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

2. At one point, Bradbury says that the house has a "preoccupation" with self-protection. What must be true about the house?
(a) It does not see a reason to try to protect itself.
(b) It is bored by the idea of protecting itself.
(c) It is constantly trying to protect itself.
(d) It is willing to do terrible things to protect itself.

3. What is the name of the poem that the house reads after dinner?
(a) "August 6."
(b) "There Will Come Soft Rains."
(c) "Fire and Ice."
(d) "The Children's Hour."

4. To what story do the robot mice allude?
(a) Beauty and the Beast.
(b) Little Red Riding Hood.
(c) Cinderella.
(d) Snow White.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What "delicacies" does the fire consume upstairs?

2. Which is the best summary of how the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" compares to the short story of the same name?

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

4. Why do the robot mice come out when they do?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. What is the intended effect of juxtaposing the images of the silhouettes with the description of the house's continued paranoia about intruders?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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