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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. What is the reaction of nature to the end of human existence in the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains"?
(a) Nature is puzzled and uncertain.
(b) Nature is unaware and indifferent.
(c) Nature grieves the loss of humankind.
(d) Nature celebrates the end of humankind.

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

3. In which city does the story take place?
(a) San Francisco.
(b) Sacramento.
(c) Allendale.
(d) Petaluma.

4. 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) The house is evil.
(c) Technology can be dangerous.
(d) Nature and the house are in opposition.

5. From two thirty-five to four o'clock, what can readers infer that the family would ordinarily be doing?
(a) Cleaning.
(b) Playing cards and having a snack.
(c) Having friends over to eat and listen to the radio.
(d) They would still be at work and school.

Short Answer Questions

1. Just before the house collapses, what does it do?

2. What is the likely purpose of inserting the house's "dialogue" ("Help, help! Fire! Run, run!") into the scene that describes the fire consuming the house?

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

4. Who is Baal?

5. What happens at ten o'clock?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is suggested by the fact that the house repeats the date "three times for memory's sake"?

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

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

6. What is the difference between the focus of Teasdale's poem and the focus of Bradbury's short story?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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