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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What is thematically important about the cause of the fire in the kitchen?
(a) The fire is started when the natural world intrudes into the house.
(b) The fire is started when the house's elaborate machinery begins to break down.
(c) The fire is started by the family dog.
(d) The fire is started when one of the cleaning mice knocks over a cleaning product.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bradbury say that the house is angry about when the dog shows up?

2. What is the first thing that the voice-clock announces?

3. What happens to the dog when it cannot get into the kitchen?

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

5. Who is Baal?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the image that ends the story and explain its significance.

2. How does Bradbury use the dates on which the story takes place as a form of foreshadowing?

3. Explain the purpose of the story's allusion to Longfellow's poem "The Children's Hour."

4. What is the likely purpose of including mechanical creatures such as rats and roaches?

5. What is the meaning of the silhouettes on the side of the house?

6. How do the cleaning mice allude to Cinderella, and what is the purpose of this allusion?

7. Explain the allusion to Odysseus's dog and how it functions in the story.

8. Explain the inclusion of the Sara Teasdale poem in this story.

9. What are the poses of the people in their silhouettes on the side of the house, and why are they important to notice?

10. Explain what is ironic about the rain in the nursery scenery.

(see the answer keys)

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