"By the Waters of Babylon" short story

Which of the following best describes the main setting of "By the Waters of Babylon"?

• A futuristic city in Europe

• A post-apocalyptic landscape in North America

• A medieval village in Asia

• An island in the Pacific Ocean

What is the primary motivation for the narrator's journey to the Place of the Gods?

• To find food for his family

• To prove his bravery and gain knowledge

• To escape from his tribe

• To meet the gods and become the chosen one

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Which line best reflects John's ultimate realization of the "gods" and what had happened to them?

• "Sometimes signs are sent by bad spirits. I waited again on the flat rock, fasting...."

• “They were men—they went a dark road, but they were men.”

• There are many pigeons, nesting and

  dropping in the towers—the gods must have loved them, or, perhaps, they used them

  for sacrifices.

• A mighty temple it must

  have been... It went down into great caves and

  tunnels—perhaps they kept their slaves there.

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

The most accurate one-sentence summary of the main plot of "By the Waters of Babylon" would be:

• A young man travels to a forbidden city and learns the truth about its past.

• A man builds a raft to escape his village in search of a better place to life

• A scientist invents a new form of energy and revives a destroyed town

• A family survives a natural disaster.

Which of the following best explains why the narrator decides to tell his people the truth about the Place of the Gods at the end of the story?

• He wants to become the new chief

• He believes knowledge should be shared for progress

• He wants to scare them

• He is forced by his father

How does the author use the motif of forbidden knowledge in the story?

• To show that curiosity leads to punishment and terrible outcomes

• To highlight the importance of questioning and learning

• To demonstrate the power of magic

• To encourage obedience to rules

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which event marks the climax of "By the Waters of Babylon" where the narrator comes to the critical realization about the "gods" and the dead places?

• John’s return to his village

• John’s discovery of the "dead god" in the city

• John’s perspective of the city’s destruction

• John’s conversation with his father

Which line best supports the idea that the “Great Burning” was caused by a nuclear war due to mankind's misuse of knowledge?

• "It was fire falling out of the sky...even after the city had become a

  Dead Place, for many years the poison was still in the ground."

• “It is forbidden to cross the river or walk in the dead places, for spirits linger there.”

• Everywhere went the gods, on foot and in chariots—there

  were gods beyond number and counting and their chariots blocked the streets."

• There should have been the wailings of spirits and the shrieks of

  demons, but there were not. It was very silent and sunny where I had landed"

Which line best reveals that John's character is one who is determined and seeks growth?

• “I am the son of a priest.”

• “knowledge made me happy—it was like a fire in my heart.”

• “I saw the dead places and I saw the god-roads.”

• “I looked out upon the city of the gods.”

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CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.2.6

John's people believe the "gods" were divine beings, but later he realizes they were just human beings and the "dead places" are simply the ruins of an old civilization. This twist undermines the foundation of his people's myths. The reader is likely to have come to this realization faster than the character himself due to his limited world view. This is called:

• personification

• irony

• imagery

• foreshadowing

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.7