"The Silence Of The Lambs": Book or Movie? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the beginning, Clarice Starling is called to Jack Crawford's office to discuss Buffalo Bill.

Answer: Neither

Clarice was called, in both versions, to go talk to Hannibal Lecter about filling out a questionnaire to help provide insight into the mind of a serial killer.

2. Hannibal Lecter, in his first meeting with Clarice Starling, mentions that he once ate the liver of a census taker with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

Answer: Movie only

Anthony Hopkins made fava beans and a nice Chianti a delicacy of psychotics when he delivered this famous line in the movie. However, the book says Lecter ate his liver with some fava beans and a big Amarone.

3. Clarice follows the Hester Mofet lead that Lecter gives her to Your Self Storage in Baltimore.

Answer: Movie only

In the book, the lead Lecter gives her is to find Benjamin Raspail's car, which she does find at Split City Mini Storage. Hester Mofet is an anagram for "The Rest Of Me", introduced in the movie as one of Lecter's favorite toying methods.

4. The head Clarice finds in Raspail's car belongs to Klaus, a former patient of Lecter's.

Answer: Neither

In the book, the head belongs to Klaus, who was Benjamin Raspail's lover but never a patient of Lecter's. The movie says the head belongs to Benjamin Raspail, who was a client of Lecter's and murdered by Jame Gumb. However, the 2002 big screen of Thomas Harris' novel "Red Dragon" reverts to the story in the book, that Benjamin Raspail was murdered by Lecter.

5. In their second meeting, in order to prove that he knows what he's talking about, Lecter tells Clarice that Buffalo Bill lives in a two story house.

Answer: Book only

This turns out to be true, although Crawford shrugs it off as pure deduction given case facts, not actual knowledge of the killer. Since the first victims were found with marks on their necks, it makes sense that they were hung from a second floor balcony.

6. Catherine Martin is abducted by Buffalo Bill while bringing home the groceries.

Answer: Movie only

The novel chronicled the events as occurring while Catherine had been on a date at her boyfriend's place. She had just gone to her place to see if her mother had called and to pick up some popcorn when she got involved helping Jame Gumb (a.k.a. Buffalo Bill) move a chair into his truck.

7. The Buffalo Bill victim found in West Virginia was identified as Kimberly Jane Emberg.

Answer: Book only

Kimberly Jane Emberg was only identified in the book. In both versions, she was found floating in the Elk River in West Virginia and taken to a funeral parlor, where Clarice discovered the cocoon in her throat.

8. Clarice is asked about her worst childhood memory by Hannibal Lecter just before she gives him the phony Senator Martin offer.

Answer: Book only

In the book, Clarice makes a trip to Lecter's cell to ask him point blank for the first time about Buffalo Bill. In the course of this session, Lecter offers to trade information about Buffalo Bill for information about her. After she leaves, Crawford sends her the phony offer, and she goes back to Lecter. The movie combined these two scenes into one.

9. After her father died, Clarice and her mother went to live with her mother's cousin and his wife on a horse and sheep ranch in Montana.

Answer: Neither

In the book, Clarice's mother tried to support her by working as a maid, but couldn't and sent her away. In the movie, Clarice mentioned that her mother had died when she was very young.

10. Lecter fashioned his homemade handcuff key out of a pen Chilton left in his cell.

Answer: Movie only

The movie has Chilton leaving the pen when he's mocking Lecter about being scammed by the FBI. In the book, Lecter made the key over time out of a pen left by a psychiatric researcher, and a paper clip accidentally left on some documents by an orderly.

11. Lecter tells Senator Martin that Buffalo Bill's real name is Billy Rubin.

Answer: Book only

In the movie, Lecter told the senator that his name was Louis Friend, an anagram for iron sulfide. In the book, he told her the name was Billy Rubin. Later, a piece of paper was found in Lecter's ex-toilet that revealed bilirubin as the chief coloring agent in feces.

12. In Tennessee, Clarice gives Lecter's drawings back to him.

Answer: Movie only

In the book, Clarice does bring his drawings, but never ends up giving them to him. This is good for her later, as it proves she didn't give him something in the package.

13. Lecter cites Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor, when he talks about first principles and simplicity.

Answer: Both

The first principles Lecter wants Clarice to look for are what need he serves by killing, by skinning. In this case, it is covetousness. He sees something he wants, he takes it.

14. When she ran away from the rancher in Montana, Clarice took with her one horse and one lamb.

Answer: Neither

In the movie, Clarice took one lamb and ran away. The lamb was later killed. The book describes her taking a blind horse and leading it away from the ranch to a dude ranch. The horse was kept by the dude ranch, and had just died the previous year.

15. During his attack on his two police guards, Lecter uses a can of mace to spray Sergeant Pembry in the face.

Answer: Movie only

In the book, the mace is used on Boyle.

16. When the cops find who they think is Lecter on top of the elevator, they shoot the wall beside him to try and startle him.

Answer: Neither

In the movie, they actually shoot what is the body of Pembry in the leg. In the book, they drop a stun grenade on him.

17. Catherine Martin uses a bucket baited with a chicken bone to try and trap Jame Gumb's dog.

Answer: Both

The ruse is very creative, but fails in its initial testing. Catherine Martin does eventually get the dog, but whether it fell in or she managed to trap it is never revealed in either version.

18. While investigating in Belvedere, OH, Clarice finds provocative pictures of Fredrica Bimmel in her jewelry box.

Answer: Movie only

The book used this incident with Catherine Martin, not Frederica. Starling had just found the pictures when the senator walked in.

19. When the FBI gets the name of Jame Gumb as a suspect, they head for his given address, in Calumet City, Illinois.

Answer: Both

This is a false lead, however. We find out later that Jame Gumb is actually in Belvedere, Ohio... with Clarice.

20. The last contact Lecter has with Clarice in "The Silence Of The Lambs" is by mail.

Answer: Book only

The movie has Lecter call Clarice immediately following her graduation, and inform her that he isn't planning on coming after her. In the book, he writes a letter saying basically the same thing. He also wrote to Chilton, in the witness protection program, mentioning he would be visiting soon, and that after the visit, the hospital might want to tattoo feeding instructions on his forehead to save on paperwork.

Source: Author asutbone

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

In this quiz, an event will be described from either the 1988 novel by Thomas Harris, or the 1991 film directed by Jonathan Demme, or both, or neither. Your job is to figure out which event matches with which version. Good luck.

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