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

2. While driving home from the farm, whose body does Mrs. Hocken spot, and request Nat drive carefully around?

3. After battling birds in the kitchen, what does Nat ask his wife for?

4. Whose body is found next to the Triggs’ telephone?

5. With each attack, what has changed about the birds?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does silence fill the Hocken house after the third attack, and what does this mean?

2. What does Mrs. Hocken chide Johnny about during dinner in the story’s final section, and why is this ironic?

3. What state are Mr. and Mrs. Trigg in when Nat arrives at their house?

4. How does Nat use the bird corpses to reinforce his barricades, and how does he feel about this?

5. Why does Nat feel a sense of admiration for the birds?

6. What is the droning sound that the Hockens hear during their dinner, and why does it stop?

7. How does Nat feel about the army sending reconnaissance forces to battle the birds?

8. During the final attack, what does Nat wonder about the birds’ mindset?

9. When Nat leaves the house for the first time to gather supplies, what does he notice about the birds?

10. What does Nat realize is the force behind the bird attacks, and what does this mean to his survival planning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Symbolism is an important element of "The Birds." Find three symbolic elements, incidents, or objects in the story. Explain how the elements are symbolic and why they are important.

Essay Topic 2

What is unique about the past of the character Nat Hocken? How does his past affect him in the present? Does this set him apart from other characters in the story? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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This section contains 866 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample