QUESTIONS

Pre-intermediate level Points for Understanding Answer Key

Daisy Miller HENRY JAMES

Macmillan Readers Daisy Miller 1

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1 1 (a) the Dent du Midi. (b) the Château de Chillon.

2 Winterbourne cannot see his aunt because she is not well. She has a headache. 3 He is an American boy, about nine or ten years old. He has a pale face. He is wearing short trousers,

with long, red, woollen stockings. He is carrying a long stick. 4 Young men must be introduced to young unmarried ladies, before they speak to them. Randolph tells

Winterbourne that the pretty young woman is his sister. Is that an introduction or not? Winterbourne is not sure, but he decides that it is.

5 Randolph wants to leave Europe because he wants to eat some American candy again. And his friends are all in America. He has no one to play with in Europe.

6 Winterbourne has not met a young lady like Daisy Miller before. She is not at all shy and she talks a great deal about her family and her feelings. She is bold, but charming too. In the end, Winterbourne thinks that Daisy is unsophisticated and inexperienced. She flirts because she enjoys it, not for any bad reason.

7 Daisy is in Vevey with her mother and her brother. Eugenio is their guide. He thinks that Daisy is too bold because she talks to strangers - especially young men. She does not mind being seen alone with them. Eugenio is very correct. He thinks that young women in polite society should not behave in that way.

2 1 Winterbourne’s aunt, Mrs Costello is very correct. She knows all the important people in New York. She knows exactly how people should behave in the best society. The Millers are not a part of that society, in Mrs Costello’s opinion. They are all common, especially Daisy, who is far too friendly with Eugenio, their guide.

2 Winterbourne is embarrassed when Daisy says that she would like to meet his aunt. Mrs Costello has told Winterbourne that she will not meet Daisy, because she does not approve of her behaviour. Winterbourne excuses his aunt, by saying that she often has headaches. Daisy is quick enough to understand the true reason.

3 Mrs Miller’s main concern is herself. She makes no attempt to control her children. She lets Daisy do as she likes and she has never taught her daughter the ways of polite society. She knows that she cannot stop Daisy doing anything that she wants to do. Mrs Miller is too friendly with their guide, Eugenio, and so Daisy is too.

3 1 Winterbourne is feeling very excited as he and Daisy stand together on the boat and he is disappointed that she does not feel excited too. But he is pleased that she is behaving well and he thinks that she is very charming. He is beginning to think that Daisy is not common after all.

2 Daisy teases Winterbourne by telling him that he is very serious. Later, she teases him about his ‘lady friend’ in Geneva, when he says that he has to go back there very soon.

3 Daisy wants Winterbourne to promise that he will come to Rome in the winter and see her there. 4 Mrs Costello is shocked when Winterbourne tells her that he has been to Chillon with Daisy ‘all alone’.

4 1 Mrs Costello tells Winterbourne that Daisy Miller goes out alone with Italian men, one gentleman in particular.

2 Daisy says that Winterbourne refused to stay in Vevey when she asked him to. She accuses him of being very unkind.

3 According to Daisy Miller, Mr Winterbourne is the most handsome man in the world – even more handsome than Mr Giovanelli.

4 (a) Mrs Walker thinks that it is not safe to go out alone in the late afternoon. (b) Mrs Miller says she may get Roman fever. (c) Winterbourne walks with Daisy to the Pincio. He thinks she would be very uncomfortable walking

there alone. 5 Daisy says that she would rather walk.

Pre-intermediate level Points for Understanding Answer Key

Macmillan Readers Daisy Miller 2

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillanenglish.com /readers. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007.

6 When Mrs Walker drives away, Winterbourne sees Daisy and Mr Giovanelli together in the Pincio. They are sitting on a seat and looking at the view. Daisy moves closer to the young man and their faces are hidden beneath Daisy’s parasol. Society will think this very bad behaviour and Daisy’s reputation will be completely ruined.

5 1 Mrs Miller says that Daisy was all ready for the party when Mr Giovanelli called. He and Daisy began singing together and forgot the time. They will both be late.

2 Daisy behaves badly. She does not follow the correct behaviour expected by polite society and Mrs Walker disapproves of her. You may think that Daisy is innocent and does not understand what she is doing. You may think that Daisy wants to annoy and offend Mrs Walker because of what happened in the Pincio. (Example.)

3 Winterbourne warns Daisy against flirting with Mr Giovanelli, but Daisy insists that she is not flirting with him at all. Winterbourne thinks that, in that case, Daisy and Mr Giovanni must be in love. This remark offends Daisy and shocks her too for a time. She does not want anyone to disapprove of her. But she wants to do exactly as she likes.

4 At the end of the party, Mrs Walker turns her back on Daisy and refuses to say good night to her. Mrs Walker thinks that Daisy has behaved very badly, because, for most of the time, she has sat and talked with Mr Giovanelli. Mrs Walker wants the girl to realise what she has done. Daisy understands and she is very upset. Winterbourne tells his aunt that she has been unkind, but she does not agree. Daisy leaves with her mother, Mrs Miller.

6 1 Daisy never behaves in the way that Winterbourne expects. But he likes her. She is always good- natured. Other women may be jealous, but not Daisy. She does not frighten him. Daisy makes the young American feel comfortable and happy.

2 Winterbourne is talking to Daisy. He is telling her that people are shocked by her behaviour. They will refuse to be friends with her. He wants Daisy to understand this and behave differently.

7 1 The Colosseum is the great arena built by the Romans. It is in the centre of Rome. Games and fights were held there in the past and 50,00 people could sit and watch them.

2 Winterbourne sees two people sitting on some steps in the centre of the arena in the moonlight. It is very late. He hears the people talking and he recognizes their voices. Daisy Miller is there with Giovanelli. Winterbourne begins to walk away, but Daisy sees him and calls to him. Winterbourne goes back and tells her that the Colosseum is a dangerous place at night, because of Roman fever.

3 (a) Daisy becomes ill and dies of Roman fever. (b) Giovanelli does not visit Daisy when she is ill. But he goes to her funeral. The Italian tells

Winterbourne that Daisy was innocent. He also says that Daisy would never have married him. Then he walks away.

(c) Winterbourne leaves Rome a few days after Daisy’s funeral. The next summer, he visits his aunt in Vevey. He talks about Daisy. He thinks that he had made a mistake about her. She really was innocent. Winterbourne goes back to Geneva and his life there.