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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. 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) Waits and then closes again.
(c) Starts the car remotely.
(d) Uses the car horn to alert the family.

3. The robot mice are said to live in "warrens." This means that they live in what?
(a) Plastic sleeves.
(b) Racks.
(c) Networks of tunnels.
(d) Small boxes.

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 willing to do terrible things to protect itself.
(b) It is bored by the idea of protecting itself.
(c) It is constantly trying to protect itself.
(d) It does not see a reason to try to protect itself.

5. What does the house provide after dinner?
(a) Music and hot chocolate.
(b) Games and snacks.
(c) A warm bath.
(d) A fire and a cigar.

6. 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 unaware and indifferent.
(c) Nature celebrates the end of humankind.
(d) Nature is puzzled and uncertain.

7. When the story ends, what is left standing?
(a) One wall of the house.
(b) A distant building.
(c) A tree.
(d) Nothing.

8. 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.

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

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

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

12. Which is the best summary of how the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" compares to the short story of the same name?
(a) The poem is a darker version of the same ideas contained in the short story.
(b) The poem focuses more on the survival of a world without humans.
(c) The poem is more hopeful about humankind's future.
(d) The poem focuses more on the role of technology in humankind's demise.

13. In the image of animals, the panther is said to be "cavorting." What is this panther doing?
(a) Sleeping.
(b) Hunting.
(c) Playing.
(d) Eating.

14. To what does the phrase "the children's hour" allude?
(a) A poem by Longfellow.
(b) A poem by Teasdale.
(c) A fairy tale.
(d) A nursery rhyme.

15. What is the image of the west wall meant to allude to?
(a) A recent riot in Los Angeles.
(b) Similar silhouettes at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
(c) An asteroid strike.
(d) The Biblical flood.

Short Answer Questions

1. The use of sentence fragments in the description of the spreading fire is probably intended to create what effect?

2. "The house tried to save itself" is an example of which technique?

3. The line "And swallows circling with their shimmering sound" is an example of which technique?

4. To what does Bradbury compare folding tables?

5. When the windows break and the wind makes the fire grow and spread, which thematic motif is reinforced?

(see the answer keys)

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