Towards Zero (1944) Match Quiz | Christie, Agatha

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A policeman at Scotland Yard and one of Agatha Christie's less well-known sleuths; he is an acquaintance of Hercule Poirot.

Answer: Superintendent Battle

Superintendent Battle becomes involved in the murder of Lady Tressilian while visiting his nephew, Inspector James Leach. Although Hercule Poirot does not actually appear in this novel, Superintendent Battle mentions him a few times. His knowledge of Poirot's love of symmetry helps him to discover the murder weapon.

Superintendent Battle is referenced, or appears in, five Agatha Christie novels -- "The Secret of Chimneys", "The Seven Dials Mystery", "Cards on the Table", and "Murder is Easy", as well as "Towards Zero".

2. A lawyer and old friend of the Tressilian family; he dies of a heart attack after climbing the stairs at his hotel.

Answer: Mr Treves

The character of Mr Treves is responsible for the title of this novel. He loved detective stories but felt that they began in the wrong place. "They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that - years before, sometimes - with all the causes and events that bring certain people to a certain place at a certain time on a certain day...all converging towards a given spot ...all of them converging towards zero ..."

3. An elderly widow who is found murdered in her bed, her skull crushed by a blow with a blunt instrument, initially thought to be a golf club.

Answer: Lady Camilla Tressilian

Lady Camilla Tressilian was the owner of Gull's Point, the house where her murder took place. At first the police believed the motive for Lady Tressilian's murder was monetary. Eventually, however, Superintendent Battle realised her murder was incidental to the killer's main objective and the motivation was revenge, not money.

4. A prominent sporting celebrity, particularly well-known for playing tennis at Wimbledon; he is eager for his ex-wife and his current wife to be friends.

Answer: Nevile Strange

Nevile Strange is described as an all-round sportsman, accomplished at tennis, golf, swimming, and climbing. "If a man could have been selected from amongst other Englishmen as an example of a lucky man with nothing to wish for, a Selection Committee might have chosen Nevile Strange...he was thirty-three, had magnificent health, good looks, plenty of money, an extremely beautiful wife whom he had recently married and, to all appearances, no cares or worries." However, Superintendent Battle considers him a "Bluebeard".

5. First and ex-wife of Nevile Strange; for a while, she becomes the prime suspect due to an abundance of evidence against her.

Answer: Audrey Strange

Audrey is described as "well-bred, cool, and colourless". She was married for eight years to Nevile Strange. Nevile is eager for his ex-wife Audrey and current wife Kay to be friends. Camilla likens him to King Henry VIII, telling Mary that "Henry was always trying to get Catherine to agree that the divorce was the right thing. Nevile knows that he has behaved badly - he wants to feel comfortable about it all. So he has been trying to bully Audrey into saying everything is all right and that she'll come and meet Kay and that she doesn't mind at all."

6. Second and current wife of Nevile Strange; a stunningly beautiful woman but with brains and a "devil of a temper".

Answer: Kay Strange

Kay Strange is Nevile's current wife. She is not at all happy that she and Nevile will be visiting Camilla at the same time as Audrey. Kay is described as "unusually beautiful" with a "slender but subtly voluptuous figure, dark red hair, such a perfect skin that she used only the slightest make-up to enhance it, and those dark eyes and brows which so seldom go with red hair and which are so devastating when they do". Superintendent Battle's summation of Kay was "Red-headed girl's a tartar - devil of a temper. Brains as well as temper, though".

7. A distant cousin of Camilla's who has been her paid companion for fourteen years.

Answer: Mary Aldin

Mary Aldin is a distant cousin of Lady Camilla Tressilian. She has worked as Camilla's paid companion for 14 years. Superintendent Battle considers her a suspect because Camilla's death meant that Mary would gain an income that would free her from having to earn her living.

8. An old friend of Kay's who appears to follow her around: he is likened to a faithful dog (or faithful lizard) and is obviously in love with Kay.

Answer: Edward (Ted) Latimer

Ted Latimer is a long-time friend of Kay's. He is 25 and extremely good-looking with "lithe South American charm". There is some speculation by other characters as to what Ted actually does to earn a living. Nevile appears to be very tolerant to Ted following them around wherever they go.

He tells Kay that he is not jealous and that she can have her "tame adorers" because "I'm the man in possession, and possession is nine points of the law."

9. A cousin of Audrey's, described as silent and taciturn; he had been in love with Audrey since childhood.

Answer: Thomas Royde

Thomas and his brother Adrian Royde are cousins of Audrey Strange. Audrey was going to leave Nevile for Adrian but Adrian was killed in a car accident before this eventuated. Thomas too is in love with Audrey. He travels from Malaya to England with the intention of asking Audrey to marry him.

10. A man unconnected with the Strange and Tressilian families; he becomes involved after attempting to commit suicide from the cliff near Lady Tressilian's house.

Answer: Angus MacWhirter

Angus MacWhirter attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself off the cliff near Gull's Point, the Tressilian house. He survives and months later revisits the scene, where he prevents Audrey Strange from throwing herself off the same cliff. Angus does some investigating of his own and provides Superintendent Battle with his statement, which enables Battle to solve the crime and apprehend the real killer.

Source: Author MotherGoose

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Towards Zero (1944) Trivia Quiz

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

Questions		Choices
1. A policeman at Scotland Yard and one of Agatha Christie's less well-known sleuths; he is an acquaintance of Hercule Poirot.		Thomas Royde
2. A lawyer and old friend of the Tressilian family; he dies of a heart attack after climbing the stairs at his hotel.		Mr Treves
3. An elderly widow who is found murdered in her bed, her skull crushed by a blow with a blunt instrument, initially thought to be a golf club.		Nevile Strange
4. A prominent sporting celebrity, particularly well-known for playing tennis at Wimbledon; he is eager for his ex-wife and his current wife to be friends.		Audrey Strange
5. First and ex-wife of Nevile Strange; for a while, she becomes the prime suspect due to an abundance of evidence against her.		Lady Camilla Tressilian
6. Second and current wife of Nevile Strange; a stunningly beautiful woman but with brains and a "devil of a temper".		Kay Strange
7. A distant cousin of Camilla's who has been her paid companion for fourteen years.		Mary Aldin
8. An old friend of Kay's who appears to follow her around: he is likened to a faithful dog (or faithful lizard) and is obviously in love with Kay.		Superintendent Battle
9. A cousin of Audrey's, described as silent and taciturn; he had been in love with Audrey since childhood.		Edward (Ted) Latimer
10. A man unconnected with the Strange and Tressilian families; he becomes involved after attempting to commit suicide from the cliff near Lady Tressilian's house.		Angus MacWhirter