The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

Which of these statements would be unimportant in a summary of Act I?

• The power fails, telephones and portable radios do not work, and cars will not start.

• A boy says that the aliens would not like it if the neighbors left the town.

• A man reminds his neighbors that his family has lived on the street for five years.

• A roar and a flash of light interrupt the usual events in a neighborhood one evening.

Which of these details would not be important in a summary of the action of Act I?

• Electric appliances stop working.

• Neighbors wonder who among them is an alien.

• Pete Van Horn is tall and thin.

• Tommy says that no one should leave town.

At the climax, what single message underlies all of the characters' statements?

• I want my lights back on!

• I never believed in aliens!

• Somebody, call the police!

• Pick on them, not on me!

What can you conclude from the dialogue between Figures One and Two at the conclusion of “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”?

• They know how to control meteors and sunspots.

• They will settle on Maple Street as human beings.

• This is not the first town they have visited.

• They are successful only in small towns.

Which statement best summarizes the theme of “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”?

• If everyone is suspected of being dangerous, then no one is dangerous.

• Good neighbors should not object to being observed by the police.

• Neighborhoods should be prepared for an invasion from outer space.

• When neighbors suspect one another, they can destroy their community.

Which of these lines best expresses the theme of “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”?

• “No … no … it's nothing of the sort! I don't know why the lights are on.”

• “Maybe Peter there was trying to tell us something.”

• "They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find … and it's themselves.”

• “I was just tryin' to … tryin' to protect my home, that's all!”

Steve Brand:

• Probably the most sensible and calm character, seems to be a leader.

• He goes over to the next street to see if they lost power, shot and killed.

• The narrator and producer of the Twilight Zone series

• Tells her neighbors that her husband works on a ham radio in the basement

Pete VanHorn:

• He helps draw suspicion to Les, then directs it to Steve when he finds out about the radio

• He goes over to the next street to see if they lost power, shot and killed

• He is the first to be accused of causing the odd occurrences

• The most belligerent of the neighbors, shoots and kills his neighbor

Rod Serling:

• The narrator and producer of the Twilight Zone series.

• Tells her neighbors that her husband works on a ham radio in the basement.

• He proposes that the odd occurrences are caused by aliens.

• The most belligerent of the neighbors, shoots and kills his neighbor.

In Act I, what motivates Steve to explain the flash of light by talking about meteors and sunspots?

• He is from outer space and wants to act like a human being.

• He knows a lot about science and wants to educate his neighbors.

• He wants to reassure himself that there is nothing to fear.

• He wants to find the meteor and sell it to a collector.