The Ultimate Sherlock Holmes Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
The Ultimate Sherlock Holmes Quiz
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About This Quiz

Think you’re the ultimate Sherlock Holmes fan? Take our quiz on the life and legends of the great detective himself to find out!
What street do Holmes and Watson live on?
Regency Street
Baker Street
High Street
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Holmes and Watson reside at 221B Baker Street in London. You can find the Sherlock Holmes Museum at this spot today.

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What is Watson's official job (other than crime-solving, that is)?
lawyer
clerk
doctor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dr. John Watson has his own successful medical practice, but he doesn't let that stop him from fighting crime with Holmes.

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What is the name of Holmes' landlord?
Mrs. Hudley
Mrs. Swanson
Mrs. Hudson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mrs. Hudson lives on the first floor of 221 Baker St and serves as landlord to Holmes and Watson.

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Watson narrates every Sherlock Holmes story.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While Watson narrates most Holmes tales, a few are narrated by others. Two are narrated by Holmes himself.

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How many Sherlock Holmes stories did Arthur Conan Doyle write if you include both novels and short stories?
40
60
80
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The famous detective stars in 56 short stories and four full-length novels.

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When was the first Sherlock Holmes story written?
1866
1876
1886
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Arthur Conan Doyle penned his first Holmes novel, "A Study in Scarlet," in 1886.

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Which of the following is not one of the four full-length novels starring Holmes?
"The Five Orange Pips"
"A Study in Scarlet"
"The Hound of the Baskervilles"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Five Orange Pips" is a short starring Holmes as he investigates the KKK.

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What is the name of Holmes' older brother?
Myron
Mycroft
Mylon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mycroft is seven years older than Holmes, and just as clever, but is too lazy and out of shape to keep up with his brother's exploits.

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What is the name of Sherlock Holmes' arch enemy?
Arthur Conan Doyle
Professor Moriarty
Dr. Watson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Despite the large part he plays in Sherlock Holmes lore, criminal mastermind Moriarty appeared directly in only two Holmes stories.

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Who are the Baker Street Irregulars?
police officers
shopkeepers
street urchins
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Holmes enlists a group of street urchins known as the Baker Street Irregulars to transport messages and spy on clients and suspects.

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Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first Holmes novel in just three weeks.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Doyle wrote "A Study in Scarlet" in just three weeks in 1886 and published the book the next year.

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Which of these sports is Sherlock Holmes most likely to practice?
baseball
boxing
rowing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Like Arthur Conan Doyle himself, Sherlock Holmes was an avid boxer.

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What word is written at the murder scene in "A Study in Scarlet?"
sterben
rache
leben
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word rache — German for "revenge" — is written above the body of Enoch Drebber.

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What is the speckled band?
a piece of jewelry
a coin
a snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The speckled band in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," is actually a poisonous snake used as a murder weapon.

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Sherlock Holmes casually injects cocaine in the first Holmes novel.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Holmes injects cocaine to relax in "A Study in Scarlet." The drug was legal in England at the time the book was written.

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Where does Holmes store his tobacco.
in his sock
in a cigar box
under his hat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pipe-aficionado Sherlock Holmes keeps his tobacco in a Persian slipper — a type of sock.

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What book introduces readers to Mary Morstan?
"The Hound of the Baskervilles"
"The Sign of the Four"
"The Valley of Fear"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Readers meet Mary Morstan — who later marries Dr. Watson — in "The Sign of the Four."

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What makes the dog glow in "The Hound of the Baskervilles?"
trick lighting
phosphorous
evil spirits
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The mighty hound in the novel has been painted with phosphorous so it appears to glow.

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Who is the killer in "The Hound of the Baskervilles?"
Stapleton
Henry
Moriarty
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stapleton — long-lost son of Rodger Baskerville — is willing to commit murder to get his hands on the Baskerville fortune.

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Holmes never utters the phrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of Doyle's books or stories.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While Holmes never uses this phrase in the books, this phrase is used in a 1929 film, which may be the source of its popularity.

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What is used as the murder weapon in "The Valley of Fear?"
shotgun
knife
poison
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In this full-length novel, Douglas of Birlstone is killed with a sawed-off shotgun.

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What is Silver Blaze?
metallic poison
horse
regal manor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Silver Blaze is a horse who stars in "The Adventure of Silver Blaze."

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In what story is Holmes seemingly killed of?
"The Sign of the Four"
"The Empty House"
"The Final Problem"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Holmes appears to die in "The Final Problem" when facing off with Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls.

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In what story does a very much alive Holmes reappear?
"The Empty House"
"The Valley of Fear"
"A Case of Identity"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bowing in to tremendous pressure from fans, Doyle brings Holmes back in "The Empty House."

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What is the period between "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House" known as?
The Missing Years
The Lost Weekend
The Great Hiatus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During his "Great Hiatus," Holmes spent two years in Tibet and another year traveling and working in Europe before returning to London.

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What does Holmes pursue after retiring?
chess
painting
beekeeping
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At age 49, Holmes retires to Sussex Downs and takes up beekeeping.

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When was the very first Sherlock Holmes movie made?
1900
1920
1940
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A 30-second movie — made in 1900 — called "Sherlock Holmes Baffled" marks the first on-screen appearance of the detective.

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Who were the four in "The Sign of the Four?"
business leaders
convicts
pirates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The four in this Holmes title refers to a group of convicts who plot to recover a hidden treasure.

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How many times did actor William Gillette portray Holmes on stage in the early 20th century?
100
500
1,000 plus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gillette not only starred as Holmes more than 1,000 times on stage, but he also acted in a 1916 silent movie about the great detective.

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Who plays Holmes in the BBC TV series, which premiered in 2010?
Mark Gatiss
Andrew Scott
Benedict Cumberbatch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cumberbatch plays Holmes, while Martin Freeman stars as Watson in the BBC series "Sherlock."

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You Got:
/30
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