Question

1. How is it that Charlie thinks Ms. Kinnian is not as old or a genius as before?

2. Is Charlie really in love with Ms. Kinnian? Explain.

Excerpt:

I don't understand why I never noticed how beautiful Miss Kinnian
really is. She has brown eyes and feathery brown hair that comes to the top
of her neck. She's only thirty-four! I think from the beginning I had the feeling
that she was an unreachable genius-and very, very old. Now, every time I
see her she grows younger and more lovely.
We had dinner and a long talk. When she said that I was coming along
so fast that soon I'd be leaving her behind, I laughed.

"It's true, Charlie. You're already a better reader that I am. You can read
a whole page at a glance while I can take in only a few lines at a time. And
you remember every single thing you read. I'm lucky if I can recall the main
thoughts and the general meaning."
"I don't feel intelligent. There are so many things I don't understand."
She took out a cigarette and I lit it for her. "You've got to be a little
patient. You're accomplishing in days and weeks what it takes normal people
to do in half a lifetime. That's what makes it so amazing. You're like a giant
sponge now, soaking things in. Facts, figures, general knowledge. And soon
you'll begin to connect them, too. You'll see how the different branches of
learning are related. There are many levels, Charlie, like steps on a giant
ladder that take you up higher and higher to see more and more of the world
around you.
"I can see only a little bit of that, Charlie, and I won't go much higher
than I am now, but you'll keep climbing up and up, and see more and more,
and each step will open new worlds that you never even knew existed." She
frowned. "I hope ... I just hope to God-"
"What?"
"Never mind, Charles. Ijust hope I wasn't wrong to advise you to go into
this in the first place."
I laughed. "How could that be? It worked, didn't it? Even Algernon is still
smart."
We sat there silently for a while and I knew what she was thinking about
as she watched me toying with the chain of my rabbit's foot and my keys. I
didn't want to think of that possibility any more than elderly people want to
think of death. I knew that this was only the beginning. I knew what she
meant about levels because I'd seen some of them already. The thought of
leaving her behind made me sad.
I'm in love with Miss Kinnian.

Answer 1

1. When she says "It's true, Charlie. You're already a better reader than I am." He interprets it as her telling him that he is a fast learner and very smart.

2. Charlie is not actually in love with Ms. Kinnian, but he is very fond of her. He likes how she compliments him and helps him out. Plus, He thinks she is pretty! Though, this is not love.