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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

4. In the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains," the plum trees are in "tremulous" white. Readers can infer that this refers to what?
(a) Ash.
(b) Butterflies.
(c) Blossoms.
(d) Snow.

5. What historical event is alluded to with the date given in the beginning of the story?
(a) The beginning of the Cold War.
(b) The bombing of Hiroshima.
(c) The first testing of a nuclear bomb.
(d) The beginning of World War II.

6. What happens to the dog when it cannot get into the kitchen?
(a) It leaves the house.
(b) It dies.
(c) It runs through the house breaking things.
(d) It scratches through the door.

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

8. In the sentence "The morning house lay empty," there is an example of which technique?
(a) Metaphor.
(b) Punning.
(c) Parallelism.
(d) Passive voice.

9. In the section about the nursery, Bradbury mentions the "sprockets" in the walls. What are "sprockets"?
(a) Cameras.
(b) Cogwheels.
(c) Robots.
(d) Insects.

10. What does Bradbury say that the house is angry about when the dog shows up?
(a) Needing to clean up the mud from its feet.
(b) That the dog is probably contagious.
(c) That the family is not with it.
(d) The disturbance to its routine.

11. What does Bradbury metaphorically compare the house to?
(a) A zoo.
(b) A closed umbrella.
(c) A bomb shelter.
(d) An elderly unmarried woman.

12. What is the first thing that the voice-clock announces?
(a) Time for work.
(b) Time for breakfast.
(c) Time to get up.
(d) It is raining.

13. What does the dog do once it gets inside the house?
(a) It begins eating the spoiled food.
(b) It looks through the house for the family's other dog.
(c) It falls asleep in the nursery.
(d) It barks at every door.

14. Where are the "aluminium roaches and iron crickets"?
(a) In the yard.
(b) In the walls.
(c) In the garage.
(d) In the nursery.

15. What happens at ten-fifteen?
(a) A window breaks.
(b) The sprinklers begin watering the lawn.
(c) The house shuts itself down.
(d) The nursery walls come to life.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What does Bradbury compare the chemical fire-fighting foam to?

3. What is the likely purpose of inserting the house's "dialogue" ("Help, help! Fire! Run, run!") into the scene that describes the fire consuming the house?

4. During the fire, what does Bradbury compare the house's dialogue to?

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

(see the answer keys)

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