The Remains of the Day

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1 The Remains of the Day refers to evening, which many 

people think is the most enjoyable part of the day. It 
is the best time of day to think about the day’s work. 
Evening is symbolic for older age – the time when one 
can look back and assess one’s life’s work. The word 
‘remains’ in the title also refers to the decline of the 
great English country house after World War II.

2  a butler, footman, landlady, maid, prime minister, 

puppet, senator

b drawing room, grounds, landing, lawn, 

summerhouse

c–d Open answers

3 a offer/letter

b four

c banter/chat

d dignity

e father’s

f Chinaman

g accidents

h conversations

i duties

j Germany/Germans

4  a He is surprised, and does not think that Mr 

Farraday is serious. He regards the suggestion as 
‘just another example of an American gentleman’s 
unfamiliarity with English custom.’

b He was anxious, because there were too few 

servants. He did not realize until later that he had 
given everybody, including himself, too much to 
do.

c Mr Farraday’s banter is a mystery to him and makes 

him feel awkward. He attempts it himself once or 
twice, but without success.

d He experiences ‘a mild sense of alarm’ because the 

surroundings have become unfamiliar.

e He agrees that it is less dramatic than the scenery 

in other countries, but he believes that it ‘possesses 
a quality that other landscapes do not possess, the 
quality of “greatness”’.

f They are not as good as English butlers because 

they are ‘incapable of the self-control – the dignity 
– which only the English possess.’

g He wanted her to show him more respect and to 

stop using his first name. Later, he was annoyed 
with her bold criticism of him and for ‘exaggerating 
the importance’ of his father’s mistakes.

h He thought that they were annoying but 

unimportant.

i He thinks that Lord Darlington was a ‘good man 

with a good heart’. He thinks that he has been 
unfairly criticized for his behaviour before and 
during the war, and is ‘proud to have given my best 
years of service to such a true gentleman’.

j He agrees that he might have seemed ‘a little 

insensitive’ with his father when he informed him 
of the reduction in his duties. However, he excuses 
himself by referring to the urgent problems he 
had to deal with two weeks before the important 
conference.

5–7 Open answers
8 a Sir David Cardinal

b Reginald Cardinal

c Monsieur Dupont

d Stevens’s father

e Mr Lewis

f Stevens

g Lord Halifax

h Lord Darlington

i Sarah, Ruth

j Lord Darlington

9  a His father had a stroke on the first day of the 

conference, but Stevens could not spend much 
time with him because of the urgency of his duties. 
Stevens, who prides himself on being in control of 
situations at all times, was surprised to find himself 
crying while he was serving drinks to the important 
guests. 

b Monsieur Dupont made constant demands on 

Stevens during the conference because of his bad 
leg. 

c Miss Kenton quarrelled with Stevens before the 

conference and refused to speak to him. Later, 
she threatened to leave because Stevens dismissed 
Sarah and Ruth. One year later, she was angry with 
Stevens for having failed to support her when she 
was defending Sarah and Ruth. She accused Stevens 
of ‘pretending’ all the time. Stevens was, of course, 
puzzled and confused by all these incidents.

d During the conference, Lord Darlington asked 

Stevens to explain the ‘facts of life’ to Reginald 
Cardinal, a task for which Stevens was particularly 
unsuitable. Later, Darlington asked Stevens to 
dismiss Sarah and Ruth, a request which Stevens 
privately disapproved of but which he felt powerless 
to disobey.

The Remains of the Day

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10  a Miss Kenton was talking to Stevens two weeks 

before the conference, after she had quarrelled with 
him about a minor incident.

b Reginald Cardinal was talking to Stevens in the 

grounds outside Darlington Hall, after Stevens had 
tried unsuccessfully to tell him the facts of life.

c Stevens’s father was talking to Stevens just before he 

died.

d Lord Darlington was responding to Mr Lewis’s 

criticism of him during the conference. (Mr Lewis 
had said that the world was too complicated for 
gentlemen to understand, and should be run by 
politicians and businessmen.)

e Miss Kenton was talking to Stevens after she had 

informed him that his father had died.

f Stevens was talking to Miss Kenton about his 

inability at that moment (just after his father’s 
death) to go up and see his father.

g Lord Halifax was talking to Lord Darlington about 

the quality of the silver. Stevens remembers this 
years later as, perhaps, his ‘proudest moment’.

h Miss Kenton was talking angrily to Stevens about 

the proposed dismissal of Sarah and Ruth.

i Miss Kenton was talking to Stevens about her 

failure to carry out her threat to leave Darlington 
Hall.

j Miss Kenton was talking angrily to Stevens after he 

had admitted to her that he had been as upset as 
she was about the dismissal of Sarah and Ruth. 

11–12 Open answers
13 a  1  b  2  c  2  d  1  e  2  f  1  g  1  h  1
14 Possible answers:

a She disagreed with Stevens’s low opinion of Lisa, 

so probably felt victorious when she won her 
argument with him and Lisa was employed as a 
maid.

b She was apologetic, and was grateful to Stevens for 

not blaming her.

c She felt playful and wanted to see what he was 

reading.

d She was pleased to discuss them with him.

e She was puzzled and displeased, probably 

because she was hoping for a more personal, less 
professional, answer.

f She was angry because Stevens did not believe that 

she was really tired. He thought that she was using 
tiredness as an excuse not to discuss household 
matters with him. 

g She was obviously upset because she asked Stevens 

several times to start the evening discussions again.

h She was confused and hurt because, instead of 

offering his condolences over the death of her aunt, 
he criticized her for a ‘slight fall in standards’. 

