The Mousetrap

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

Multiple Choice

1. What role does foreshadowing play in the narrative?

A. It engages the reader in trying to solve the murder for themselves.

B. It assists the reader in thinking about the direction the play might go.

C. It provides subtle hints that describe the murderer’s thinking.

D. It acts as red herrings that prevent the reader from discovering the truth.

2. Why does Agatha Christie include stereotypes in her writing?

A. They help the audience to identify the characters that are non-threatening.

B. They assist the writer in creating suspicion around each of the characters.

C. They allow the audience to make snap judgments about behavior.

D. They provoke suspicion in the reader and draw attention from the killer.

3. Why does clothing become important both as a red herring and as a clue?

A. The clothing has blood splatter on it, pointing to the killer.

B. The clothing of the murderer implicates many of the characters in the play.

C. The clothing of the individuals at the manor helps the audience to identify them.

D. The clothing is used to reinforce stereotypes and therefore potential suspects.

4. What is the role of humor in Christie’s play?

A. It disorients the audience, who is not expecting to encounter humor in a mystery.

B. It signals that the murderer is likely to strike again soon.

C. It serves to restrain the suspense, muting the overall atmosphere.

D. It allows the audience to laugh at something that is typically very serious.

5. What evidence seems to incriminate Christopher but is later revealed to be a red herring?

A. His coat, scarf, and hat

B. His use of nursery rhymes

C. His unusually light suitcase

D. His interest in the newspaper article

6. Which plot device develops the theme of The Construction of Identity in the play?

A. The characters scramble to learn about one another to identify the murderer.

B. The murderer must learn the identity of the characters to identify his intended victim.

C. Christopher’s character becomes singularly interested in individual identity.

D. The identity of the murderer as a Corrigan child is withheld until the final lines.

7. Which of the following is an example of a red herring—a false clue—in the play?

A. Mollie’s maiden name is revealed as Waring.

B. The killer is identified as having a long overcoat, light scarf, and felt hat.

C. Georgie acts childish after his identity is revealed.

D. Paravicini drops the poker when he hears about Trotter.

8. Which statement describes an example of foreshadowing in the play?

A. Mollie does not want to reveal why she went to London.

B. Trotter explains that the victim was using a false name.

C. Mrs. Boyle leaves the library because the heater is broken.

D. Paravicini plays Three Blind Mice on the piano.

9. What is Miss Casewell’s attitude toward her past as one of the Corrigan children?

A. She intends to get justice for what happened in her childhood.

B. She does not think about her past, pretending as though it didn’t happen.

C. She has determined that her past will not affect her.

D. She talks about her past with others attempting to find healing.

10. What is ironic about Sergeant Trotter’s investigation?

A. He does not spend much time investigating the characters.

B. He blames the other characters because he is the victim.

C. He is the only character that has skis and is able to leave.

D. He is the murderer he is pretending to investigate.

11. What is the purpose of the telephone call from Superintendent Hogben?

A. It prevents the audience from being suspicious of the real murderer.

B. It verifies that the phone was working prior to the arrival of the officer.

C. It serves to build suspense with the audience unaware of the officer’s purpose.

D. It creates apprehension in the arrival of the police officer.

12. What is the significance of the rhyme “Three Blind Mice”?

A. It is sung by Georgie, Paravicini, and Christopher at different times.

B. It provides a potential number of victims for the murder.

C. It explains what the murderer intends to do to his victims.

D. It creates an eerie mood for the play as it is a children’s rhyme.

13. How does the aftermath of World War II contribute to the meaning of The Mousetrap?

A. It explains why Georgie may be better adjusted than Katherine.

B. It features heavily in the play’s setting.

C. It provides a possible explanation for the insanity of the killer.

D. It illustrates the audience’s need to escape to the theater.

14. What is the motive of Georgie Caldwell?

A. Revenge

B. Attention

C. Clout

D. Restitution

15. What is the significance of the play’s title The Mousetrap?

A. It refers to the old and degraded Monkswell Manor.

B. It explains how the characters feel about being stranded in the manor.

C. It describes the victims as mice and Monkswell as the trap.

D. It refers to the cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between the characters.

Long Answer

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

1. Why did Georgie believe his victims were deserving of murder?

2. Compare Georgie’s response to his childhood trauma with Katherine Corrigan’s. Why do each have a drastically different attitude toward their upbringing?