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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who becomes an immediate suspect due to his/her strange behavior?

2. Where did Caroline walk?

3. What was the unusual stranger there for?

4. Even though Ralph always wanted money, who sticks up for him and says he is happy that Poirot is acting on Ralph's behalf?

5. Who is Miss Russell to Mr. Ackroyd?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter One, how does James feel about Caroline's theory regarding Mrs. Ferrars' death?

2. What important clue is found by Poirot in the pond, and what initial was inscribed on it?

3. What did Mr. Ackroyd say to James, in Chapter Two, that James knew to be untrue and why did James know that?

4. Describe what Mr. Ackroyd confides to James, in Chapter Four.

5. Describe examples of some of the interesting information that Mr. Poirot supplies to James about Mr. Ackroyd and Ralph.

6. Describe clues that everyone tells the police and that the police themselves find, after Mr. Ackroyd's body is discovered, in Chapter Five.

7. Why do James and Poirot disagree about the evidence against Ralph and whether or not Ralph is the killer?

8. Describe the relationship between Miss Russell, Mr. Ackroyd, and Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd.

9. What remark does Mrs. Ackroyd make during the meeting, in Chapter Twelve, and what is Flora's response?

10. All evidence is beginning to point to Ralph as the possible blackmailer, including what?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what ways is Ralph made to look guilty throughout the book in the eyes of most of the characters? Why is Poirot not convinced? Cite examples to support both opinions.

Essay Topic 2

Agatha Christie uses foreshadowing throughout the story. Describe how and when Ralph's possible marriage to Ursula was foreshadowed.

Essay Topic 3

What role does Mrs. Ferrars' suicide play in both the reason for Mr. Ackroyd's murder and the way in which Poirot solved the murder? Be sure to use both evidence gained by Mrs. Ferrars' suicide and the motivations of the killer, James, in your answer.

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