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Murder on the Orient Express

Study Guide: Chapter One: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. In Poirot’s reflections, he puts together two interesting pieces of information. What are
they? MacQueen says that his employer, M. Ratchett, did not speak French; however,
Poirot heard someone who was in Ratchett’s room speak in French late in the evening.

2. Why is it inconvenient that the conductor was out on the platform when the train came
to a halt in Vincovci? The conductor would have been the one person– most assuredly–
who would have recognized an imposter.

3. Upon re-reading Poirot’s notes on the case, did you notice anything he documented that
you might have missed the first time? Write those ideas below:

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Two: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. Of the ten things that still need to be explained, which one do you feel is most
important? (Meaning: If we figure out this point, you think the rest of the case will be
easy to solve afterwards.)

2. How does Poirot connect the handkerchief back to Miss Debenham? Her middle name is
Hermione. He wonders if she might actually go by her second name.
3. Why does Dr. Constantine argue that the handkerchief belongs to Mrs. Hubbard? He says
that she is American, and Americans are known for their extravagance. If she wanted the
handkerchief, she would have been willing to pay a tidy sum to get it.

4. Why does the Doctor now believe that the pipe cleaner is a faked clue? Colonel
Arbuthnot is the only person on the train who smokes pipes, and he readily admits to
using that type of pipe cleaner. It is all too cut and dry.

5. It seems easier to determine which characters could not have been masquerading
around in the Wagon Lit uniform. Which characters are cancelled out? Hardman, Colonel
Arbuthnot, Foscarelli, Count Andrenyi, and Hector MacQueen are all too tall. Mrs.
Hubbard, Hildegarde Schmidt, and Greta Ohlsson are too broad.

6. What does M. Bouc believe really happened with the watch? He thinks that the second
murderer, the woman in the scarlet kimono, set the watch back in order to establish her
alibi.

7. How does Poirot squash this suggestion? He says it is unlikely that she stabbed him in
the dark and then went rooting around in his pajama pockets in order to find his pocket
watch.

8. Why does Poirot confess that watching a person write is not necessarily conclusive
evidence (but worth doing)? Some people do certain functions with one hand and others
with the other. They are ambidextrous.
9. Based on the handwriting ( or lack of), which character is implicated? Princess
Dragomiroff
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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Three: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. When Poirot asks his comrades to sit back and think over the matter, M. Bouc is only
capable of focusing for a few moments. Instead, what thoughts invade his mind? He is
worried about the mess that will arise from all of this commotion. He is sure that once
the police of this country arrive on the scene, they will make a spectacle of the whole
debacle.

2. Dr. Constantine’s thoughts stay on course about as much as M. Bouc’s. During his
thought process though, the Doctor evaluates M. Poirot. What does he decide? He
thinks that Poirot is an odd little man. He wonders if Poirot is a genius or the opposite.
He believes it to be an impossibility that Poirot should be able to solve this case.

3. As Poirot reflects on the situation, he finds the entire situation to be strange. Why? Their
coach is full. That is extremely unusual for this time of year. The other coaches are not
full right now. Also, the people on board all represent different nationalities.

4. There are a number of points that strike Poirot as being “suggestive”. Which of these
points also caught your attention?

5. Why does Poirot believe there is a grease spot covering Countess Andrenyi’s given name
on her passport? He thinks the spot is there to cover her given name. He believes her
name to be Helena, not Elena.

6. How is Poirot convinced of this matter (referenced in the previous question)? The
Countess’s luggage labels are wet. It seems as though some portion of the label has been
soaked off and put in a different place.

7. Why does Poirot think that the train being stopped because of snow ruined part of the
murderer’s plot? The uniform was meant to be left out in the open so it would appear
that the murderer slipped on and off the train undetected. But, when the train stopped
unexpectedly that idea would no longer seem plausible.

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Three: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

8. According to Poirot, why was it so important that the letter about Daisy Armstrong be
destroyed? There must be someone on this train who is so closely related to the case that
they would certainly fall under suspicion if and when Ratchett was murdered.

9. Poirot does not think that the fact that Countess Andrenyi was trying to change her name
labels proves she is guilty. Instead, what does he say it means? It means that she is trying to
hide her identity.

10. Based on what is now known about Countess Andrenyi, what conclusion does Poirot
propose? Countess Andrenyi is Helena Goldenberg, the younger daughter of Linda Arden,
and the younger sister to Mrs. Armstrong.

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Four: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. How did Poirot arrange it so the Count and Countess would be the last to leave the
dining car? He caught the chief attendant before the meal was served and asked him to
make sure the couple was served last and that their bill was the final one to be
distributed.

2. How does the Count react when Hercule Poirot charges his wife with being Helena
Goldenberg? He is outraged.

3. How does the Countess react? She says there is no use in denying the matter. It would be
best to sit down and discuss it all.

4. What idea does the Countess acknowledge to be true? Of all the passengers on the train,
she had the best motive to kill Cassetti.

5. The Count explains why they attempted to change Helena’s passport and her luggage
tags. Why did they do it? They wanted to avoid questioning. Once they heard that the
handkerchief had been found, it seemed like she would be profusely questioned because
her Christian name started with an “H”.

6. What does Helena mean when she says that Susanne may have “innocently” been
involved with Daisy’s abduction? She does not think Susanne meant the child any harm;
however, she may have chatted idly about Daisy’s routine and this information may have
been absorbed by someone who was plotting against the family.

7. At the end of the interview, of what does Helena assure M. Poirot? She has recognized
no one on the train.

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Five: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. Why does M. Bouc think the case is closed after Helena and her husband, the Count,
depart? He is sure that she committed the crime. He thinks she will receive a light
punishment, like a few years imprisonment.

2. How does Princess Dragomiroff surprise Poirot and the other investigators? She appears
in the restaurant car and claims that the cambric handkerchief belongs to her.

3. Princess Dragomiroff’s given name is “Natalia”. How does she explain the “H” that is
embroidered on the item? She says that her handkerchiefs are always embroidered with
the Russian characters. “H” is “N” in Russian.

4. How does Princess Dragomiroff feel about justice and the art of lying? She believes it is
necessary to protect one’s family and close friends. She values loyalty above almost all
else.

5. What does Poirot say is almost always true about people who are caught in a lie? They
almost always fess up to the truth when they are confronted.

6. What is the trick then? You, the accuser, must guess correctly in order to force the liar
into the light.

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapters Six and Seven: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. When Poirot questions Colonel Arbuthnot about the conversation he overheard between
the man and Mary Debenham, how does the Colonel treat the matter? He says that if
Mary does not care to explain, then he will not betray her confidence.

2. What “guess” does Poirot make involving Mary Debenham? He guesses that Mary was
the companion governess in the Armstrong household at the time when Daisy was
kidnapped.

3. Why has Mary Debenham elected to conceal her identity? She needs to be able to find
and keep a job. If people knew of her history, they might not want to hire her.

4. Mary Debenham claims that she did not recognize Mrs. Armstrong’s younger sister,
Helena Goldenberg. How does she account for this? She says that Helena was not grown
up when she knew her. She also says that now the Countess looks very foreign, instead
of like the American schoolgirl she used to resemble.

5. How did Poirot immediately know that the Countess was lying when she said that a tall,
red-haired Miss Freebody had been their governess? In London, there is a shop called
Debenham & Freebody. The connection between the names, and the fact that the
physical description was the exact opposite of Miss Debenham made him believe that
the Countess had been fabricating her story that very moment.

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Eight: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. How does Poirot believe the Italian is related to the Armstrong household? He was the
chauffeur for the family.

2. Why does the Italian say he lied before? He has business reasons for lying. He also didn’t
want to get involved with the Yugoslavian police. He thought they would try to pin the
whole thing on him.

3. When Greta Ohlsson enters the room, it is clear that she is about to cave. What do we
find out very quickly about her true situation? She was the nurse who was in charge of
Daisy Armstrong.

4. Just as Greta Ohlsson is leaving the car, Masterman, the valet enters. He has come to tell
the truth. What does he report? He knew the Armstrong family well. He was Colonel
Armstrong’s batman in the war, and he served as his valet later in New York. (FYI: A
batman is a soldier assigned to an officer during a war as his personal servant. The idea
seems to be a lot like a squire was to a knight.)

5. Why does Dr. Constantine exclaim that the whole situation now seems improbable? At
this point, it has been proven that nine of the passengers have in some way been
connected to the Armstrong household.

