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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "There Will Come Soft Rains".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is the best summary of how the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" compares to the short story of the same name?
(a) The poem focuses more on the survival of a world without humans.
(b) The poem is more hopeful about humankind's future.
(c) The poem is a darker version of the same ideas contained in the short story.
(d) The poem focuses more on the role of technology in humankind's demise.

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

3. Who is Baal?
(a) An Egyptian pharaoh.
(b) The dog that guards hell in Greek mythology.
(c) A pre-Christian god.
(d) A Mesopotamian warrior.

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

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. The line "And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn," contains an example of which technique?

2. What is thematically important about the cause of the fire in the kitchen?

3. "Seven-nine, breakfast time" is an example of which rhyming technique?

4. To what story do the robot mice allude?

5. On what date does the story begin?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 347 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample