The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | Questions and Answers

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Questions and Answers

Q.1. “… it was a very fortunate thing” – What is referred to as ‘a very fortunate thing’?

The speaker here is Mrs. Ackroyd. The fact that Flora’s engagement with Ralph has not been announced publicly is referred to her as a fortunate thing. She considers it fortunate because Ralph was missing from the night of Roger Ackroyd’s murder and it was a general consensus that it was he who killed Roger. Hence it was indeed a fortunate thing that her daughter’s engagement had not been announced formally with a murderer.

Q.2.  “Each one of you is hiding something from me” – Name the speaker. Give the significance of the statement in the context of the story.

Hercules Poirot is the speaker. Flora was hiding her relationship with Blunt and that she was not in love with Ralph. Mrs. Ackroyd was hiding the fact that she searched for the will the night, Ackroyd was murdered to learn how much money she was left with. Ursula Bourne was hiding her relationship with Ralph. Miss Russell was hiding the fact that Kent was her illegitimate child.

Q.3. What was the rumour that was there in King’s Abbott about Mr. Ackroyd?

The rumour about Roger Ackroyd was that he was extremely mean in his personal expenditures.

Q.4. When did Roger fall in love with Paton and how did she die?

Roger fell in love with Paton when he was twenty one and she died due to her excessive habit of drinking.

Q.5. Name the two houses of importance in King’s Abbot.

The two houses of importance that were there in King’s Abbot were King’s Paddock owned by Mrs. Ferrars and the other one was Fernly Park which was owned by Roger Ackroyd.

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Q.6. “Remorese, she said, with great gusto.” – Name the speaker. Give the significance of the word “remorse”.

The speaker is Caroline. The word ‘remorse’ suggests the remorse of Mrs. Ferrars and she is remorseful, according to Caroline, because she poisoned her husband.

Q.7. “Suppose you are really a slave of the drug habit, is there any cure?”- Name the speaker. Why was the speaker so concerned about drugs?

The speaker here is Mrs. Russell. She is inquisitive about drugs because we come to know later that her illegitimate son Kent was addicted to drugs and out of her concern for her son she asked this question to Doctor Sheppard.

Q.8. “Now four people were on the scene before the police arrived.” – Who were the four people?

The four people who were present before the arrival of the police were Doctor Sheppard, Parker, Major Blunt and Mr. Raymond.

Q.9. “It was a very uncomfortable minute for me.” – Why was the minute uncomfortable for the speaker?

The minute was uncomfortable for the speaker because Ralph Paton, who was missing from the night Ackroyd was murdered, came to the fore front and throughout the narrative it was found that Doctor Sheppard tried to put the entire charge of murder on Ralph and as a result it was even more uncomfortable for him.

Q.10. Who is Mrs Folliot?

Mrs. Folliot is Ursula Bourne’s former mistress where she used to work.

Q.11. Who was Bartolozzi?

Francesco Bartolozzi was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London. He is noted for popularizing the “crayon” method of engraving.

Q.12. What was inscribed inside the wedding ring that Poirot found?

The inscription that was there inside the wedding ring that Poirot found was “From R., March 13th”.

Q.13. “To all three I say “Why?” and I find no answer” – What is referred to as “all three”?

Ans. Poirot here referred to the things for which he had got no answer. They are the open window, the door that was locked from inside and the chair whose position was shifted.

Q.14. “Dr. Sheppard, I have come to ask you to help me?” -Name the speaker. What kind of help was the speaker asking for?

The speaker was Flora Ackroyd. She came to Dr. Sheppard because she wanted Dr. Sheppard to take her to Hercules Poirot because she wished him to investigate the murder mystery of Roger Ackroyd, and this according to her was the only possible way by which she could prove Ralph’s innocence.

Q.15. Name the two Scotch gentlemen who sent letters to Mrs. Ackroyd.

The two Scotch gentlemen who sent letters to Mrs. Ackroyd were Mr. Bruce MacPherson and the other was Colin MacDonald.

Q.16. “I do things on the spur of the moment.” – What did the speaker do on the spur of the moment?

The speaker here is Mrs. Ackroyd. At the spur of the moment she tried to search the will of Roger Ackroyd to see how much money she had been bequeathed by Roger in that will.

Q.17. “Out of a babel of excited suggestions and suppositions three theories were evolved.” – What were the three theories?

The theories were that Ralph was secretly married to Flora, and it was given by Colonel Carter. The second one came from Miss Gannett who said that Roger Ackroyd was secretly married to Mrs. Ferrars and finally from Carolie who was of the opinion that Roger Ackroyd had married the housekeeper Mrs. Russell.

Q.18. Who was Charles Kent?

Charles Kent was the illegitimate child of Mrs. Russell and he was the stranger whom Doctor Sheppard met outside the gate of Fernly Park in the night of Ackroyd’s murder.

Q.19. Who was Sally Jones?

Sally Jones was the barmaid at the Dog and Whistle and she was also the alibi of Charles Kent. It is she who informed the police that Kent came to the bar at quarter to ten.

Q.20. Why did Hercules Poirot go to Cranchester?

Hercules Poirot went to Cranchester because he had an appointment with a dentist since he was experiencing some sort of pain in his tooth.

Q.21. How did Parker blackmail his former master?

Major Ellerby was the former master of Parker. He was a drug addict. During his visit to Bermuda, a man was killed and Ellerby was partly responsible for the murder. But Parker came to know the secret and he used this secret against Ellerby to extract money out of him.

Q.22. “That’s what brought us together…” – Who are referred to as ‘us’? How did they come together?

Ralph and Flora have been referred to here. It is their miserable economic condition and their constant dependency on Mr. Ackroyd for small little things that brought them together.

Q.23. “I made an error of judgment in asking you that question.” What was the question and why was it erroneous?

The question was asked by Poirot to Dr. Sheppard and he wanted to know from Sheppard that what was the condition of the fire in the grate when he broke down the door of Mr. Ackroyd’s room where he was murdered.

It was erroneous because, according to Poirot “One must proceed with a method” and the fire and the grate was something that Parker should hold more knowledge than the doctor as the former was supposed to be in charge of all those things in the house.

Q.24. What was the greatest stumbling block for Poirot in the entire mystery?

The telephone call that Sheppard told everyone that he received which actually informed him that Ackroyd was murdered was the greatest stumbling block for Poirot.

Q.25. Who actually made the telephone call and how was it all arranged?

A steward of an American liner made the phone call. Dr. Sheppard asked him to leave a note at the house of a patient and he was supposed to inform him from the station with a reply. But when he made the call there was no reply from the other end.