15 Open answers
16 a Three:
 

  1  when Miss Kenton tried to see what he was 

reading;

 

  2  when they stopped having their evening 

discussions;

 

  3  their conversation in the dining room after the 

death of Miss Kenton’s aunt.

b–c Open answers

17 Open answers
18 a 7  b  3  c  7  d  7  e  3  f  3  g  7  h  7
19  a Because he is well dressed, speaks well and is driving 

an expensive car.

b He is too embarrassed.

c He wanted to show that ordinary people were 

incapable of understanding international affairs, 
and that democracy was therefore an inefficient 
system of government.

d To show that there was no time for democratic 

discussion when there was an emergency.

e Whether or not she is willing to return to 

Darlington Hall.

f Dignity.

g He disagrees with them. Harry Smith believes that 

everybody deserves equal respect and is capable of 
dignity. Stevens, however, believes that ordinary 
people are incapable of having strong and informed 
opinions on important matters. 

h He felt embarrassed, and apologized to Stevens the 

next day.

i When Stevens talks about meeting Mr Churchill, 

Dr Carlisle thinks that Stevens is either lying or that 
he must be some kind of servant.

j He is amused and jokes about it.

20–22 Open answers
23 a 10  b  8  c  3  d  9  e  4  f  1  g  5  h  7
 

i  2  j  6

24  a Possible answer: He realizes for the first time the 

truth about his feelings.

b Open answers 

25–34 Open answers

The Remains of the Day

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Discussion activities key

1–24  Open answers
25 A parody is written in order to mock or make 

something look ridiculous. Oh! What a Lovely War is  
a famous parody on the First World War. 

 

A parody uses exaggeration in order to make people 
laugh. Your students will enjoy re-writing scenes from 
the book using comic exaggeration.

26–35 Open answers

Activity worksheets key

1 a  Nagasaki, Japan

b  England

c  was published

d  Four

e  literary

2 a  2  b  1  c  2  d  3  e  1
3 a  The scenery starts to look unfamiliar after only 

twenty minutes. Stevens starts to feel alarmed when 
on roads he does not recognize.

b  A guest house in Salisbury

c  He puts his address as ‘Darlington Hall’ and she 

assumes he is a gentleman accustomed to grander 
accommodation.

d  Dignity

e  The real reason is probably because he wants her  

to come back, but she does mention problems  
with her marriage, and writes about happy times  
at Darlington Hall.

4 a 2  b  1  c  5  d  7  e  3  f  8  g  6  h  4
5 a  He doesn’t want Stevens’s father to leave, but he 

wants his duties reduced so as not to risk serious 
mistakes during the important conference.

b  Stevens’s father trips and falls on the summerhouse 

steps.

c  They have a very cold and formal relationship.

d It was difficult to plan, because the dates the guests 

were arriving were not clear.

e  He was proud, since he felt history was being made.

6 a  3  b  6  c  1  d  2  e  4  f  5
7 a  T  b  F  c  F  d  F  e  T
8 a  4  b  6  c  1  d  5  e  2  f  3
9 a  There was a fair and he couldn’t find a room.

b  He is trying to find a roadside inn

c  He meets Mr Taylor on a path as he is walking 

towards the village.

d  Nothing

e  An indecent story

10 a  1  b  2  c  5  d  4  e  3  f  6
11 a  The Taylors and their guests mistake Stevens for a 

gentleman.

b Smith believes the aristocracy should listen to 

ordinary people. Stevens believes that everyone 
should accept their place in the hierarchy.

c  The time when Darlington’s guests question  

Stevens about international politics.

d  Open answer

12 a  Mr Taylor / electricity

b  Harry Smith / Farraday’s car

c  Morgan / what a real gentleman is

d  Mrs Taylor / meeting Winston Churchill

e  Dr Carlisle / Winston Churchill

13 a  annoyed

b  upset

c  is obliged to

d horrified at

e  worn out

14 Suggested answers:

a  ….. the pier lights to be turned on.

b  ….. the last twenty years.

c  ….. unhappy as Stevens had thought.

d ….. the war in Belgium.

e  ….. the court case he had attempted.

Progress test key

1 a  7  b  3  c  3  d  3  e  7
2 a  5  b  3  c  4  d  7  e  6  f  1  g  2
3 a  1
 b  2 (It should be clear to students that Stevens 

is refusing to give the real name of the French 
gentleman).

 c  2
 d  3
4 a  central
 b  delighted
 c  angry
 d  unimportant
 e  dignified
5  a  7 She was optimistic at the beginning.
 b  3
 c  7 She feels a career is much more important.
 d  3
 e  7 He has simply moved away.
6 a  Miss Kenton  b  Stevens  c Mr Graham
 d  Miss Kenton’s friend
7 a  dignity  b  a good thing  c  insulting
 d  uselessness  e unashamed