View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. "Mr. Featherstone" is an example of what literary technique?
(a) Paradox.
(b) Epithet.
(c) Oxymoron.
(d) Kenning.

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

5. To what famous dog is this dog an allusion?
(a) Cerberus.
(b) Buck, from Call of the Wild.
(c) Odysseus's dog.
(d) President Lincoln's dog.

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

7. 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.

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

9. Why do the robot mice come out when they do?
(a) There is food spilled near the table.
(b) They are looking for the family.
(c) They mistake the noise of the rain for an intruder.
(d) They are programmed to come out at nine-fifteen.

10. What effect is the constant repetition and rhyming of the voice-clock probably meant to have?
(a) It demonstrates a positive attitude toward technology.
(b) It echos the language of fairy tales and nursery rhymes.
(c) It reinforces the similarity of everything that the voice clock says.
(d) It stresses the forgetfulness of the family.

11. "Seven-nine, breakfast time" is an example of which rhyming technique?
(a) Identical rhyme.
(b) Eye rhyme.
(c) Slant rhyme.
(d) End rhyme.

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

13. 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.

14. What is the probable purpose of emphasizing the roundness of the smoke plume and the great quantity of smoke?
(a) There is an implied comparison to a woman's skirts.
(b) It reinforces the "technology versus nature" motif.
(c) It points out how little chance the house really had.
(d) It reminds the reader of a nuclear explosion.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. To what story do the robot mice allude?

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

3. The robot mice are said to live in "warrens." This means that they live in what?

4. In the section about the nursery, Bradbury mentions the "sprockets" in the walls. What are "sprockets"?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 575 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample