The Baker Street Chronicles Quiz

100 questions · by Qwiz Rush

The Baker Street Chronicles Quiz is a free 100-question multiple choice, letters and numbers quiz on Qwiz Rush, made by Qwiz Rush, split into 10 rounds. Test your knowledge of Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective and his loyal biographer across the original Canon and beyond.

Host it live for friends, family, a class or a quiz night: everyone joins with a game code on their own device, no app needed. Or play it solo with Free Play and see how many you get right.

Every question runs on a 10-second countdown and the fastest correct answers score the most. All the questions and their choices are listed below so you can see what the quiz covers; the answers are revealed in the game. Want to change something? Make your own copy and edit it in your library.

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The 100 questions

  1. In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", what is the deadly "speckled band" that kills Julia Stoner?

    • A swamp adder
    • A band of Romani travelers
    • A poisoned lace collar
    • A rare cheetah

  2. Which of Holmes's cases is chronologically his very first, taking place during his university days?

    • The Gloria Scott
    • The Musgrave Ritual
    • A Study in Scarlet
    • The Resident Patient

  3. In "A Scandal in Bohemia", what keepsake does Irene Adler leave behind for Sherlock Holmes along with her farewell letter?

    • A photograph of herself
    • A golden sovereign
    • A diamond ring
    • A monogrammed handkerchief

  4. What is the name of the Scotland Yard inspector who most frequently consults Holmes and is described as "tenacious as a bulldog"?

    • Inspector Lestrade
    • Inspector Gregson
    • Inspector Stanley Hopkins
    • Inspector Athelney Jones

  5. In "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", where is the stolen gemstone ultimately discovered?

    • Inside the crop of a goose
    • Inside a plaster bust of Napoleon
    • In a hotel safe
    • Under a loose floorboard in Baker Street

  6. Which of the four classic Sherlock Holmes novels features the legend of a phantom hound and a family curse on the Devonshire moors?

    • The Hound of the Baskervilles
    • A Study in Scarlet
    • The Sign of Four
    • The Valley of Fear

  7. In what year was the first Sherlock Holmes novel, "A Study in Scarlet", published in Beeton's Christmas Annual?

    Answer with a number.

  8. How many full-length novels featuring Sherlock Holmes did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle write?

    Answer with a number.

  9. What is the first name of Sherlock's highly intelligent older brother who works for the British government?

    Answer with a letter.

  10. What is the name of the Swiss waterfall where Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty famously fought to their apparent deaths?

    Answer with a letter.

  11. Who was the long-suffering landlady of 221B Baker Street who prepared meals and tolerated Holmes's eccentric habits?

    • Mrs. Hudson
    • Mrs. Turner
    • Mrs. Bernstein
    • Mrs. Higgins

  12. Which musical instrument did Sherlock Holmes frequently play in the sitting room of 221B Baker Street to soothe his nerves?

    • Violin
    • Flute
    • Piano
    • Cello

  13. According to the story 'A Scandal in Bohemia', how many steps lead up from the hall to the first-floor sitting room at 221B Baker Street?

    Answer with a number.

  14. Where did Sherlock Holmes keep his cigar-brand tobacco inside the sitting room at Baker Street?

    • In the toe of a Persian slipper
    • In a coal scuttle
    • In a hollowed-out book
    • In a silver snuff box

  15. What is the surname of the Scotland Yard inspector who frequently visited 221B Baker Street to consult Holmes on difficult cases?

    Answer with a letter.

  16. What is the name of the group of street urchins employed by Sherlock Holmes to gather intelligence around London?

    • The Baker Street Irregulars
    • The London Scouts
    • The Thames Mudlarks
    • The Covent Garden Runners

  17. In what year did Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson first meet and agree to share rooms at 221B Baker Street?

    Answer with a number.

  18. How did Sherlock Holmes pin his unanswered correspondence to the wooden mantelpiece in his study?

    • With a jack-knife
    • With a brass tack
    • With a wax seal
    • With a steel needle

  19. What is the surname of the medical doctor and army veteran who shared rooms with Holmes and chronicled their adventures?

    Answer with a letter.

  20. In 'The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual', what patriotic monogram did Holmes shoot into the wall of 221B Baker Street with his revolver?

    • VR
    • ER
    • GR
    • AR

  21. In which battle of the Second Anglo-Afghan War was Dr. John Watson wounded by a Jezail bullet, leading to his retirement from the military?

    • Battle of Maiwand
    • Battle of Ali Masjid
    • Battle of Charasiab
    • Battle of Kandahar

  22. Which character from "The Sign of the Four" does Dr. Watson court and eventually marry?

    • Mary Morstan
    • Irene Adler
    • Violet Hunter
    • Beryl Stapleton

  23. From which institution did Dr. John Watson receive his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1878?

    • University of London
    • University of Edinburgh
    • Oxford University
    • Cambridge University

  24. Who is the mutual acquaintance who first introduces Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes at St. Bartholomew's Hospital?

    • Stamford
    • Lestrade
    • Mycroft
    • Gregson

  25. What type of service firearm does Dr. Watson frequently carry and use to assist Holmes during their investigations?

    • Webley revolver
    • Colt Derringer
    • Winchester rifle
    • Mauser pistol

  26. In which publication were the vast majority of Dr. Watson's Sherlock Holmes memoirs originally serialized in the United Kingdom?

    • The Strand Magazine
    • Blackwood's Magazine
    • Chambers's Journal
    • The Saturday Evening Post

  27. In what year was "A Study in Scarlet", the very first story narrated by Dr. Watson, published in Beeton's Christmas Annual?

    Answer with a number.

  28. How many canonical, full-length Sherlock Holmes novels did Arthur Conan Doyle write?

    Answer with a number.

  29. What is the name of the troopship on which Dr. Watson traveled back to England after being invalided out of the army?

    Answer with a letter.

  30. What is the surname of the landlady of 221B Baker Street, who frequently accommodates Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes?

    Answer with a letter.

  31. In which Sherlock Holmes short story is Professor James Moriarty first introduced to the reader?

    • The Final Problem
    • The Empty House
    • A Study in Scarlet
    • The Valley of Fear

  32. What specialized weapon does Colonel Sebastian Moran, Moriarty's chief lieutenant, use to commit his silent murders?

    • An air gun
    • A poisoned dart blowpipe
    • A pocket revolver
    • A weighted cane

  33. Although not strictly a villain, Irene Adler famously outwits Holmes and is always referred to by him as 'the woman' in which short story?

    • A Scandal in Bohemia
    • The Blue Carbuncle
    • The Red-Headed League
    • The Copper Beeches

  34. What is the primary criminal occupation of Charles Augustus Milverton, whom Holmes describes as the 'worst man in London'?

    • Blackmailer
    • Counterfeiter
    • Smuggler
    • Assassin

  35. What is the name of the villainous stepfather who attempts to murder his stepdaughters with a swamp adder in 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band'?

    • Dr. Grimesby Roylott
    • Dr. John Clay
    • Dr. Leon Sterndale
    • Dr. Leslie Armstrong

  36. What is the real birth surname of the naturalist Jack Stapleton, the mastermind behind the terror in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'?

    • Baskerville
    • Mortimer
    • Frankland
    • Barrymore

  37. In what year was 'The Adventure of the Final Problem', which featured the dramatic confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls, first published in The Strand Magazine?

    Answer with a number.

  38. How many years did Sherlock Holmes spend traveling the world and pretending to be dead during the 'Great Hiatus' after defeating Professor Moriarty?

    Answer with a number.

  39. Name the brilliant criminal mastermind whom Sherlock Holmes famously dubs the 'Napoleon of Crime'.

    Answer with a letter.

