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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Why does the house let the dog in?
2. What does "feathery fire" describe in the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains"?
3. What does Bradbury compare the chemical fire-fighting foam to?
4. What is the image of the west wall meant to allude to?
5. What is the name of the family that owned the house?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is the purpose of ending the story with the house fire? Why not just end it with the reading of the Teasdale poem?
2. What are the poses of the people in their silhouettes on the side of the house, and why are they important to notice?
3. Describe the image that ends the story and explain its significance.
4. What is the meaning of the silhouettes on the side of the house?
5. Explain the inclusion of the Sara Teasdale poem in this story.
6. What is the intended effect of juxtaposing the images of the silhouettes with the description of the house's continued paranoia about intruders?
7. What is ironic about Bradbury's use of rain in this story?
8. In what way is the house's "speech" like nursery rhymes, and what is the purpose of this choice?
9. What is the likely purpose of including mechanical creatures such as rats and roaches?
10. Explain the significance of the nursery decor.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The narrator of "There Will Come Soft Rains" is a very traditional third-person narrator, taking a removed and seemingly unbiased stance on the events of the story. But is that actually the case? What evidence do you see that the narrator actually does have an opinion about these events?
Essay Topic 2
Analyze how Bradbury uses structure to convey meaning in "There Will Come Soft Rains." Explain what the structure is, how it is created, and how this helps advance a particular message.
Essay Topic 3
Bradbury uses details in his story that create a portrait of a comfortable, middle-class family of the mid-twentieth century. Bridge, cigars, egg-salad, martinis, and surprisingly large breakfasts all help create this picture. Of course, these details are less relevant to today's audience. If you were rewriting "There Will Come Soft Rains" for today's audiences and wanted to include details that would immediately tell the reader "This is a middle-class family that likes its creature comforts," what details would you include, and why?
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This section contains 1,057 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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