Name____________________
Period_______
Mystery History Worksheet
Read the articles on the History of Mystery at
http://kids.mysterynet.com/history-kids/ and
http://www.mysterynet.com/timeline/timeline.shtml and complete the
following worksheet.
Part I: Choose the best answer for the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
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
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
Agatha Christie wrote more than ______ mystery novels :
a.
60
b.
70
c.
80
d.
100
4.
5.
The Golden Age of the mystery story was in the ________.
a.
1800s
b.
1920s
c.
1950
d.
1990
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.
6.
7.
8.
People wanted to read books that reflected their changing place in
society
Which of the following authors was not British?
a.
Edgar Allan Poe
b.
Agatha Christie
c.
A.Conan Doyle
d.
Wilkie Collins
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!
The first “heavy focus on blood and guts” in mystery stories was by:
9.
a.
Ellery Queen
b.
Earl Derr Bigger
c.
Mike Hammer
d.
Mickey Spillane
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.
_____Sherlock Holmes
g. Earl Derr Bigger
_____Perry Mason
h. Mickey Spillane
_____Herclue Poirot
i.
_____P.D. James
j. Manfried B. Lee and Frederic Dannay
Dashiell Hammett
Raymond Handler
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