Dark They Were and Golden Eyed Figurative Language

Which of the following quotations from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” contains a simile?

• The man felt . . . the tissues of his body draw tight as if he were standing

  at the center of a vacuum.

• At any moment the Martian air might draw his soul from him.

• A few tremblings shook him, but were carried off in waves of pleasant

  heat as he lay in the sun.

• And then the water can build on that skeleton—green things, deep water

  things, red things, yellow things.

In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what does the constant wind

on Mars most likely represent?

• the power of the environment to completely change the Earth people

• the sadness that Mr. Bittering feels when he cannot return to Earth

• the very hot weather on Mars that disturbs the Earth people

• the destruction of the Earth people’s settlement on Mars

Which quotation from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” best supports that the constant wind represents the power of the environment to completely change the Earth people?

• The wind blew as if to flake away their identities. At any moment, the

  Martian air might draw his soul from him, as marrow comes from a white

  bone.

• “Even the house. The wind’s done something to it. The air’s burned it.

  The fog at night.”

• The nights were full of wind that blew down the empty moonlit sea

  meadows past the little white chess cities lying for their twelve-

  thousandth year in the shallows.

• The captain looked at the room, the dusty windows, the blue mountains

  rising beyond, the canals moving in the light, and he heard the soft wind

  in the air. He shivered.

Which of these quotations from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” best supports that the lieutenant who has recently arrived from Earth likes the Martians and believes they are peaceful?

• The captain established headquarters in an abandoned bar. His lieutenant

  came back to report.

• “Dark people. Yellow eyes. Martians. Very friendly. . . . I’m sure our

  relations will be most friendly with them, sir.”

• “Six, eight hundred, I’d say, living in those marble ruins in the hills, sir.”

• “They hadn’t the foggiest notion of what happened to this town or its

  people.”

How does the use of figurative language most clearly add to the literal meaning of the underlined sentence excerpted in Part A?

• It suggests fear for the safety of the children.

• It conveys a sense of nostalgia for life on Earth.

• It expresses loss while suggesting the power of Mars.

- Read this excerpt from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed.”

Summer burned the canals dry.  Summer moved like flame upon the meadows.  In the empty Earth settlement, the painted houses flaked and peeled.  Rubber tires upon which children had swung in back yards hung suspended like stopped clock pendulums in the blazing air.

Which of the following best expresses the meaning of the underlined sentence in this excerpt?

• The rubber tire swings are peeling in the hot summer sun.

• The rubber tire swings swing back and forth in the breeze

• The rubber tire swings are no longer used as playthings.

Which of the following quotations from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” contains a simile?

• The man felt . . . the tissues of his body draw tight as if he were standing at the center of a vacuum.

• At any moment the Martian air might draw his soul from him.

• A few tremblings shook him, but were carried off in waves of pleasant heat as he lay in the sun.

• And then the water can build on that skeleton—green things, deep water things, red things, yellow things.

In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what is Mr. Bittering’s first clue that his world is changing?

• His children want to adopt Martian names.

• His garden grows green roses and purple grass.

• His wife’s and his children’s eyes turn a golden color.

• His neighbors calmly accept all the changes around them.

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what does the constant wind on Mars most likely represent?

• the power of the environment to completely change the Earth people

• the sadness that Mr. Bittering feels when he cannot return to Earth

• the very hot weather on Mars that disturbs the Earth people

• the destruction of the Earth people’s settlement on Mars

Which quotation from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” best supports the answer to Part A that asked "In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what does the constant wind on Mars most likely represent"?

• The wind blew as if to flake away their identities. At any moment, the Martian air might draw his soul from him, as marrow comes from a white bone.

• “Even the house. The wind’s done something to it. The air’s burned it. The fog at night.”

• The nights were full of wind that blew down the empty moonlit sea meadows past the little white chess cities lying for their twelve-thousandth year in the shallows.

• The captain looked at the room, the dusty windows, the blue mountains rising beyond, the canals moving in the light, and he heard the soft wind in the air. He shivered.