  40. What is the last name of the notorious bank robber who disguised himself as the assistant Vincent Spaulding in order to dig a tunnel in 'The Red-Headed League'?

    Answer with a letter.

  41. Which chemical reagent is commonly used by forensic scientists to detect trace amounts of blood at a crime scene by emitting a blue glow through chemiluminescence?

    • Ninhydrin
    • Fluorescein
    • Luminol
    • Silver nitrate

  42. In Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet", what specific German word meaning "revenge" is found written in blood on the wall of the crime scene?

    • Achtung
    • Rache
    • Vergeltung
    • Schadenfreude

  43. In what year did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle publish the very first Sherlock Holmes novel, "A Study in Scarlet"?

    Answer with a number.

  44. Often called the "Inheritance Powder" due to its frequent use in historical poisonings, which chemical element was famously detected using the Marsh test developed in 1836?

    • Cyanide
    • Thallium
    • Arsenic
    • Strychnine

  45. What term is used for the scientific study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation, often used to estimate the post-mortem interval?

    Answer with a letter.

  46. What name is given to the spiral grooves cut into the bore of a firearm's barrel to impart spin and stabilize a bullet for accuracy?

    • Rifling
    • Caliber
    • Striation
    • Breech

  47. What is the famous house number on Baker Street where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson resided?

    Answer with a number.

  48. Who is widely considered the pioneer of criminal identification for developing anthropometry, a system of physical measurements used to identify criminals before fingerprinting?

    • Alphonse Bertillon
    • Francis Galton
    • Edmond Locard
    • Cesare Lombroso

  49. What is the surname of the French criminologist who formulated the basic principle of forensic science that "every contact leaves a trace"?

    Answer with a letter.

  50. What analytical chemistry technique is used to separate the individual pigments in a sample of ink to determine if two different pens were used on a document?

    • Chromatography
    • Spectroscopy
    • Electrophoresis
    • Mass spectrometry

  51. Which Victorian-era slum district, notorious for its extreme poverty and crime, was located in the East End and became the primary setting for the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888?

    • Whitechapel
    • Southwark
    • Belgravia
    • Mayfair

  52. Designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in the 1860s to rescue London from the 'Great Stink,' what major civil engineering project reclaimed land along the north bank of the River Thames?

    • The Victoria Embankment
    • The Tower Bridge Causeway
    • The Regent's Canal
    • The Blackwall Tunnel

  53. Which famous London railway terminus, opened in 1854 as the eastern headquarters of the Great Western Railway, was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

    • Paddington Station
    • King's Cross Station
    • Waterloo Station
    • Euston Station

  54. Located in the West End, what fashionable Victorian shopping arcade opened in 1819 and was patrolled by beadles in top hats to prevent rowdy behavior?

    • Burlington Arcade
    • Leadenhall Market
    • Covent Garden Piazza
    • Royal Exchange

  55. Which of London's 'Magnificent Seven' Victorian cemeteries is the final resting place of Karl Marx and features an imposing monument of his likeness?

    • Highgate Cemetery
    • Kensal Green Cemetery
    • Brompton Cemetery
    • Abney Park Cemetery

  56. What major thoroughfare, constructed in the late 1880s to connect Charing Cross with Tottenham Court Road, was named after a famous Victorian philanthropist and social reformer?

    • Shaftesbury Avenue
    • Regent Street
    • Piccadilly
    • Strand

  57. In what year did the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations take place in Hyde Park, housed inside the iconic Crystal Palace?

    Answer with a number.

  58. Construction on the iconic Tower Bridge, a symbol of late-Victorian London engineering, began in 1886. In what year was the bridge officially opened to the public?

    Answer with a number.

  59. What is the name of the historic central London district, known for its grand residential squares, where Sherlock Holmes's fictional residence of 221B Baker Street is located?

    Answer with a letter.

  60. Which major river, flowing directly through the heart of London, was famously declared biologically dead during the Great Stink of 1858 due to untreated sewage?

    Answer with a letter.

  61. Which 1958 Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller, starring James Stewart, was the first film to use the dolly zoom effect to simulate acrophobia?

    • Psycho
    • Vertigo
    • Rear Window
    • North by Northwest

  62. Marlon Brando famously refused his Best Actor Oscar for *The Godfather* in 1973. Who did he send to reject the award on his behalf?

    • Sacheen Littlefeather
    • Jane Fonda
    • Rita Moreno
    • Esperanza Baur

  63. What is the name of the Charles Foster Kane estate in Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece *Citizen Kane*?

    • Rosebud
    • Elsinore
    • Xanadu
    • Manderley

  64. What is the name of the fictional African nation ruled by King T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

    • Wakanda
    • Latveria
    • Zamunda
    • Genosha

  65. In the classic 1942 film *Casablanca*, what is the name of the nightclub owned by Humphrey Bogart's character, Rick Blaine?

    • The Blue Parrot
    • The Sahara Club
    • Rick's Bistro
    • Rick's Café Américain

  66. For which 1953 romantic comedy did Audrey Hepburn win her sole competitive Academy Award for Best Actress?

    • Roman Holiday
    • Breakfast at Tiffany's
    • Sabrina
    • My Fair Lady

  67. In what year was the very first Academy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles?

    Answer with a number.

  68. How many Academy Awards did *The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King* win at the 76th Academy Awards, sweeping every category it was nominated for?

    Answer with a number.

  69. What is the surname of the legendary Japanese filmmaker who directed cinematic masterpieces such as *Seven Samurai* and *Rashomon*?

    Answer with a letter.

  70. What is the name of the fictional, green, long-eared Jedi Master who first appears in *The Empire Strikes Back* to train Luke Skywalker?

    Answer with a letter.

  71. Who is the designated leader of the Baker Street Irregulars in the original Sherlock Holmes stories?

    • Wiggins
    • Cartwright
    • Billy
    • Simpson

  72. In which Sherlock Holmes novel do the Baker Street Irregulars make their very first appearance?

    • A Study in Scarlet
    • The Sign of Four
    • The Hound of the Baskervilles
    • The Valley of Fear

  73. In what year was the first Sherlock Holmes story, 'A Study in Scarlet', published in Beeton's Christmas Annual?

    Answer with a number.

  74. Which young helper is employed by Holmes as a pageboy at 221B Baker Street, notably appearing in 'The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone'?

    • Billy
    • Wiggins
    • Cartwright
    • Toby

  75. What is the surname of the young helper who is sent to the moor by Holmes to secretly carry food and messages to him in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'?

    Answer with a letter.

  76. In 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle', what item does Holmes use to trace the owner of the goose, eventually leading him to the alpha inn?

    • A felt hat
    • A pocket watch
    • A walking stick
    • A silk handkerchief

  77. What is the house number of the famous Baker Street address shared by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson?

    Answer with a number.

  78. What is the name of the prestigious American literary society founded in 1934 by Christopher Morley, named after Holmes's street helpers?

    • The Baker Street Irregulars
    • The Sherlock Holmes Society
    • The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes
    • The Priory School Fellowship

  79. What is the name of the major London river that Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars search for the steam launch 'Aurora' in 'The Sign of Four'?

    Answer with a letter.

  80. Which of the following characters is the long-suffering landlady of the lodgings at 221B Baker Street?

    • Mrs. Hudson
    • Mrs. Turner
    • Mary Morstan
    • Irene Adler

  81. Which magazine first published the Sherlock Holmes short stories, starting with 'A Scandal in Bohemia' in 1891?

    • Blackwood's Magazine
    • The Strand Magazine
    • Pearson's Magazine
    • Chambers's Journal

  82. What was the title of the very first Sherlock Holmes novel, published in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887?

