View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Mrs. Hocken insist on being taken to the farm with Nat?

2. Upon arriving at the Trigg farm, what does Nat notice about the sheep?

3. After the third attack, what emotion overcomes Nat?

4. What does Nat worry about when he turns the wireless off?

5. What music, coming from the wireless radio, alerts Nat that something is wrong?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Nat drive through the second gate to his home after leaving the Trigg farm?

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

3. How have the farm animals, on both the Hocken and Trigg properties, been affected by the attacks?

4. Why doesn’t Nat feel bad about stealing supplies from the Trigg farm, and how much does he gather?

5. Who is Jim, and how was he killed?

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

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

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

9. Why does Nat decide to take his family with him to the Trigg farm in search of supplies?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

In your opinion, why does the story have an ambiguous ending? Is this merely to elicit a reaction from the readers, or does the author have a deeper purpose? Is there an entirely different reason? Explain.

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 919 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample