View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the image of the west wall meant to allude to?
(a) An asteroid strike.
(b) A recent riot in Los Angeles.
(c) The Biblical flood.
(d) Similar silhouettes at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

2. Where are the "aluminium roaches and iron crickets"?
(a) In the nursery.
(b) In the walls.
(c) In the garage.
(d) In the yard.

3. 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 role of technology in humankind's demise.
(b) The poem focuses more on the survival of a world without humans.
(c) The poem is more hopeful about humankind's future.
(d) The poem is a darker version of the same ideas contained in the short story.

4. What effect is the constant repetition and rhyming of the voice-clock probably meant to have?
(a) It echos the language of fairy tales and nursery rhymes.
(b) It demonstrates a positive attitude toward technology.
(c) It stresses the forgetfulness of the family.
(d) It reinforces the similarity of everything that the voice clock says.

5. What is the name of the family that owned the house?
(a) McClellan.
(b) Fitzpatrick.
(c) Longfellow.
(d) Arthur.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. What does Bradbury compare to Baal?

4. To what story do the robot mice allude?

5. Which room recreates the sights, sounds, and smells of the African savanna?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Explain the significance of the nursery decor.

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,166 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample