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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What haunting sound does Nat hear when the birds start to attack on his way home from the bus stop?
(a) The beating of wings.
(b) The birds’ screeching cry.
(c) The screams of his neighbors.
(d) The smash of automobiles crashing.

2. While Nat prepares for the next bird attack, what does his wife do?
(a) She washes her hair.
(b) She gossips on the phone.
(c) She paints her fingernails.
(d) She makes dinner.

3. What does Mr. Trigg think is affecting the birds’ behavior?
(a) The weather
(b) Air traffic.
(c) Pollution.
(d) The tides..

4. While waiting at the bus stop, how does Nat know the birds are headed inland?
(a) By their cries.
(b) By their size.
(c) By their speed.
(d) By the wind.

5. According to the news, which of these is NOT a way the attacks affected London?
(a) People began fleeing the city.
(b) Traffic came to a standstill.
(c) Crowds of people gathered on the streets.
(d) Work was abandoned.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which aspect of the birds’ behavior does Nat find most interesting?

2. How many birds does Nat kill during the attack in the children’s bedroom?

3. During which month does the story open?

4. What does Mr. Trigg do for a living?

5. At the story’s opening, how does Nat describe the birds’ strange behavior?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Nat fight the birds away from his children during the first attack?

2. What startling sight does Nat see while on the beach?

3. When does Nat typically watch the birds, and what does he notice about them when the story opens?

4. What is Nat’s mental state when he returns home from the bus stop?

5. What supplies do the Hockens have at home, and what does Nat list as necessities to buy the next time he’s in town?

6. How does Mrs. Hocken react when Nat starts boarding up the windows and doors?

7. What does Mrs. Hocken think the army should do to battle the birds, and what is Nat’s reaction to his wife’s idea?

8. Why does Nat rush to the bus stop, early, to meet Jill from school?

9. Why is Nat filled with “a kind of excitement” upon returning home from the beach?

10. What does Nat Hocken do for a living, and why does he enjoy it?

(see the answer keys)

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