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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To what story do the robot mice allude?
(a) Little Red Riding Hood.
(b) Cinderella.
(c) Snow White.
(d) Beauty and the Beast.

2. What has happened to the city around the house?
(a) It has been flooded by massive rains.
(b) It has been leveled by a bomb.
(c) It has been leveled by an earthquake.
(d) It has been flooded by a burst dam.

3. The line "And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn," contains an example of which technique?
(a) Paradox.
(b) Personification.
(c) Metaphor.
(d) Oxymoron.

4. "The house tried to save itself" is an example of which technique?
(a) Paradox.
(b) Onomatopoeia.
(c) Alliteration.
(d) Personification.

5. What is the name of the poem that the house reads after dinner?
(a) "Fire and Ice."
(b) "August 6."
(c) "The Children's Hour."
(d) "There Will Come Soft Rains."

6. What is unusual about the images of the African animals?
(a) Their faces.
(b) Their colors.
(c) Their shapes.
(d) Their sizes.

7. When the windows break and the wind makes the fire grow and spread, which thematic motif is reinforced?
(a) The house is a part of nature.
(b) Nature and the house are in opposition.
(c) The house is evil.
(d) Technology can be dangerous.

8. What does the breakfast stove make for breakfast?
(a) Pancakes.
(b) Eggs and hash browns.
(c) Pancakes and bacon.
(d) Eggs, toast, and bacon.

9. What is the name of the family that owned the house?
(a) Fitzpatrick.
(b) McClellan.
(c) Longfellow.
(d) Arthur.

10. On what date does the story begin?
(a) August 4.
(b) August 6.
(c) April 6.
(d) April 4.

11. What "delicacies" does the fire consume upstairs?
(a) Vinyl record albums by famous singers.
(b) The children's toys.
(c) The clothing of every member of the family.
(d) Paintings by well-known artists.

12. Who does the story imply is still alive in the city?
(a) No one.
(b) A few scientists.
(c) Some animals.
(d) The wealthy.

13. 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 is unaware and indifferent.
(d) Nature grieves the loss of humankind.

14. 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 one of the cleaning mice knocks over a cleaning product.
(c) The fire is started when the house's elaborate machinery begins to break down.
(d) The fire is started when the natural world intrudes into the house.

15. Why does the dog want to get into the kitchen so badly?
(a) The rest of the house is filling with smoke.
(b) Its food dish is in the kitchen.
(c) The house has begun making pancakes.
(d) It thinks the family is in the kitchen.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Where are the "aluminium roaches and iron crickets"?

3. Who is the author of the poem that the house reads after dinner?

4. Bradbury mentions that martinis "manifested" on tables. What did the martinis do?

5. When the fire travels outside and up the sides of the house, it is described as what?

(see the answer keys)

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