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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 hasn’t Mr. Trigg boarded up his windows against the attacking birds?

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

3. At what time is the news broadcast in the evening?

4. Who suggests that the army should shoot the birds out of the sky?

5. Why can’t Nat bury the bird bodies in his back garden?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How does Nat dispose of the bird carcasses that litter his yard after the first attack?

6. What does Nat find irritating about the radio announcer’s voice, and why?

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. How is the weather described on the morning of the first bird attack?

9. When do the birds first draw blood from Nat?

10. What theory does Mrs. Trigg present as the origins of the strange birds?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does "The Birds" reflect the theme of "man versus nature"? Do you believe this is the dominant theme in the story? Why or why not? If so, provide examples from the story which support your point. If not, explain what theme is dominant in the story. Provide examples to support your point.

Essay Topic 2

The story's setting in an isolated English coastal town is critical to the plot. Do you believe this is so? If so, how does the setting of the story ultimately affect the plot, especially in terms of isolation? If the setting is not critical to the plot, why not? Explain how setting the story elsewhere would not affect the plot.

Essay Topic 3

While "The Birds" is believed to have been allegorical to the Cold War, it is also believed that "The Birds" is a cautionary tale about the environment, or a warning about pushing nature too far. Which of these do you believe to be most accurate? Provide three examples from the text to support your claim. If you believe that "The Birds" is allegorical to all three options, provide one example speaking to each from the text.

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