6. Why does Poirot ask Hardman to summon all of the passengers? He wants to lay out the
two possibilities that will explain the murder.

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Nine: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

1. For the most part, it is said that the passengers all wear the same type of expression.
How do they all look? They are expectant, but also a little apprehensive.

2. What does Poirot propose doing? He is going to tell all of them his two theories about
the case, and then he is going to ask his associates, M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine, to
judge which one seems to hold the most merit.

3. What is the first explanation? A stranger entered the car, murdered Ratchett, and left
without being detected.

4. How does Poirot explain the false evidence that was given by Princess Dragomiroff’s
maid? He knows that she would be willing to lie for her employer, and she did. She is
loyal– which the Princess considers to be a quality of value.

5. When Poirot started to consider all of the nationalities that were present in this one train
car, he stumbled upon another clue. What was it? This kind of melting pot was only likely
to be seen in an American household. That’s the only place it could be replicated.

6. What made Poirot first suspect that MacQueen knew more than he was willing to admit?
When Poirot questioned him about the letter, especially the one involving Daisy
Armstrong, there was an odd hesitation. Poirot thought at that moment that MacQueen
must have known something about that particular note.

7. Why did Poirot begin to question the Valet’s testimony? The valet claimed that Ratchett
always took a sleeping draught, but the fact that he had a gun hidden under his pillow
would lead one to believe that Ratchett did not want to sleep that night. He wanted to
be prepared.

8. How did M. Poirot know that Mrs. Hubbard had invented her story? In her compartment,
she would have been able to see if the door was bolted, whether the sponge bag was
there or not.

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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Nine: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

9. At first, Poirot had trouble understanding that everyone on the train was in on the plot,
but then he realized _________________________________________________________
it made sense that they all were in on it. He always assumed the murder was premeditated
and of course the entire household would be a part of the plot.

10. How did Colonel Arbuthnot’s comment about trial by jury make an impression on Poirot
during his deliberations? A jury has twelve members. There were twelve passengers on the
train, and Ratchett was stabbed twelve times.

11. Why was stabbing an appropriate way to kill Ratchett? Anyone can handle a knife and
the weapon makes no noise when it is being used.

12. What “red herring” was thrown into the mix? The woman in the red kimono was planted
as a way to throw off anyone who might look into the matter.

13. Which passenger does Poirot believe was the only who did not take part in the murder
of Ratchett? He thinks that the person most likely to do it, Countess Andrenyi, was
“replaced” in the scheme by her husband, the Count.

14. How did Poirot figure that Pierre Michel figured into the situation? His daughter, the
French nursery maid, killed herself in the aftermath. So, he was affected by the kidnapping,
too.

15. Explain how Poirot guessed (and was proven correct) concerning Hildegarde Schmidt and
her connection to the Armstrong family? She was the Armstrong’s cook. He complimented
her on her cooking and she fell into the trap.

16. How does Poirot suppose that Hardman fell in with this group? He must have been in
love with the French girl.

17. Who played the part of Mrs. Hubbard beautifully? The actress, Linda Arden, also the
mother to Mrs. Armstrong and grandmother to Daisy, pretended to be Mrs. Hubbard.
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Murder on the Orient Express
Study Guide: Chapter Nine: Part Three

Directions: While you are reading Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express,
answer the following questions.

18. Arbuthnot’s association to the Armstrong family is finally revealed. What is it? He was
John Armstrong’s best friend. John had saved his life in the war.

19. How was the plan devised? Antonio suggested it, Mary and MacQueen worked out all
the details.

20. Why had the group reserved the carriage for “Mr. Harris” before the start of the journey?
They thought it would have been awkward to have a stranger staying in the carriage with
MacQueen while all of this was going on around them.

21. What secret does Linda Arden share with the group? Mary Debenham and Colonel
Arbuthnot love each other.

22. What does Linda Arden offer to do? If they must hand someone over to the police, she
wants to be that person. She wants to take all of the guilt on herself.

23. What solution do Dr. Constantine and M. Bouc believe to be the correct one? They think
Poirot’s first suggestion was correct. The assailant is not identifiable.

24. What do you conclude? The investigators allowed the murderers to go free because they
only committed the crime in order to give Cassetti the dose of justice he deserved.

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