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

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

3. The line "And swallows circling with their shimmering sound" is an example of which technique?
(a) Parallelism.
(b) Metaphor.
(c) Personification.
(d) Alliteration.

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

5. 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.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. On what date does the story begin?

3. What does the dog do once it gets inside the house?

4. To what famous dog is this dog an allusion?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the purpose of ending the story with the house fire? Why not just end it with the reading of the Teasdale poem?

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

3. What is ironic about Bradbury's use of rain in this story?

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

5. Explain what evidence there is that the house deliberately causes the dog's death.

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

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

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

9. In what way is the house's "speech" like nursery rhymes, and what is the purpose of this choice?

10. The garbage disposal in the kitchen is referred to as a "metal throat." What techniques are at use here, and what is their purpose?

(see the answer keys)

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