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The Remains of the Day

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Context

Plot Overview

Character List

Analysis of Major Characters

Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

Prologue: July 1956 / Darlington Hall

Day One–Evening / Salisbury

Day Two–Morning / Salisbury

Day Two–Afternoon / Mortimer's Pond, Dorset & Day Three–Morning / Taunton, Somerset

Day Three–Evening / Moscombe, near Tavistock, Devon

Day Four–Afternoon / Little Compton, Cornwall

Day Six–Evening / Weymouth

Historical Background

Important Quotations Explained

Key Facts

Study Questions and Essay Topics

Quiz

Suggestions for Further Reading

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The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro

Quiz

Which characteristic is of paramount importance to Stevens?

(A) Distinction

(B) Dignity

(D) Determination

In the beginning of the novel, what ultimately prompts Stevens to take a road trip?

(A) His desire to see the West Country

(B) His desire to drive his employer's Ford

(D) The arrival of Miss Kenton's letter

When does Mr. Farraday unnerve Stevens?

(A) When he jokes around with Stevens

(B) When he hits Stevens with a cane

(D) When he talks to himself

What motivates Lord Darlington to organize the March 1923 conference?

(A) He is intensely anti-Semitic

(B) He thinks that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles are too harsh

(D) Both B and C

Why is Stevens NOT next to his father's deathbed when he dies?

(A) He is fighting with Miss Kenton

(B) He hates his father

(D) He is telling Reginald Cardinal the facts of life

Whose house does Stevens stay at when his car runs out of gas?

(A) Mr. and Mrs. Smith's

(B) Mr. and Mrs. Taylor's

(D) Winston Churchill's

Why does Miss Kenton NOT leave after the two Jewish maids are fired?

(A) Because she is frightened and has nowhere else to go

(B) Because she is intensely anti-Semitic

(D) Because she does not want to meddle in her employer's decision

Why do the residents of Moscombe mistake Stevens for a famous person?

(A) Because he does not tell them that he is a butler

(B) Because he has refined manners

(D) All of the above

When does Stevens remember that Miss Kenton was in her room crying?

(A) The night she becomes engaged to marry Mr. Benn

(B) After her aunt dies

(D) After she forgets to do a household chore

By the end of the story, what has happened to Mr. Reginald Cardinal?

(A) He has emigrated to the United States

(B) He has died in Belgium fighting in World War II

(D) He and his wife have gotten divorced

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