Rappaccini's Daughter

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Reading Check

1. In what country does “Rappaccini’s Daughter” take place?

2. What is wrong with Beatrice?

3. How does Giovanni know Professor Baglioni?

4. Why is Giovanni in the city?

5. Who is Lisabetta?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How is Rappaccini described?

2. Of what does Professor Baglioni accuse Rappaccini?

3. What happens to the lizard when moisture from the flower falls on it?

4. When Baglioni comes to visit Giovanni, what does he notice in Giovanni’s chamber that confuses him?

5. How does Giovanni treat Beatrice in their final meeting?

Paired Resource

“Enter the Deadliest Garden in the World”

• This 2-minute video guides the viewer through a brief tour of the Poison Garden in Northumberland, England.
• This resource connects to the theme of Cures and Poisons.
• Though “Rappaccini’s Daughter” is a work of fiction, how likely do you think it might be for it to become a reality through modern science? Which poisonous plant might work best to accomplish this?

Recommended Next Reads 

“The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne