The Pedestrian

Mr. Mead passes many houses and their windows are usually dark. The author compares walking at night through the empty streets to walking through a _______.

• graveyard

• tunnel

• hayfield

• forest

Why were the police suspicious of Mr. Leonard Mead?

• He was wearing sneakers

• He's not married

• He was outside at night

• He tried to run from the police car

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 firsthand

How does the mood shift, or change, from paragraph one to paragraph two?

• dreary to encouraging

• innocently friendly to suddenly eerie

• oddly familiar to confusing

• exciting to boring

Why does the author refer to the people in their homes as “gray phantoms?”

• he’s implying that they are full of life

• he’s implying that they are lifeless

• he’s implying that they are curious

• he’s implying that they are scared

Why does the police car respond “No profession” when Mead says that he is a writer.

• He doesn’t make enough money for it to be considered a career.

• He isn’t a well-known author.

• Reading and writing isn’t valued in their society.

• The police car didn’t hear his response.

Based on this story, how do you think the author feels about society’s progression with the advances of technology?

• Ray Bradbury is hopeful that the advances in technology will continue to improve society.

• Ray Bradbury is concerned that technology will turn people into “cold police cars” rather than “warm, human Mr. Meads.”

• Ray Bradbury is concerned that people won’t read anymore.

• Ray Bradbury is excited that technology will provide more extracurricular activities for people to enjoy.

Which of the following statements would NOT be considered a theme of this story?

• Technology destroys human thought, feelings, and individuality.

• Technology distracts people from experiencing the world around them.

• Technology deadens feelings, knowledge, and life in people.

• Technology decreases crime and makes a society feel safer.

Where was Mr. Mead taken?

• Jail

• Home

• The hospital

• The Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies

Why is Mr. Mead taken to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies at the end of the story?

• Because he tried to run from the police.

• Because he kept questioning the police officer.

• Because he had 'regressed' to the old ways of living.

• Because there was not a jail