Mystery History Worksheet

This quiz goes with the article on the History of Mystery

Part I: Choose the best answer for the following questions.

 

1.      Which of the following is credited with creating the prototype of the mystery story?

a.       Wilkie Collins

b.      Charles Dickens

c.       Agatha Christie

d.      E.A. Poe

 

2.      The first mystery story written by a woman was called:

a.       The Unknown Public

b.      The Leavenworth Case

c.       The Mystery of Marie Roget

d.      The Woman in White

 

3.      Agatha Christie wrote more than ______ mystery novels :

a.       60

b.      70

c.       80

d.      100

 

4.      The Golden Age of the mystery story was in the ________.

a.       1800s

b.      1920s

c.       1950

d.      1990

 

5.      Which of the following not given as a reason the mystery novel became popular.

a.       The printing press made books more available

b.      People had more leisure time

c.       More people were getting better educated

d.      People wanted to read books that reflected their changing place in society

 

6.      Which of the following authors was not British?

a.       Edgar Allan Poe

b.      Agatha Christie

c.       A.Conan Doyle

d.      Wilkie Collins

 

7.      The American detective mystery reached its high point in the _______.

a.       20s and 30s

b.      30s and 40s

c.       40s and 50s

d.      Hasn’t peak yet!

8.      The first “heavy focus on blood and guts” in mystery stories was by:

a.       Ellery Queen

b.      Earl Derr Bigger

c.       Mike Hammer

d.      Mickey Spillane

 

9.      The article suggests that:

a.       mystery stories are still going on as strong and popular as ever

b.      the genre of the mystery novel suits an adult audience only

c.       the mystery story has its greatest popularity in American literature

d.      the mystery story has its greatest popularity in British literature

 

10.  Mysteries have been a popular format for which of the following media?  Circle all that apply.

a.       TV

b.      Movies

c.       Radio

d.      Books

e.       Magazines

 

 

Part II:  Match the detective with his author

 

Character

Author

_____Mike Hammer

a.   Adam Daliesh

_____Auguste C. Dupin

b.   Erle Stanley Gardner

_____Richard Queen

c.   Arthur Conan Doyle

_____Sam Spade

d.   Agatha Christie

_____Philip Marlowe

e.   E.A. Poe

_____Charlie Chan

f.    Dashiell Hammett

_____Sherlock Holmes

g.   Earl Derr Bigger

_____Perry Mason

h.   Mickey Spillane

_____Herclue Poirot

i.    Raymond Handler

_____P.D. James

j.   Manfried B. Lee and Frederic Dannay

 

Part II:  Match the writer with the type of detective he/she created

 

Type

Character

_____early eccentric personality

a.  Perry Mason

_____mystery-solving spinster

b.  Sherlock Holmes

_____courtroom lawyer

c.  Nancy Drew

_____blood and guts detective

d.  Charlie Chan

_____young detective

e.  Sergeant Joe Friday

_____police detective

f.  The Shadow

_____popular on radio

g.  Miss Marple

_____brilliant deduction

h.  Mike Hammer