K E Y T O T H E A C T I V I T I
Step Five B2.2
READING & TRAINING
The Great Gatsby
KEY TO THE ACTIVITIES
Page 12 activity 1
1 Because his stories contain
detailed and realistic
descriptions of life in the United
States during the 1920s.
2 Because he spent his time
playing football and engaging in
social activities instead of
studying.
3 Social and financial success.
4 They became more interested in
having fun: in going to parties
and drinking.
5 Fitzgeralds natural feelings were
in conflict with the fashionable
pessimism of the age. In
addition, he did not succeed in
creating characters who were
beautiful and damned: to many
they seemed silly and pitiful.
6 Because he wished to have a
grandiose lifestyle.
7 Because life was cheaper there.
8 Zelda had a love affair. They
drank heavily. They went to
Rome but they hated it because
they were not well-known there.
9 Partying and drinking.
10 He was a scriptwriter.
11 Fitzgeralds heavy drinking.
12 He returned to Hollywood to
work as a scriptwriter. There he
E S
F. Scott Fitzgerald
AND EXIT TEST
met and fell in love with a
journalist named Sheila Graham.
He continued writing but ill-
health kept him in bed and he
died before he could finish his
last novel, The Last Tycoon.
Page 12 activity 1
Open answers.
Page 13 activity 1
1 Nicks father told him not to
criticize anyone because not
everyone had had the same
advantages he had had.
2 Nick grew up in a midwestern city.
3 Nicks family had been important
for three generations.
4 Nick graduated from New Haven
University in 1915.
5 Nick felt restless in the United
States because he had enjoyed
himself so much in Europe.
6 Nick went East to learn the bond
business.
7 Instead of finding rooms in New
York City, Nick rented a small
house.
8 To live in his small and ugly house
Nick paid eighty dollars a month.
9 East Egg and West Egg were two
unusual land formations on Long
Island.
10 Mr Gatsbys home was an
imitation of a French palace.
11 Daisy was Nicks second cousin.
12 Nick had known Tom in college.
Chapter One
Page 25 activity 1
1 They moved from place to place,
wherever people were rich and
played polo.
2 Nick is a young man from a
wealthy midwestern family who
has come East to learn the bond
business. Tom comes from a very
wealthy family. He is a rough and
brutal man whose main interest
is playing polo.
3 They were never close friends,
but Nick had the impression that
Tom wanted him to like him.
4 She is a friend of Daisys and a
professional golfer.
5 Gatsby.
6 He begins to talk violently about
the fall of civilization, and how
the colored races were taking
control of the world.
7 His mistress.
8 She doesnt think that she should
phone him during dinner.
9 He had seen many photographs
of her golfing.
10 He feels confused and a little
disgusted.
Page 25 activity 2
Possible answer:
A Visit to an East Egg Mansion
For our series of articles The Young
and the Restless we visited the
exclusive home of Mr and Mrs Tom
Buchanan in the extremely
fashionable East Egg, Long Island.
Their house, which once belonged to
Mr Demaine, an important oil man, is
a lovely colonial mansion looking
over the bay. It is elegant with plenty
of delicate french windows and
billowing curtains. Its inhabitants are
equally elegant, in appearance at
least.
Tom Buchanan is a big, rough man,
who seems to be mostly interested in
polo playing. He and his wife, Daisy,
have recently returned from
wandering about Europe in search of
wealthy people to spend time with
and, in Mr Buchanans case, to play
polo with. The only thing that
seemed to excite his interest during
my brief stay was, strangely enough,
the fall of civilization. He became
nearly violent when he talked about
the rise of the colored races.
Daisy Buchanan is certainly a
beautiful young woman, but she
seems to have nothing in particular
to say. She is a mother, but her
daughter seems to be a kind of a toy
for her and nothing more.
On the day of our visit we also met
one of their friends, Jordan Baker,
the famous golfer. She, like Mrs
Buchanan, is a lovely and elegant
young woman, but she too gives the
impression of being bored, of not
having any real purpose in life.
All in all, I did not leave with a very
good impression of these people. It
seemed to me that if their house and
fine clothing were taken away there
would be nothing left.
Page 26 activity 3
1 Father said (that) he would pay for
my living costs.
2 A young man at the office said,
Why dont we rent a house
together in the country?
2
 K E Y T O T
3 On the telephone Daisy said, We
are going to stay.
4 I drove over to East Egg to see two
old friends I did not know very well.
