The Pedestrian

A "pedestrian" is...

• a person on an adventure somewhere exotic.

• a person going about their day.

• a person walking along a road or in a developed area.

• a person running along a trail or track.

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In 'The Pedestrian', what are the "viewing screens"?

• Phones

• Televisions

• Microwaves

• Projectors

The reader is told that Leonard is 'alone in the world of 2053 A.D. or as good as alone' because

• he is afraid to talk to people.

• he is a loner.

• all of the other people died in a nuclear disaster.

• all the other people spend their free time watching television.

As Leonard walks, he is careful to make as little noise as possible because

• he doesn't want company.

• it's the only time he has to be alone.

• a person walking at night is alarming to most people and provokes the dogs.

• he is working out a plot for a story and needs quiet so he can think.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

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The sidewalks of the city are uneven and crumbling because:

• nobody walks, so sidewalks are no longer necessary.

• a shortage of steel reinforced rods has stopped their being repaired.

• nobody knows how to make sidewalks anymore.

• cement is in short supply.

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On his walk, Leonard passes houses that are dark except for a dim, grayish light coming from:

• Night lights.

• Security systems.

• Street lights.

• Viewing screens.

Leonard Mead chooses to walk instead of watching television because he

• dislikes television quiz shows.

• owns only a black-and-white television set.

• is secretly plotting against society.

• wants to experience life first hand.

Why is there no one in the police car?

• Leonard only imagines the car.

• The police are hidden.

• The police have been killed by a mugger.

• The car is automatically controlled.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

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Leonard is taken to a psychiatric center because

• the police assume he is crazy for walking.

• the police take everyone there.

• he is no longer married.

• the police think he is drunk.

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The story ends: "The car moved down the empty riverbed streets and off away, leaving the empty streets with the empty sidewalks and no sound and no motion for the rest of the chill November night." The effect of this passage is to:

• Reinforce the overall atmosphere of the "living dead" in the story.

• Allow the reader to know what happens to Leonard.

• Allow the reader to feel hopeful about the future.

• Remind the reader that the story is only fiction.

Tags

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