How often have you read a good story and thought you could easily write one? Yet, if you sit down to a keyboard and give it a go you eventually discover it will take some work. If you’re willing to put in the effort you just might come up with a passable book.
The elements of a good mystery aren’t always easy to spot (that’s why it’s called a good mystery, bwahahaaa!) but you know one if you read one. See how well you know some of the necessary elements a whodunit needs in this bemusing quiz.
When you see how well you’ve done let us know in the comments below whether you’ve decided to write that book.
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Question of
Every mystery needs a protagonist, one who is a…
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Chief Character
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Criminal Character
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Crusading Character
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Question of
Great mystery writers fashion protagonists readers will…
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Scorn
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Support
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Suspect
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Question of
Every mystery needs to make readers yearn to solve the puzzle.
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True
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False
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Hmmm, not always.
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Question of
The best mysteries may have many suspicious characters.
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Yes, the more thrilling the better.
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No, enervating readers is a no-no.
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Question of
Red Herrings are used in mysteries to…
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Help readers understand the story’s intrigue.
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Guide readers in discovering the enigma.
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Mislead readers about the resolution.
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Question of
Dialogue in a mystery should…
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Describe all character’s motives.
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Shroud an antagonist’s validity.
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Provide stress in a story’s thread.
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Question of
Descriptive phrases should be used sparingly in mysteries.
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True
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False
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Only in both the opening and closing chapters.
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Question of
Choose the best way to increase tension from the following:
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Concoct a new setting.
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Confound a character.
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Describe a murder scene.
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Discover who lied.
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Question of
Persuading readers they know the whodunit before the end of a mystery is a bad idea.
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True
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False
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Question of
Plots in a mystery must always be believable.
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Yes
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No
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Question of
The best way to hook a reader is to introduce the mystery’s question early in the book.
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Absolutely in the first quarter.
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Never before the middle.
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Depends only on the genre.
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Question of
Do most mystery readers accept any sort of crime in a book?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
What is the primary reason clues need to reflect those that a real life detective would use?
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It helps readers in their journey to discover the whodunit.
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It helps readers follow the storyline.
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It helps readers find satisfaction in the story.
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Question of
Which of the following is a huge mistake for mystery writers?
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Not understanding that readers need every detail to follow the storyline.
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Not understanding that readers want to work out the secret for themselves.
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Not understanding that readers love having conflict interpreted.
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8/14! Really super quiz!!!
Thanks very much! Glad you enjoyed it.
8/14 Another interesting quiz!
So glad to know you found it interesting. 🙂
got 4 out of 14 right!
Thanks for coming by the curious quiz! 🙂
Only You 5 out of 14 … I would not write a good book ?
Who knows…this may be a beginning place for you!
Got 8 correct, good topic!
Appreciate that you checked it out!
Very clever idea for a quiz! I got 11 right 🙂
Thanks–good job solving the mysteries!
11/14, that was a very mysterious quiz..
You did well in solving the mysteries! Thanks for checking the quiz out. 🙂
fun quiz … but i failed LOL
Glad you enjoyed the learning experience!
fun quiz, i got 10 out of 14
Good job! Thanks much for stopping in.