Writing a mystery is not an easy task because without suspense, the reader’s curiosity will not be aroused. Agatha Christie is a well-known writer of mystery stories. The plot in each of her stories involves everyday character that we can relate to. This makes her stories more realistic because whatever she writes about can happen to any of us. What makes her stories more interesting is that they always came with a twist at the end of the novel. Just when we think that the mystery has been solved and the culprit has been caught, we find out that someone who had seemed innocent throughout the story was actually the criminal. Writing mysteries, therefore, requires a lot of imagination. The writer has to think of something unexpected to stump the reader. This can be done by providing just the right amount of clues that give the reader an idea of what is happening yet making him wonder what will happen in the end.

Q. Complete the following statements given below by choosing the most appropriate options

1. A reader’s curiosity cannot be aroused without …………….
   1. comedy
   2. suspense
   3. tragedy
   4. drama
2. Agatha Christie’s stories are realistic because they involve …………………
   1. fairies and dragons
   2. super heroes
   3. everyday characters
   4. aliens
3. Agatha Christie’s stories are interesting as they …………………
   1. have an expected outcome
   2. end with an unexpected twist
   3. have a lot of fun element in them
   4. are easy to understand
4. One needs a lot of ………………… to write mystery stories.
   1. courage
   2. crazy ideas
   3. noble thoughts
   4. imagination
5. To stump the reader, a mystery story writer has to provide …………………
   1. no clues
   2. just the right amount of clues
   3. a whole lot of clues
   4. very less clues

Answer

1. Suspense
2. everyday characters
3. end with an unexpected twist
4. imagination
5. just the right amount of clues