Element Definitions
What is a Clue?
A piece of evidence or information that can be used to solve the mystery or crime.
What do we call the person trying to solve the mystery?
The Detective
Mr. Akins's coffee has been stolen! Mr. Akins sets off to find the criminal. Who is Mr. Akins in this story?
The Detective AND The Victim
What is the Narrator of a story?
The person who is telling the story (not always the main character: Poirot and Hastings).
What is the victim in a mystery?
The person who the crime happened to OR the person who is most effected by the mystery.
What is a warning of future events in a story?
Foreshadowing
Mr. Akins discovers drips of coffee leading out of his classroom, towards the missing coffee. What element of mystery are these?
Clues
What is the name of one (1) of the detectives from "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery?"
Hercule Poirot OR Captain Hastings
What might we call someone behind a mystery/crime?
The Culprit OR The Perpetrator
Who are the suspects in a mystery?
The people the detective thinks might be guilty of the crime.
What is the feeling of dread, tension, or fear we feel when we don't know what is going to happen next in a story?
Suspense
Mr. Akins finds the drips of coffee leading to three rooms: the Library, the Main Office, and Ms. Kedroske's room. What does this limit for Mr. Akins?
The Suspects
In "The Hand," Sir John Rowell was what element of mystery, following the discover he had been murdered?
The Victim
Who invented the mystery genre?
Edgar Allen Poe
What is foreshadowing?
A warning or indication of future events in the story.
What do we call a clue that is intentionally misleading?
The criminal intentionally leaves behind Ms. Kedroske's calculator after stealing Mr. Akins's coffee. What element of mystery is this?
Red Herring
In "Sorry, Wrong Number," Sergeant Martin asks Mrs. Stevenson "Do you think someone is planning to murder you?" What element of mystery is this an example of?
Who was the very famous author who wrote the Poirot stories, was one of the most prolific mystery writers of all time, and did so as a woman in male-dominated publishing at the time?
Agatha Christie
What is a Red Herring?
A false clue, intended to mislead the reader or the detective.
What do we call the normal way a story is built?
Plot structure
Mr. Akins says he's solved the mystery! The person who stole his coffee told him she was really tired that morning. What element of mystery does this represent?
Foreshadowing
(The culprit was none other than Ms. Maguire, the librarian!)
In "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery," Phillip Ridgeway, Mr. Vavasour, and Mr. Shaw all carried the only keys to the chest where the bonds were kept. What element of mystery does this make them?
The Suspects
What is "Occam's Razor?"
"The simplest explanation is usually the correct one."