A turgid opening to the match saw both sides struggle to create any clear-cut openings in the final third of the pitch.
Arbroath introduced Bryan Scott eight minutes before the break and he had an immediate impact on the match, going close to netting within 60 seconds, but his shot was block for a corner by Queens' keeper David Crawford.
Then Scott set up the opening goal on the stroke of half-time, playing the ball into the path of Barry Sellars who controlled the ball before firing into the corner of the net from 15 yards.
Queens were unfortunate to have a good penalty shout turned down by referee Willie Collum midway through the second half. Substitute Richard Bowers was tugged to the ground inside the box by Jamie Bishop but the whistler waved away the penalty claims.
But any hopes of a Queens comeback were killed off after 72 minutes when Scott netted a decisive second goal for the Gayfield men when he raced clear of the Spiders defence before clipping the ball over the advancing David Crawford.
Scott capped an excellent personal performance when he bagged his second goal of the afternoon eight minutes from the end, side-footing the ball into the empty net from Jay Stein's cut-back.