There Will Come Soft Rains

How does the reader learn where and when "There Will Come Soft Rains" takes place?

• The date and location are burned into the side of the house.

• The reader must figure it out using a variety of clues throughout the story.

• An electronic device states the time, date, and location at the beginning of the story.

• There is a newspaper on the kitchen table that shows the date and location of the story.

Where are the human beings in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

• They are at work or at school.

• They have moved to a different city.

• They have been killed by a nuclear bomb.

• They are being held prisoner in the basement of an automated house.

Which details show what has happened to the owners of the house in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

• The stove prepares a breakfast that goes uneaten.

• Mrs. McClellan likes to listen to poetry in the evenings.

• The house keeps itself clean and protects itself from harm.

• The shapes of four people are burned into the side of the house.

At the beginning of "There Will Come Soft Rains," the stove prepares eight pieces of toast, eight eggs, sixteen slices of bacon, two coffees, and two glasses of milk. What can you conclude is most likely to be true about the McClellan family, based on this information and other details?

• The family is having guests over for breakfast.

• Two of the family members are allergic to milk.

• The stove usually burns the toast and undercooks the eggs.

• There are four family members, and two of them are children.

How does the automated house "die" in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

• It is blown up in a nuclear blast.

• The electronic mice tear it down.

• It catches on fire and is unable to put the fire out.

• The owners move away, and the house stops functioning.

In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” what are the parents doing at the time of the tragedy?

• They are downstairs in the basement.

• They are outside working in the garden.

• They are sitting together in the nursery.

• They are playing bridge at the card table.

What is surprising about what happens to the dog in “There Will Come Soft Rains”?

• The robot mice are trained to recognize the dog but do not help it.

• The house tries to provide medical aid to the dog but it refuses help.

• The dog gets sick even though it has no outward symptoms of illness.

• The hungry dog cannot get food even though the house can still cook.