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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. Just before the house collapses, what does it do?
(a) It dumps out all of the liquor, coffee, and milk in one last attempt to fight the fire.
(b) It announces the wrong date and time.
(c) It begins performing multiple functions over and over.
(d) It shuts down entirely except for its "voice" function.

2. What is the house compared to as it burns to the ground?
(a) A bomb.
(b) A bonfire.
(c) A cigar.
(d) A skeleton.

3. Bradbury mentions that martinis "manifested" on tables. What did the martinis do?
(a) Sparkled.
(b) Spilled.
(c) Evaporated.
(d) Appeared.

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

5. Who is the author of the poem that the house reads after dinner?
(a) Bradbury.
(b) Teasdale.
(c) Thomas.
(d) Longfellow.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bradbury say that the house is angry about when the dog shows up?

2. What historical event is alluded to with the date given in the beginning of the story?

3. What does Bradbury say is like "an altar with ten-thousand attendants"?

4. To what does the phrase "the children's hour" allude?

5. Who does the story imply is still alive in the city?

(see the answer key)

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