5 My cousin began/started to ask me
questions.
6 Tom told us the colored races
would push the white race under.
7 I remembered the story about her
that I had heard.
8 It seemed to me that Daisy should
run out of the house.
Page 27 activity 1
Open answers.
Page 27 activity 2
1 beside 2 where 3 with 4 can
5 but 6 away 7 stops 8 how 9 in
Chapter Two
Page 36 activity 1
1C 2B 3D 4A 5E 6B
7A 8B 9B
Page 37 activity 2
1 I wonder if there are any more
newspapers.
2 Do you know where the airport is?
3 I wonder if you have any fresh eggs.
4 I dont suppose you know if the
train to East Egg is on time.
5 Do you have any idea if Jay still
lives in that mansion?
6 Could you please tell me when the
restaurant opens?
7 Do you know if that store sells
newspapers?
8 I dont suppose you know why she
hasnt come yet.
Page 37 activity 3
Possible answers:
1 Nick already knew that Tom was a
3 4
H E A C T I V I T I E S
restless, selfish, pleasure-seeking
kind of person, so the mistress
would not have surprised him. But
Toms passionate interest in the
rest of world must have seemed
out of character. After all, Toms
main interests in life are being
with wealthy people and playing
polo.
2 It probably seemed rather
cowardly of him not to tell Myrtle
the truth: he would never leave his
wife because he himself did not
want to.
3 It shows that he does not have
much regard for the truth, and is a
coward. Quite simply he is willing
to lie to keep his mistress. We
might also say that he has no real
concern for Myrtle either, and that
he uses her for his own pleasure.
Page 38 activity 4
Possible answer:
I realized that having a love affair
with Tom was a great risk, but living
my sad life in the valley of the ashes
was too much for me. Did I really
want to continue suffering there
forever? Did I really want to give up
that chance for some happiness
now? That is why I kept saying to
myself, You cant live forever. In B 1 peeped 2 watching 3 glimpsed
other words, I did not want to
continue waiting for my moment of
happiness to come.
Page 38 activity 1
1B 2B 3A 4A 5A 6D
Chapter Three
Page 50 activity 1
1T 2F 3T 4P 5F 6T 7T 8P
9 T 10 P 11 F 12 T
K E Y T O T
Page 50 activity 2
Possible answers:
1 Perhaps because everything else
at the parties seemed so false,
including Gatsby with his phoney
English accent, that he imagined
that the books too had to be fakes
used just for decoration.
2 His way of speaking.
3 His smile.
4 He is honest and careful, or at
least, so he says.
Page 51 activity 3
1 Gatsby received many medals
fighting in the war.
2 Nick was ill-at-ease walking
around the grounds of Gatsbys
mansion.
3 Good morning, she said, looking
towards me.
4 Nick sat at a table with a man and
a loud girl enjoying himself.
5 Gatsby looked out towards the
green light smoking his pipe.
6 She listened to the music tapping
her feet. (OR: She tapped her feet
listening to the music.)
7 I got lost going home.
Page 52 activity 4
A 1C 2B 3D 4A
4 staring 5 peeped 6 staring
Page 52 activity 5
Open answers.
H E A C T I V I T I E S
The Roaring Twenties
Page 56 activity 1
1 It meant that the United States
did not want to become involved
in the problems of other countries.
2 It talked about the hedonistic
lifestyle at Princeton University:
wild parties, heavy drinking and
sexual freedom.
3 It talked about the low-key,
prudish and moralistic lifestyle of
a small Midwestern town.
4 They used make-up, dressed in
new ways, smoked cigarettes,
danced to jazz and, in general,
rebelled against the Victorian
values of the past.
5 He produced automobiles that
most working Americans could
afford. This meant that roads
were built, people travelled more
and, as a consequence, spent more
money.
6 Illegal bars.
7 Because the sale of alcohol was
prohibited in the United States in
1919.
8 The stock market crashed.
Page 56 activity 2
Open answers.
Page 57 activity 1
Open answers.
Page 57 activity 2
1 This was the first time that
Gatsby had ever visited Nick.
2 After talking to Gatsby several
times Nick was disappointed
because he discovered that Gatsby
had little to say.
 K E Y T O T H E A C T I V I T I E S K E Y T O T H E A C T I V I T I E S

3 Gatsby said that his family was 10 He was sitting in a car talking to Page 82 activity 2
1
from the Midwest and that now Daisy.
they were all dead. 11 To give an expensive string of 2 L 3
4 Gatsby went to Oxford because it pearls back to Tom. M A M
was a family tradition. 12 He wanted him to invite Daisy to I W 5 I
5 When Gatsbys family died he his house. 4 A D V A N T A G E S
received a good amount of money. W A E 7
Page 68 activity 2
6 Gatsby told Nick about his life in 6 R E S T L E S S R M
Europe but Nick did not believe a Possisble answers: 10 S A 12 8 D O C K
word he said. 1 She was probably worried that he
9 M I S T R E S S 11 B O N D S T 13
7 Gatsby said that during the war he was with his lover.
A E 16 L R O U
had tried very hard to die. 2 To attract Daisy.
3 Until then the key element of N 14 D R U N K 15 C R U E L U R N
8 Gatsby said that during the war
Gatsbys life was unknown to him. 17 A S H E S N 19 O 18 G A M B L E R
every major government gave him
Once he knew why Gatsby had I Y U S O A
a medal.
bought the house and thrown all O A R 20 D R I F T A S
those parties, all the pieces fell N C A O T I
Chapter Four together. In other words, he knew H G 21 S P O R T 22 S I L L Y
Page 68 activity 1 the personal reasons for Gatsbys 23 P R A C T I C E E Y
1 It was a huge, shiny cream- actions. Gatsby was no longer just
colored car with green leather a fairly boring, rich man who told
a lot of lies and threw a lot of Page 84 activity 1 7 Bootlegging, i.e. selling illegal
seats.
parties. He was a magnificent 1A 2B 3C 4B 5A 6D 7B 8C liquor.
2 He didnt want Nick to get the
lover. 9 B 10 A 11 B 12 A 13 D 14 B 15 C 8 He owned many drugstores.
wrong idea about him from the
9 He wanted to go back to
various stories he had heard. Page 68 activity 3 Page 85 activity 2 Louisville and marry her.
3 Because something very sad had
Open answers. Open answers. 10 Nick disagreed with Gatsby when
happened to him in the past
he said that you can repeat the
before the war. Page 69 activity 4
Chapter Six past.
4 He showed Nick a medal he had
1D 2B 3A 4A
received from the government of Page 94 activity 2
Page 94 activity 1
Montenegro and a photo of Page 71 activity 1 Possible answer:
himself with some others at 1 Because he never accepted his
1F 2T 3T 4T 5F 6T 7T 8T Dear Father,
Oxford. real family. He saw himself as
9T I know that you told me that whenever
5 He was shot outside a restaurant belonging to a different and
I feel like criticizing somebody I should
presumably a gangland killing. more wonderful world.
6 He was a gambler.
Chapter Five 2 With gold and silver mines.
remember that not everybody has had
the advantages I have had. Well, my
7 Because he was too smart to get Page 82 activity 1 3 He worked for him as a sailor,
neighbor, Jay Gatsby, makes me
caught. cleaning man and secretary; he
A 2 B 6 C 11 D 4 E 9 F EXTRA wonder if your advice is always true.
8 He became embarrassed. also took care of Cody when he
HEADING G 7 H 10 I 5 J 8 K 12 Maybe you have heard of him.
9 In Louisville, Kentucky. was drunk.
L1 M3 Certainly, there are many legends
4 She used complex legal strategies
about him: some say he killed a man,
to inherit Codys money.
others say he is a relative of King
5 Because he was worried that
Wilhelm of Germany. Whatever the
Daisy was going around alone.
truth is, the source of all these
6 She did not like West Egg society.

5 6
 K E Y T O T H E
rumors is clear: his magnificent
parties and his magnificent gestures.
I am worried that the source of his
wealth is some illegal activity. His
family origins are humble indeed, a
poor Midwestern family, and only his
friendship with the gambler
Wolfshiem can explain his vast wealth.
I, however, know the real reason he
has thrown his legendary parties: he
wanted to attract a woman, my
cousin Daisy! Can you believe it?
Well, I dont want to criticize but how
can you not criticize someone who
makes his money through crime just
to have a woman? Is he so unsure of
himself that only a brightly-lit
mansion and champagne and famous
people can make her love him again?
Well, I will not go on, but believe me,
Father, your advice is difficult to
follow.
Your loving son,
Nick
Page 95 activity 3
1 He would prefer to go home now.
Hed rather go home now.
2 They would prefer to talk to you
directly. Theyd rather talk to you
directly.
3 Tom would prefer not to meet Jay.
Tom would rather not meet Jay.
4 Jordan would prefer not to talk
about Jay Gatsby. Jordan would
rather not talk about Jay Gatsby.
5 Jay Gatsby would prefer to see
Daisy. Jay Gatsby would rather see
Daisy.
6 Nick would prefer not to drink too
much. Nick would rather not drink
too much.
Page 96 activity 1
Open answers.
7 8
A C T I V I T I E S
Page 96 activity 2
1 A 2 C 3 A 4 C (and B) 5 B
6 B (and D) 7 B 8 D 9 B
Chapter Seven
Page 105 activity 1
1A 2D 3A 4C 5B 6D
Page 106 activity 2
Possible answers:
1 The hot, humid and oppressive air
is like a physical manifestation of
the confused, tense and worried
state of mind of Tom and Daisy.
Also this oppressive heat
corresponds to all the unsaid things
that hover over Tom and Daisy.
Finally hot, humid weather in
summer generally leads to a
thunderstorm, which in our story
corresponds to the fight between
Tom and Gatsby.
2 Because he is referring in an
ironical fashion to Gatsbys
bootlegging activities which is how
he made his money, and not, as
Daisy had said, from building up a
chain of drugstores.
3 He obviously feels that a pink tie is
in poor taste, and a real Oxford
man would most certainly have
impeccable taste in clothes.
Page 107 activity 3A
1 The reporter asked Nick why he
wouldnt help him.
2 Daisy asked if they were going to
come over later.
3 Daisy asked Tom where he had
gone.
4 Gatsby asked if he had ever been
to Montenegro.
5 He asked him where he had gone
during the summer.
K E Y T O T
6 Daisy asked what she would do
tomorrow and the next day and
the next day.
Page 107 activity 3B
1 What are you doing in my room?
she asked.
2 Why dont you ever tell the
truth? he asked her. (OR: Why
do you never tell the truth? he
asked her.)
3 Where is our car? they asked.
4 Have you eaten yet? I asked her.
5 Are you going to Gatsbys party?
they asked me.
6 Will you wear your white linen
suit? she asked me.
Page 108 activity 1
Open answers.
Page 108 activity 2
1 Tom was in a panic because he
was no longer sure about his wife
and girlfriend.
2 When they got to New York, they
began to argue about how to spend
the afternoon.
3 Daisy suffered greatly from the
heat.
4 Gatsby stayed at Oxford for five
months.
5 Gatsby had the opportunity to go
to Oxford because he had been an
officer.
6 Tom is very rude to Gatsby.
7 Gatsby told Tom that Daisy had
never loved him.
8 According to Gatsby, Daisy didnt
marry him because he was poor.
Chapter Eight
Page 120 activity 1
A 8 B 5 C 10 D 2 E 6 F 4 G 7 H 1
I9 J3
H E A C T I V I T I E S
Page 120 activity 2
Possible answers:
1 He is telling us that Daisy was
living this love affair in a
superficial way: she had never
really considered what seeing
Gatsby meant to her or anyone
elseshe just did it. So, at the
moment when she made a
commitment, she realized for the
first time what effects on her life
her actions would have.
2 They were probably planning how
to avoid having any trouble with
the law, and what they would say
to the police. As we later learn
they were actually planning to
leave Long Island altogether.
3 At this point it is clear that Daisy
has no intention of leaving Tom,
and that she and Tom will face the
problem of Myrtles death
together. The love affair with
Gatsby is completely over, and
Daisy would never dream of
asking Gatsby for help at this
point. The whole love affair now
means nothing to her, and
Gatsbys five years of effort to
attract her have disappeared like
his fabulous but vacuous parties.
Page 121 activity 3
Open answers.
Page 121 activity 4
Possible answer:
Dear Louise,
As you have probably guessed, I have a
lover. His name is Tom and I met him
on the train when I was going to New
York to see my sister. He was very
handsome and well-dressed. He came
up close to me and I could not resist
him. I wanted to though, and even
 K E Y T O T H E
when I got into a taxi with him for the
first time I wanted to leave, but a voice
inside me kept saying, You cant live
forever. You know what I mean:
happiness with George and his gas
station just never came, and before I
die I want some of lifes happiness for
myself. George, though, finally
discovered that I was having an affair.
He went mad with jealousy and locked
me in my room. He says he is going to
take me West. Well, now I am finished.
My love for Tom is destroying me and
when I saw him arrive at our gas
station this afternoon with his wife I
could have died from jealousy. Well, I
can see Tom coming round the corner
in that big yellow car he was driving
before. Ill just go and stop him. I will
write you another letter tomorrow.
Your friend forever,
Myrtle
American Literature
in the 1920s
Page 125 activity 1
1 He used a terse, colloquial,
journalistic style.
2 It was about expatriate Americans
living in Paris who travel to Spain.
3 He began his literary career with a
novel about the horrors and
futility of war, Three Soldiers. He
then went on to work in
experimental drama, and
published a political magazine.
However, he is best remembered
for his two great experimental
novels, Manhattan Transfer and
U.S.A., a trilogy.
4 She wrote mostly about the
snobbery and hypocrisy of upper-
class New York society, especially
that of her youth.
9 10
A C T I V I T I E S
5 He wrote about life in midwestern
America, its prejudices, ignorance
and worship of money.
6 The Pulitzer Prize.
7 The Nobel Prize because of the
prestige and recognition it
brought to American writers in
general.
8 Because they were written in a
difficult experimental style, and
they dealt with controversial
subjects such as racism and sex.
9 He worked as a scriptwriter.
Page 126 activity 2
1 on 2 in 3 for 4 own 5 as 6 while
7 up 8 that or which 9 made
10 more 11 out 12 spite
Page 126 activity 1
Open answers.
Chapter Nine
Page 134 activity 1
1 Because he wanted to wait for
Daisys call in case she needed
help.
2 Because he had never been in such
a magnificent house and, above
all, because Daisy lived there.
3 He made her believe that he too
came from a wealthy family.
4 He did very well, and even
became a captain before he went
away to fight.
5 Because she felt the pressure of
her wealthy environment to
accept invitations from other
young men, and to make a
decision about her future.
6 Because he was wealthy and
seemed like a solid young man
with whom she could trust her
future.
K E Y T O T
7 He was penniless.
8 He told him that he was better
than the whole bunch of them.
9 Because he really disapproved of
him.
10 He found the expensive dog leash.
11 Because he thought that he had
killed his wife.
12 He killed himself.
Page 134 activity 2
1 illegal 2 neighborhood 3 gangsters
4 bravery 5 able 6 earnings
7 responsible 8 sensational 9 finally
10 peacefully
Page 135 activity 1
1C 2C 3C 4A 5C 6A 7D
Page 135 activity 2
Open answers.
Chapter Ten
Page 147 activity 1
1 False They wrote grotesque lies.
2 False He cried a little, but this
was because he had reached an
age when death is no longer a
surprise.
3 True
4 True
5 False He did want to go, but he
never got mixed up in things of
that sort, i.e. a murder and a
suicide.
6 True
7 False He bought his father a
house, and went to visit him two
years before his death.
8 True
9 True (But the reader may doubt
his version.)
10 False He shook hands with him
because he thought it would be
H E A C T I V I T I E S
silly not to, since he then saw
him as an irresponsible child.
Page 147 activity 2
Open answers.
Page 148 activity 1
Possible answer:
This bit of poetry epitomises
Gatsbys courtship of Daisy: he tried
to win her with the magnificence of
his wealth. In addition, he does seem
like a young man showing off with
great physical feats (jumping up and
down) to impress his lover.
Page 148 activity 2
Possible answer:
Jay Gatsby was ashamed of his poor
background to begin with, and then
he was ashamed of his criminal
connections.
Page 148 activity 3
Possible answers:
1 Gatsby, despite the fact, that he
came from an extremely poor
family was able to become
wealthy.
2 Gatsby did become wealthy, but
he did so by becoming involved in
criminal activities.
Page 149 activity 4
Possible answers:
1 He tries to recreate the magical
moments that he had with Daisy
five years earlier.
2 In the context of the story, Nicks.
Gatsby does start up his affair
with Daisy again, but he cannot
eliminate everything that has
happened in the meantime:
Daisys marriage to Tom, her child
and his own illegal activities.
 K E Y T O T
Page 149 activity 5
Possible answers:
1 He means that she comes from a
respectable and wealthy family.
2 She becomes for him a kind of
goddess of wealth: his ambition to
become wealthy and to leave his
past of poverty behind, through
his love, blends inextricably with
her person.
