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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "There Will Come Soft Rains".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the house let the dog in?
(a) It recognizes the dog.
(b) It is an accident.
(c) It is programmed to let in any dog or cat.
(d) It wants the dog to find the family.

2. What does the garage do when no one drives the car away?
(a) Waits and then closes again.
(b) Announces again that it is time to go to work and to school.
(c) Starts the car remotely.
(d) Uses the car horn to alert the family.

3. What is thematically important about the cause of the fire in the kitchen?
(a) The fire is started when the natural world intrudes into the house.
(b) The fire is started by the family dog.
(c) The fire is started when the house's elaborate machinery begins to break down.
(d) The fire is started when one of the cleaning mice knocks over a cleaning product.

4. What is the probable purpose of emphasizing the roundness of the smoke plume and the great quantity of smoke?
(a) It points out how little chance the house really had.
(b) It reminds the reader of a nuclear explosion.
(c) It reinforces the "technology versus nature" motif.
(d) There is an implied comparison to a woman's skirts.

5. At one point, Bradbury says that the house has a "preoccupation" with self-protection. What must be true about the house?
(a) It is bored by the idea of protecting itself.
(b) It does not see a reason to try to protect itself.
(c) It is willing to do terrible things to protect itself.
(d) It is constantly trying to protect itself.

Short Answer Questions

1. From two thirty-five to four o'clock, what can readers infer that the family would ordinarily be doing?

2. What is the house compared to as it burns to the ground?

3. Which room recreates the sights, sounds, and smells of the African savanna?

4. When the narrator tells readers that it seems like the voice-clock is worried that no one will get up, this is an example of what technique?

5. What does the house provide after dinner?

(see the answer key)

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