichael

Sheila Grant

General Grant

Dr Michael Stoddart

NEXT>

Question 11 of 15

11. The ninth Labour of Hercules was "The Girdle of Hyppolita". Alexander Simpson sends for his friend Poirot when a masterpiece is stolen from his gallery in broad daylight. Which famous artist painted the stolen picture? Hint

Rubens

Rembrandt

Picasso

Van Gogh

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. The tenth Labour of Hercules was "The Flock of Geryon". Which character from one of the previous "Labours of Hercules" stories makes a re-appearance in this one? Hint

Harold Waring ("The Stymphalean Birds")

Dr Charles Oldfield ("The Lernean Hydra")

Ted Williamson ("The Arcadian Deer")

Miss Amy Carnaby ("The Nemean Lion")

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. The eleventh Labour of Hercules was "The Apples of Hesperides". Hercule Poirot is commissioned to find a golden goblet which has been missing for ten years. Who is alleged to have been a former owner of the goblet? Hint

Joseph of Arimathea

King Henry VIII

Roderigo Borgia

Catherine De Medici

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. The twelfth Labour of Hercules was "The Capture of Cerberus". This story featured the only woman who ever captured the heart of Hercule Poirot. What was her name? Hint

Ariadne Oliver

Countess Vera Rossakoff

Dulcie Duveen

Irene Adler

NEXT>

Question 15 of 15

15. These short stories were originally written separately for publication in the "Strand" magazine in 1939. In 1947, they were first published as a collection. Why was Agatha Christie so upset when she first saw the proposed cover design? Hint

the title was spelt "Labors" (American spelling) instead of "Labours" (British spelling)

Poirot's trademark moustache had been shaved off

it suggested a nude Hercule Poirot

she thought the photograph of herself was particularly ugly

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 24 2024 : Peachie13: 13/15
Nov 17 2024 : Guest 103: 13/15
Oct 29 2024 : Guest 174: 15/15
Oct 14 2024 : Guest 24: 8/15
Oct 11 2024 : Guest 2: 14/15
Oct 06 2024 : rabbit1964: 14/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the foreword, Hercule Poirot is discussing his retirement plans with his friend, Dr Burton. What does Hercule Poirot plan to do when he retires?

Answer: grow vegetable marrows

"I am going to attend - seriously - to the cultivation of vegetable marrows". Sherlock Holmes was the one who turned to bee-keeping. Poirot's friend, Dr Burton, felt he should study the classics.

Answer: Miss Lemon

Miss Lemon was Hercule Poirot's unimaginative but extremely efficient secretary. Georges was Poirot's valet. Just as Sherlock Holmes had his Watson, so Poirot had his friend Hastings but Hastings does not appear in this collection of short stories. Miss (Ariadne) Oliver was another of Agatha Christie's detectives; she was also a friend of Poirot's.

3. The first Labour of Hercules was "The Nemean Lion". This case involves the kidnapping of a Pekinese dog. What was the name of the Peke who symbolises the Nemean lion?

Answer: Augustus

Shan Tung and Nanki Poo were Pekes who appeared in this story but Augustus was Poirot's "lion". "Of course, M. Poirot, according to the legend, Pekinese were lions once. And they still have the hearts of lions" (said Miss Carnaby). Tricki Woo was the Peke who belonged to Mrs Pumphrey and featured in James Herriot's books.

4. The second Labour of Hercules was "The Lernean Hydra". What did the Hydra correspond to in this story?

Answer: gossip

In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a many-headed monster whose mouths discharged poison. As soon as one of these heads was cut off, two immediately grew in its place. In this story, gossip is the monster. An innocent man's life is being destroyed by the persistent rumours that he poisoned his wife.

5. The third Labour of Hercules was "The Arcadian Deer". In this story, a young mechanic asks Poirot to locate a lady with whom he has fallen in love. What is her name?