3 He presents her as a superficial
and frightened young woman.
Certainly, he shows us why men
were attracted to her, but he does
not hesitate to show how little she
cares for herself first of all
and then for all those around her.
4 So that she will not understand
anything around her; for example,
she will not understand that her
husband is an unfaithful and
brutal.
Page 149 activity 6
Possible answers:
1 Tom has had love affairs since he
first got married but he never
once feels that there is anything
wrong with them. In fact, he never
even tries to hide them
particularly, but then he never
really faces the situation with
Daisy. In fact, we have the
impression that the problem of
being honest with Daisy never
even crosses his mind.
All he seems to care about is
having what he wants, but without
making any particular effort. With
Myrtle he does not wish to have to
make any effort at all, and so he
says that Daisy is Catholic and
cannot divorce.
Daisy too never wishes to really
11
H E A C T I V I T I E S
face the truth of Toms affairs,
which she knows about; and in the
same way she never tells Tom
about Gatsby except when she has
to. Also, like her husband, if telling
the truth requires an effort or
sacrifice she does not want to do
it. In the end, she does not even
tell her husband that she was
driving the car that killed Daisy.
Gatsby, too, is willing to invent
any story whatsoever to have
Daisy. In fact, he even invents an
entire past. He, too, does not seem
to care particularly whether he is
telling the truth or not. Telling the
truth does not seem to have any
real value. Only his suffering
makes him tell Nick the truth
about his life in the end.
2 When Nick says at the beginning
of the story that he considers
himself an honest person he
probably means this in the
simplest possible way, i.e. you
must always tell the truth. So
from this point of view, he does
not remain an honest person: he
does not break off his engagement
back home when he begins seeing
Jordan Baker, he does not
intervene during the court case
when Myrtles sister says that
Myrtle had no love affair (in fact,
he believes that she showed
surprising strength of character
by not telling the truth!), and,
most importantly, he does not tell
Tom that Daisy was driving the
car that killed Myrtle.
From another point of view,
though, we can say that Nick has
gained a more subtle vision of
reality during his summer. It is
K E Y T O T H E
clear that there would be nothing
to be gained by telling the court
that Myrtle was having a love
affair with Tom and it is difficult
to see what the point of telling
Tom about Daisy would have been.
In short, Nick no longer sees
things as being either true or false;
he begins to see various shades of
truth in the world.
Page 149 activity 7
Possible answers:
1 Tom, Daisy and Jordan.
2 Because at least Gatsby has made
a real effort for his love of Daisy,
and is even willing to go to prison
for her, while Tom, Daisy and
Jordan always take the easy way
out.
3 He does not approve of all his lies
and his ways in general, and he
certainly does not approve of his
illegal activities.
Page 149 activity 8
Possible answers:
1 There does seem to be real love
between them, or at least some
tenderness, but in the end, theirs
seems to be more of an alliance
between two rich and spoiled
people, as when they both leave
their home to escape any
unpleasant consequences of
Gatsbys death.
2 They seem to have been very
much in love. For Daisy, though,
this love does not stand up against
her desires to have a comfortable
2007 Black Cat Publishing,
an imprint of Cideb Editrice, Genoa, Canterbury
A C T I V I T I E S
place in upper-class society. In the
end, the only thing she seems to
really want is the comfortable life
money can provide. The fact that
she begins to cry when she sees
Gatsbys shirts is very revealing.
Gatsby, on the other hand, does
seem to really love Daisy, but this
love is so closely intertwined with
his desire to become somebody
important, that, in the end, we
feel that he is not that interested
in her as a person. When he argues
with Tom at the end of the book
about Daisy, they seem like two
men arguing over an object and
not the woman they love.
3 Jordan does not seem to have any
real interest in Nick; he is just
someone she can spend time with
because he has certain
characteristics that she likes: he is
honest and careful. Nick, too, does
not seem particularly interested in
Jordan: at times he feels in love
and at other times he doesnt. In
any case, he does not feel the need
to end his relationship with his
fiance back home in order to be
with Jordan.
4 Theirs is a tragic love story. The
squalor and the difficulties of their
life lead Myrtle to have her affair
with Tom, and certainly George
found it impossible to be a loving
husband with poverty pressing in
on him. In the end, though, George
seems to have had a great love for
his wife, which came out when she
was killed.
12
 E X I T T E S T
1 Answer the following questions.
1 What advice did Nicks father give him?
2 Why did Nick decide to come East?
3 Why did Tom and Daisy travel to where they traveled?
4 What was Daisys relation to Nick?
5 What was Myrtle like?
6 What was the surprising thing that Gatsby told Jordan Baker at the
party?
7 What was the unpleasant story that Nick had heard about Jordan
Baker?
8 What kind of people did Jordan Baker hate?
9 Where and when did Daisy meet Jay Gatsby?
10 In what condition was Daisy just before her wedding?
11 Why did Daisy cry when she saw Gatsbys shirts?
12 What did Gatsby see at night when he looked across the bay to
Daisys house?
13 How did Jay Gatsby feel about his parents?
14 Why did Gatsby stop throwing his wonderful parties?
15 What, according to Gatsby and Nick, was magical about Daisys
voice?
16 Why was the day Myrtle was killed a special day for Nick?
Photocopiable 2007 Black Cat Publishing
17 After his wifes death, who did George think Doctor Eckleburg was?
18 Who came to Jay Gatsbys funeral?
13
E X I T T E S T
2 Say whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F). Then
correct the false sentences.
T F
1 Nick Carraway came from a poor family.
2 West Egg was more fashionable than East Egg.
3 Tom was a big, rough man.
4 Doctor T. J. Eckleburg was Daisys doctor.
5 Tom told Myrtle that he could not divorce Daisy because
he was Catholic.
6 Many people who went to Gatsbys parties were not
actually invitedthey just went.
7 The first time Nick saw Jay Gatsby he recognized him
immediately.
8 Gatsby had really been to Oxford after the war
9 Gatsby moved to West Egg to be near Daisy.
10 When Gatsby offered Nick a job in the bond business
Nick refused.
11 Mr Cody made Jay Gatsby a wealthy man.
12 Gatsby decided to become rich because he could only
marry Daisy if he was a wealthy man.
13 Gatsby thought that he could bring back the moments
five years earlier when he and Daisy were in love.
14 Gatsby wanted Daisy to admit that she loved him along
Photocopiable 2007 Black Cat Publishing
with Tom.
15 Gatsbys car hit and killed Myrtle.
16 It was Tom who told George that Gatsby had been
driving the car that killed his wife.
17 Gatsby really did do very well in the war.
18 After her sisters death, Catherine told the police that
Myrtle had had a love affair with Tom.
14
 K E Y T O T H E E X I T T E S T

Activity 1
1 That whenever he felt like
criticizing someone, to always
remember that not everybody had
had the same advantages he had
had.
2 To learn the bond business.
3 They traveled to wherever people
were rich and played polo.
4 She was his second cousin.
5 She was in her mid-thirties, a bit
heavy, not beautiful, but rather
sensual.
6 That he wanted her to tell Nick to
invite Daisy to Nicks house.
7 That she had moved a ball during a
golf tournament in order to win.
8 Careless people (like herself).
9 She met him in her hometown,
Louisville, Kentucky just before
the war.
10 She was very drunk.
11 Because, she said, she had never
seen such beautiful shirts before.
12 A green light at the end of her
dock.
13 He did not see them as his real
parents because he felt that he
belonged to a totally different and
Photocopiable 2007 Black Cat Publishing
Activity 2
1 False His family had been
wealthy for three generations.
2 False East Egg was more
fashionable, i.e. it was where the
people with old money lived.
3 True.
4 False He was the man who
appeared on the billboard in the
valley of ashes, whom George
identified with God.
5 False He told Myrtle that Daisy
was Catholic and therefore they
could not get divorced.
6 True.
7 False He talked to him for a
while before Gatsby told him who
he was.
8 True.
9 True.
10 True.
11 False Gatsby did not become
wealthy until he began to work for
Mr Wolfshiem.
12 False Already as a young man,
Gatsby had decided that he
wanted to become wealthy. In
fact, he changed his name from
James Gatz to Jay Gatsby when he

more wonderful world. was seventeen.

14 Because he had already become 13 True.
reunited with Daisy, and the only 14 False He wanted her to admit
reason he had thrown his parties that she had never loved Tom.
in the first place was to attract 15 True.
Daisy. 16 True.
15 It was full of money. 17 True.
16 It was his thirtieth birthday. 18 False She told them that her
17 God. sister had had a happy marriage.
18 Nick Carraway, Gatsbys father
and the man with the enormous
round glasses.

15