    • A Study in Scarlet
    • The Sign of Four
    • The Valley of Fear
    • The Hound of the Baskervilles

  83. Which of the following was the final Sherlock Holmes collection of short stories published during Arthur Conan Doyle's lifetime?

    • The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
    • The Return of Sherlock Holmes
    • His Last Bow
    • The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

  84. Which real-life surgeon and teacher of Arthur Conan Doyle at the University of Edinburgh served as the primary inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes?

    • Dr. John Watson
    • Dr. Joseph Bell
    • Dr. Mortimer Granville
    • Dr. Patrick Heron Watson

  85. In 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle famously tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes in 'The Final Problem'. In which fictional Swiss waterfall did Holmes and Moriarty seemingly plunge to their deaths?

    • Rhine Falls
    • Staubbach Falls
    • Reichenbach Falls
    • Giessbach Falls

  86. Which publisher issued the first collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories, 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes', in book form in 1892?

    • George Newnes
    • Ward, Lock & Co.
    • Smith, Elder & Co.
    • Longmans, Green & Co.

  87. In what year was 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' first published in book form, following its serialization in The Strand?

    Answer with a number.

  88. How many full-length novels featuring Sherlock Holmes did Arthur Conan Doyle write in total?

    Answer with a number.

  89. Name the illustrator whose iconic drawings in The Strand Magazine defined the visual image of Sherlock Holmes, including the famous deerstalker hat.

    Answer with a letter.

  90. Name the American literary magazine that commissioned both Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Sign of Four' and Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' during a famous dinner in 1889.

    Answer with a letter.

  91. In which novel does Sherlock Holmes first utter his famous (and frequently paraphrased) maxim: 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'?

    • A Study in Scarlet
    • The Sign of Four
    • The Hound of the Baskervilles
    • The Valley of Fear

  92. In 'The Adventure of the Silver Blaze', Holmes points out 'the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.' What did the dog do that Holmes found so revealing?

    • It barked at the stranger
    • It did nothing
    • It ran away into the moor
    • It woke the stable boy

  93. To whom does Sherlock Holmes direct his famous reprimand, 'You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear,' in 'A Scandal in Bohemia'?

    • Dr. John Watson
    • The King of Bohemia
    • Inspector Lestrade
    • Irene Adler

  94. When Professor Moriarty warns Holmes of their mutual destruction in 'The Final Problem', what is Holmes's memorable response regarding his own fate?

    • If I were assured of the former eventuality, I would, in the interests of the public, cheerfully accept the latter.
    • The game is afoot, Professor, and I do not intend to lose.
    • I have already taken precautions to ensure your fall matches my own.
    • It is a duel to the death, then, and I welcome it.

  95. Which character utters the desperate plea, 'Help me, Holmes! Help me, for God's sake! They are trying to murder me!' in 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band'?

    • Helen Stoner
    • Julia Stoner
    • Mary Morstan
    • Violet Hunter

  96. In 'A Study in Scarlet', Holmes describes a certain concept as being like a 'little empty attic, which you have to stock with such furniture as you choose.' What is he referring to?

    • A man's brain
    • A crime scene
    • A detective's notebook
    • A chemical laboratory

  97. In the opening line of 'The Sign of Four', Watson notes that Holmes injects himself with a cocaine solution. How many times a day does Watson state Holmes does this?

    Answer with a number.

  98. In 'The Adventure of the Red-Headed League', how many pounds sterling per week was Jabez Wilson paid for his nominal duties of copying the Encyclopaedia Britannica?

    Answer with a number.

  99. In 'The Adventure of the Copper Beeches', Holmes famously declares his need for evidence with the quote, 'Data! Data! Data! I can't make bricks without...' what substance?

    Answer with a letter.

  100. Holmes refers to a certain villain as 'the king of all the blackmailers' and describes him as having a smiling face and a heart of marble. What is this antagonist's surname?

    Answer with a letter.