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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. What type of birds were involved in the previous night’s attack?

2. What is the first thing Nat does when he hears about the other bird attacks?

3. What do the seagulls camouflage while Nat is burying the bird bodies?

4. When Nat sees the gulls circling overhead, what do they look like they’re waiting for?

5. After looking in the larder, how long does Nat reckon his family can survive with their current supplies?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nat think has caused the birds’ strange behavior?

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

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

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

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

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

7. During the news broadcast at dinner that night, what insight does the announcer give into the attacks?

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

9. How does Nat protect himself from the bird attack as he runs home from Jill’s bus stop?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Nat's relationship with his wife and family differ both before and after the attack of the birds? Why is this so?

Essay Topic 2

What is the initial response toward the bird attacks by the authorities? Why do they respond in the way that they do? What suggestions does Nat have for dealing with the birds? Are the birds ever dealt with? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

What signs that something is amiss does Nat notice early on in the story? Why does he notice these things when no one else does? How does Nat's ability to notice these things ultimately affect the fate of his character?

(see the answer keys)

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