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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. What causes the house to temporarily "give up" as the fire spreads?
(a) It has begun to rain outside.
(b) The house is ready to "die."
(c) The house is waiting for the flames to reach the attic.
(d) There is no more water.

2. The line "And swallows circling with their shimmering sound" is an example of which technique?
(a) Parallelism.
(b) Alliteration.
(c) Metaphor.
(d) Personification.

3. When the fire travels outside and up the sides of the house, it is described as what?
(a) Treacherous.
(b) Overwhelming.
(c) Clever.
(d) Mischievous.

4. 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 is constantly trying to protect itself.
(c) It is willing to do terrible things to protect itself.
(d) It does not see a reason to try to protect itself.

5. What is the reaction of nature to the end of human existence in the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains"?
(a) Nature grieves the loss of humankind.
(b) Nature is puzzled and uncertain.
(c) Nature celebrates the end of humankind.
(d) Nature is unaware and indifferent.

Short Answer Questions

1. What effect is the constant repetition and rhyming of the voice-clock probably meant to have?

2. What is the probable purpose of emphasizing the roundness of the smoke plume and the great quantity of smoke?

3. What is the name of the poem that the house reads after dinner?

4. What allusion is present in the weather box's announcement of the rain?

5. Just before the house collapses, what does it do?

(see the answer key)

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