Murder on the Orient Express

When the story begins, what had Hercule Poirot just finished doing?

• He solved a case that helped save the honor of the French army.

• He finished helping his family pack up their things to move to a new place.

• He completed a large project that had required him to travel to China in order to present it.

M. Poirot begins to check in to a hotel in order to take a little vacation, but his plans for relaxation are interrupted. How?

• He receives a telegram, urging him to return to London.

• He happens upon a disturbing scene that unsettles him greatly.

• He is called to the telephone. The man on the phone begs for his assistance.

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On the Orient Express, the reader is introduced to an American lady. Of what is she talking about incessantly?

• She is always talking about how things are in America.

• She is always talking about her vacation and showing photographs to anyone who will sit next to her.

• She is always talking about her daughter.

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During his first night on the Orient Express, M. Poirot is awakened. What caused him to stir from his slumber?

• He thought he heard the train come to a halt.

• He dreamed the conductor was outside his compartment, knocking on the door.

• He believed he heard a loud gun.

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Aside from the fact that a murder has taken place on the train, what else adds to the seriousness of the occasion?

• The train has stopped because it ran over something - no one knows what was hit.

• The train is halted and it will be quite some time before the police can get to them.

• There are a number of ladies claiming they are missing jewelry. The murderer is also a thief.

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Based on no evidence whatsoever, how did MacQueen feel about his employer, Ratchett?

• He felt safe when he was travelling with him.

• He was convinced that Ratchett was a cruel and dangerous man.

• He was certain that he recognized Ratchett from somewhere, but even up close, he could never make the connection.

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The wounds that were inflicted on the murder victim's body are quiet puzzling. Which of the following ideas do not relate to the wounds described in the story?

• The wounds in the story appear to have been inflicted by someone using both the right and the left hand.

• There are some wounds that do not gape. That leads the doctor to explain that those wounds were made after the man was already dead.

• All of the wounds are suspiciously close to the heart.

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It is discovered very quickly why Ratchett/Cassetti wanted to flee American soil. What had he done in America?

• He had murdered one of his brothers.

• He was wanted for kidnapping, extortion, and murder.

• He was wanted for tax fraud.

How are MacQueen and Colonel Artbuthnot able to create alibis for each other?

• They were up until at least two a.m., speaking with one another about politics.

• They are lifelong friends. They swear that neither of them are capable of committing a murder.

• They appeal to the conductor, and he says that neither of these men ever left their compartment during the whole evening.

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On the night that his employer was murdered, why was Masterman, the valet, unable to sleep well?

• He had a toothache.

• He suffered from indigestion.

• He had a dream that something bad was going to happen.