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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bradbury metaphorically compare the house to?

2. "Mr. Featherstone" is an example of what literary technique?

3. Who is the author of the poem that the house reads after dinner?

4. When the story ends, what is left standing?

5. What does the house do with the uneaten breakfast?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Explain the significance of the nursery decor.

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The tone of "There Will Come Soft Rains" is overwhelmingly ironic. But is that the intended mood? Remember that "tone" is the narrator's attitude, while "mood" has to do with the reader's feelings. What feelings do you think that this story is intended to create in the reader, and what textual evidence supports your ideas?

Essay Topic 2

Choose a symbol in "There Will Come Soft Rains" and explain how the symbol is employed. That is, how is it developed, what is its significance, and how does this help convey meaning?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the use of irony in "There Will Come Soft Rains." Explain both how irony is created and what purpose it serves in conveying meaning.

(see the answer keys)

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