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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Before signing off for the afternoon, when does the announcer promise to resume broadcast?
(a) Midnight.
(b) Noon.
(c) 7 o’clock am.
(d) 6 o’clock pm.

2. What had Mrs. Trigg attempted to use to fight off the birds, to no avail?
(a) An umbrella.
(b) A butcher’s knife.
(c) A rolling pin.
(d) A shovel.

3. What does Nat think the army should do to fight against the birds?
(a) Nothing – he knows it would be fruitless.
(b) Spray them with mustard gas.
(c) Drop a bomb.
(d) Shoot them with machine guns.

4. What does Nat realize the droning during dinner really is?
(a) The birds.
(b) Trigg’s truck.
(c) Gunfire.
(d) Fighter planes.

5. Which of the following is NOT one of the crucial supplies Nat seeks to collect?
(a) Light.
(b) Fuel.
(c) Water.
(d) Food.

6. When Nat exits the house to collect supplies, what does he notice about the land birds?
(a) Their eyes have turned black, as if they’re evil.
(b) They don’t communicate with each other.
(c) Their feathers have a red sheen, likely from their victims’ blood.
(d) They simply stare at him, apathetic to attack.

7. What sound fills the room when the news announcement fails to broadcast?
(a) Advertisements.
(b) Dance music.
(c) Static.
(d) Silence.

8. What does Nat worry about when he turns the wireless off?
(a) Saving the radio battery.
(b) How he will hear the news.
(c) Whether he has frightened the children.
(d) What happened to the news announcer.

9. Which type of dead bird litters the Trigg farm?
(a) Wrens.
(b) Gulls.
(c) Starling.
(d) Hawks.

10. What music, coming from the wireless radio, alerts Nat that something is wrong?
(a) Dance music.
(b) Classical music.
(c) Patriotic music.
(d) Rock music.

11. What has the farmhand died next to?
(a) His gun.
(b) The radio.
(c) A fishing net.
(d) The telephone.

12. How many journeys does Nat make between the farm and his home, loading up his car with supplies?
(a) 4.
(b) 5.
(c) 3.
(d) 2.

13. Between attacks, how is the sky frequently described?
(a) As crisp and bright.
(b) As wet and cloudy.
(c) As gray and stormy.
(d) As sunny and clear.

14. What excuse does Nat give when the morning news announcement fails to broadcast?
(a) He must have heard the time wrong.
(b) The birds must be clogging up the airwaves.
(c) The birds must have killed the announcer.
(d) The announcer must have forgotten.

15. Which character thinks an army attack against the birds would be a “waste of life”?
(a) Mr. Trigg.
(b) Nat Hocken.
(c) Mrs. Trigg.
(d) Mrs. Hocken.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the face of impending attacks, what does the announcer ask the population to do?

2. During the third attack, what room does Nat realize the birds have broken into?

3. After turning off the wireless, what time do the children finally fall asleep?

4. What does Nat notice about the Triggs’ telephone?

5. During the “special” dinner Nat’s prepared, how many birds break in?

(see the answer keys)

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