Answer: Katrina

The young man thinks she is a maid named Nita but she was in fact Katrina Samoushenka, a dancer. Katrina represents the Arcardian deer. Juanita (also known as Bianca) and Marie are maids in the story.

Answer: Switzerland

The action takes place at Rochers Neiges, a remote ski resort in the Swiss Alps, ten thousand feet above sea level. Hercules had to capture alive a wild boar which ravaged Erymanthus. Hercule Poirot had to capture alive the murderer, Marrascaud, also described as a "wild boar".

7. Hercule Poirot's fifth case involved a political scandal which, if publicised, would bring about the fall of the British government. Which of the Labours of Hercules corresponds to this story?

Answer: The Augean Stables

The three incorrect answers are other deeds performed by Hercules in Greek mythology but they do not form part of the Twelve Labours of Hercules. Hercules had to clean the Augean stables of the accumulated waste products of thousands of cattle, goats, sheep and horses in a single day. It seems only fitting that Hercule Poirot's labour would involve politics and muck-raking.

8. The sixth Labour of Hercules was "The Stymphalean Birds". In this story, two women represent the birds. Which of the following crimes do they attempt to perpetrate?

Answer: blackmail

Mrs Rice and her daughter, Elsie Clayton, run a blackmailing scam, preying upon innocent young men with a tendency to chivalry. Hercule Poirot exposes the women and likens them to the Stymphalean birds which fed upon human flesh.

9. The seventh Labour of Hercules was "The Cretan Bull". Why did Diana Maberly consult Hercule Poirot in this story?

Answer: her fianc� broke off their engagement

Diana's fianc�, Hugh Chandler, broke off their engagement because he feared he was succumbing to hereditary insanity with violent tendencies. When Poirot meets Hugh, he is impressed by his bull-like physique; "tall, magnificently proportioned, with a terrific chest and shoulders, and a tawny head of hair. There was a tremendous air of strength and virility about him."

10. The eighth Labour of Hercules was "The Horses of Diomedes". In this story, who asks Hercule Poirot for help in a drug-peddling case?

Answer: Dr Michael Stoddart

In Greek mythology, the horses of Diomedes were man-eating mares. Dr Stoddart thinks Sheila Grant, to whom he is attracted, is the innocent victim of a drug-pusher but Hercule Poirot discovers that Sheila and her sisters are like the horses of Diomedes.

Answer: Rubens

The Rubens' painting was called "The Girdle of Hyppolita". What a coincidence!

12. The tenth Labour of Hercules was "The Flock of Geryon". Which character from one of the previous "Labours of Hercules" stories makes a re-appearance in this one?

Answer: Miss Amy Carnaby ("The Nemean Lion")

Hercules' task was to kill the monster Geryon and capture his flocks. Miss Carnaby goes undercover for Hercule Poirot, infiltrating a religious sect, known as The Flock of the Shepherd, led by the charismatic Dr Andersen.

Answer: Roderigo Borgia

"The workmanship is exquisite (it is said to have been made by Benvenuto Cellini). The design represents a tree round which a jewelled serpent is coiled and the apples on the tree are formed of very beautiful emeralds." Poirot finds the cup in an extremely unlikely place.

14. The twelfth Labour of Hercules was "The Capture of Cerberus". This story featured the only woman who ever captured the heart of Hercule Poirot. What was her name?

Answer: Countess Vera Rossakoff

Countess Vera Rossakoff was the only woman Poirot was ever attracted to, despite the fact that she operated on the other side of the law. Irene Adler was, of course, the only woman Sherlock Holmes ever admired. Dulcie Duveen was Captain Arthur Hastings' wife and Ariadne Oliver was merely a fellow detective and friend of Poirot.

Answer: it suggested a nude Hercule Poirot

According to Janet Morgan's biography of Agatha Christie, Christie wrote to her publishers expressing her dissatisfaction with the cover: "It suggests Poirot going naked to the bath! ... Put statuary on the cover but make it clear it IS statuary - not Poirot gone peculiar in Hyde Park!"

Source: Author MotherGoose

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