And Then There Were None

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the significance of the novel’s setting?

A) Islands represent escapism.

B) It is a dark and rainy place.

C) The water around it is tumultuous.

D) The mansion symbolizes a rich man’s game.

2. What do each of the characters have in the novel that points to the validity behind the accusation of their crimes?

A) Fear

B) Justifications

C) Motive

D) Guilt

3. Which of the following serves as an excuse for some characters to justify their murders?

A) They feel as though all people must die sometime.

B) They think the people who died owed them something.

C) They characterize themselves as victims.

D) They feel the people they killed were of lesser value.

4. Which of the following is a manifestation of guilt in the novel?

A) Dreams

B) Alcohol use

C) Hiding

D) Squabbles

5. What is foreshadowed at the beginning of the novel by the sleeping man’s statement that “the day of judgment is at hand”?

A) The death of the characters.

B) The judge’s impending punishment.

C) The betrayal of Mr. Owens.

D) The deserved paranoia of the characters.

6. What misconceptions exist in the novel regarding gender?

A) Women do not commit violent crimes.

B) Women should be protected.

C) Men are more likely than women to commit violent crimes.

D) Men do not have the mental capacity to solve murders.

7. What is ironic about the characters’ claims that they could not be the murderer?

A) None of the characters are capable of murder.

B) One of the characters must be the murderer on the island.

C) All the “killings” turned out to be death by by suicide or accident.

D) Each of them is on the island for a committed murder of some kind.

8. What is the function of paranoia among the characters in the novel?

A) It serves as motivation to discover Mr. Owen.

B) It creates suspicion and confusion as to who Mr. Owen is.

C) It causes the characters to work together.

D) It isolates the victims of Mr. Owens.

9. Why does Mr. Owens use sensory details to unhinge his victims?

A) It keeps the characters from thinking about their surroundings.

B) It causes the characters in the novel to blame one another.

C) It creates a distraction from his ruse and serves as a punishment for guilt.

D) It increases the mistrust of Mr. Owens.

10. Vera is often underestimated in the novel because she is a woman, but what are the qualities she possesses that make her a valuable character in the novel?

A) Intelligence

B) Level-headedness

C) Wittiness

D) Investigative expertise

11. Which of the following is an example of a red herring in the novel?

A) Dr. Armstrong’s death

B) Vera’s theft of Lombard’s gun

C) Justice Wargrave’s death

D) Vera’s suggestion to Cyril

12. Other than committing the murders, how does Justice Wargrave’s character play an important role in the story?

A) He assists the characters in drawing important conclusions about his game.

B) He taunts the characters by placing items to remind them of their crimes.

C) He creates alliances so the characters suspect all but him.

D) He fabricates stories to inspire mistrust.

13. What is the role of stereotypes in the novel?

A) They cause the characters to underestimate the true nature of others.

B) They keep valuable information from surfacing by isolating some characters.

C) They cause the killer to be identified based on psychotic characteristics.

D) They create division in the group, pitting the characters against one another.

14. What is the best reason the reader may conclude Lombard is the murderer before reading the manuscript?

A) He is present when all the characters die.

B) Vera and Lombard are the only characters still alive.

C) Lombard sneers at Vera and has wolf-like features.

D) Lombard is the only character with a gun.

15. What is the role of the swan song in the novel?

A) It represents a final choice.

B) It signifies the characters’ end.

C) It marks the end of a career.

D) It is the last journey.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Why do you think Christie included a variety of people from various professions in her novel? How do they add to the narrative?

2. How do the justifications of the characters signify guilt in the novel?