The Moving Finger Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jerry was recouping from injuries suffered in a plane crash.

Jerry Burton needed a nice, quiet place, away from the London bustle, to recoup from a plane crash, and Lymstock seemed perfect. It was quiet, out of the way without being remote, and he did not know anyone in town. Joanna, his very urban sister, went along with him.

They leased Little Furze, the Victorian house of Miss Emily Barton and settled into village life. Then one day they receive an anonymous poison pen letter---and the mystery begins.

Answer: It said that Jerry and Joanna were lovers, not brother and sister.

Jerry and Joanna were accused (in quite lurid terms) of being lovers, not brother and sister. The insidious thing about the letter was that it made them wonder why one of the townspeople felt so very much malice for them.

Answer: He tells Jerry that he has not received any letters himself.

Dr. Griffith tells Jerry that he received an anonymous letter accusing him of violating his professional decorum with his female patients. He also says that others in town have received the letters and that all have a sexual theme. Dr. Griffith mentions that at his last practice, there had been a spate of poison pen letters making the rounds, too.

The letters are random acts of malice, but he is afraid that eventually one of the letters will hit the mark, and the situation then will be dangerous.

Answer: Agnes, the Symmington's maid, was murdered.

At Mrs. Symmington's Inquest, her death was ruled "suicide while temprarily insane". It was only after the Symmington's maid, Agnes Woddell, ends up murdered and stuffed in the closet, that police began to take a closer look at Mrs. Symmington's death.

Answer: Yes

The vicar was a forgetful, vague sort of gentleman who spouted Latin on every possible occassion. The thought of him misbehaving with the schoolmistress was laughable! Mrs. Dane Calthrop insisted that her husband had absolutely no taste for flirtations, and that if the vicar was not so intellectual, he could be a saint! If you enjoy Vicar and Mrs. Dane Calthrop, they also appear in the wonderful Christie mystery "The Pale Horse"(1961).

Answer: Jerry Burton

Each poison pen letter was constructed the same way. The envelope was addressed on a typewriter donated to the Women's Institute. The body of each letter had been put together by gluing words cut from pages from a very old book, onto paper. Jerry finds a huge volume of 1840 sermons, with several pages removed, in the bottom of a bookcase at Little Furze, the house he is leasing from Miss Emily Barton. Jerry realizes any number of people could have put it there.

Answer: He's tired of seeing her slouch about, so he pays for her complete makeover.

Jerry was tired of Megan slouching about looking like an unmade bed. He takes her up to London and treats her to the "works"--stylish new clothes, hairdo, and makeup. He finds out that Megan is actually a very, very attractive young lady.

Answer: Jane Marple

Mrs. Dane Calthrop's expert is none other than her old friend, Miss Jane Marple. Miss Marple does not enter into the action until very late in the book. The story itself was narrated by Jerry Burton.

Answer: Megan

It is Miss Marple who sets the plan in motion. She knows who the killer is, but she must have proof. She gets Megan to ask the killer for money to keep her mouth shut. When the murderer takes Megan's blackmail bait, Miss Marple catches the killer red-handed.

Answer: The killer committs suicide by swallowing cyanide.

Everybody lives happily ever after at the end of "The Moving Finger"--except the killer. Jerry buys Little Furze from Miss Emily and marries Megan. Joanna Griffith is engaged to Dr. Griffith. Miss Emily and Aimee Griffith, the doctor's sister, are going to take a cruise together. I hope you have enjoyed my quiz on Agatha Christie's story of poison pen letters and murders. Thank you for taking my quiz.