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Worksheets

Dark They Were & Golden Eyed

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 13mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why does the Bittering family leave Earth and move to Mars?

a)

They have relatives that live on Mars.

b)

They wanted to go on a family vacation.

c)

They wanted to escape the war on Earth.

d)

They heard the weather on Mars is much more agreeable than Earth's weather.

2.

Which of the following is NOT a change that the Bitterings notice on Mars?

a)

Their eyes start to turn gold/yellow.

b)

The roses start to turn green.

c)

Their cow grows a third horn.

d)

Their dog grows a third eye.

3.

What happens on Earth that causes the Bitterings to be stuck on Mars?

a)

The entire planet is destroyed in a war.

b)

The people on Earth run out of rocket fuel.

c)

An atom bomb hits New York, which stops the rocket from leaving Earth to go to Mars.

d)

The Martians invade Earth.

4.

Which answer best describes the change in Harry's attitude towards Mars?

a)

At first, Harry is anxious about living on Mars. Eventually he is satisfied with his new life.

b)

At first, Harry is optimistic about living on Mars, but eventually he is depressed by his new life.

c)

At first, Harry is excited about living on Mars, but eventually he is scared by his new life.

d)

At first, Harry is satisfied with living on Mars, but eventually, he is anxious about his new life.

5.

How do the men in town react to Harry Bittering's worries?

a)

They are angry

b)

They are excited to change

c)

They are worried too

d)

They are unconcerned

6.

What is the resolution of the story?

a)

The Bitterings become Martians and decide to stay on Mars.

b)

All of the humans on earth die and the Bitterings are alone.

c)

The war on Earth ends so the Bitterings return home.

d)

The new humans that arrive save the Bitterings from the Martians.

7.

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

a)

His children want to adopt Martian names.

b)

His neighbors calmly accept all the changes around them.

c)

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

d)

His garden grows green roses and purple grass.

8.

Based on the selection, the wind best symbolizes:

a)

the blast from the Atom bombs on Earth

b)

the forces of change

c)

distractions

d)

conversations between humans and martians

9.

What effect does this paragraph have on the mood of the story?


“Earth people left to the strangeness of Mars, the cinnamon dusts and wine airs, to be baked like gingerbread shapes in Martian summers, put into harvested storage by Martian winters. What would happen to him, the others? This was the moment Mars had waited for. Now it would eat them”

a)

It builds a sense of excitement for aliens

b)

It builds a feeling of fear and anxiety

c)

It builds a sense of pride that the Bitterings made the right choice to come to Mars

d)

It builds a feeling of anger

10.

Identify the kinds of conflict Harry is experiencing:

a)

he is struggling to develop a sense of confidence and venture out into the Martian hills

b)

he is struggling to get the men in town to help him with the rocket, but he is not fearful about what is going to happen on Mars.

c)

he is struggling to make his family want to stay on Mars and not return to Earth

d)

he is struggling to make the men in town help him with the rocket and is fearful of what is going to happen on Mars.

11.

Identify the change that did not occur to Harry’s family:

a)

his wife’s personality has changed

b)

his wife has golden eyes

c)

his children are described as being “metallic”

d)

his wife is described as very dark

12.

Which of the following best explains why Harry won’t eat anything that is grown in their garden?

a)

he believes that vegetables are disgusting

b)

he believes that the food has gone bad

c)

he believes that everything is touched by the wind

d)

he believes that the food grown in the Martian soil will contribute to his change

13.

Which answer best describes the change Harry's attitude toward Mars goes through

a)

At first, Harry is satisfied with living on Mars, but eventually he is anxious about his new life

b)

At first, Harry is excited about living on Mars, but eventually he is frightened by his new life

c)

At first, Harry is anxious about living on Mars, but eventually he is satisfied with his new life

d)

At first, Harry is optimistic about living on Mars, but eventually he is depressed by his new life

14.

Why does Harry decide to stop working on the rocket?

a)

rockets from Earth resume their visits to Mars

b)

he is afraid of how the Martians will react if he completes the rocket

c)

he doesn’t know how to build a rocket and doesn't have any materials

d)

he is talked into waiting until the autumn by the other men, and by then he doesn't care anymore

15.

Which sentence at the beginning of the story most clearly foreshadows, or provides a hint of, what will actually happen on Mars?

a)

“They looked at Martian hills that time had worn with a crushing pressure of years.”

b)

“He felt submerged in a chemical that could dissolve his intellect and burn away his past.”

c)

“Why, in ten years there’ll be a million Earthmen on Mars. Big cities, everything!”

d)

“And I wonder if those Martians mind us living here.”

16.

Harry got little assistance from others in building a rocket because...

a)

he had become cranky and difficult to work with

b)

everyone else thought that a rocket from Earth would arrive soon

c)

he was the only person who knew how to build one

d)

no one else cared about returning to Earth

17.

What happens when the men arrive in a rocket from Earth five years later?

a)

they finally rescue the people who arrived earlier

b)

they are excited about joining the previous settlers in their adventure on Mars

c)

they are shocked to discover how the Earth people have changed on Mars

d)

they are puzzled by the total disappearance of the settlers

18.

What does the changing of the peach tree foreshadow?

a)

the eventual change in the war on Earth

b)

the eventual change of the seasons on Mars

c)

the eventual change that the humans will undergo

d)

the eventual change of the new rocket ship arriving

19.

All of the following are ways that Bradbury develops the unusual environment on Mars EXCEPT:

a)

the cow growing a third horn

b)

Harry building the rocket

c)

the grass turning purple

d)

the roses turning green

20.

What can be inferred from Harry’s action of eating the sandwich?

a)

he is really hungry and wants to eat

b)

he would rather die than change

c)

he would rather change than die

d)

he is starting to accept that he will become different

21.

What can you infer from the actions of the lieutenant during the following conversation with the captain at the end of the story?


“What do you think of naming those mountains the Lincoln Mountains, this canal the Washington Canal, those hills - we can name those hills for you, Lieutenant. Diplomacy. And you, for a favor, might name a town for me. Polishing the apple. And why not make this the Einstein Valley, and further over ... are you listening, Lieutenant?” The lieutenant snapped his gaze from the blue color and the quiet mist of the hills far beyond the town. “What? Oh, yes, Sir.”

a)

The lieutenant does not agree that they should give Earth names to Martian land features.

b)

The lieutenant is already beginning the process of changing into a Martian.

c)

The lieutenant wants to go back to Earth.

d)

The lieutenant is concerned about what happened to the Bitterings.

22.

What does Harry come to realize in the following sentence:

“Mr. Bittering put his hand to his head. He thought of the silly rocket, himself working alone, himself alone even among his family, so alone.”

a)

not even his family wishes to return home

b)

the rocket will bring him closer to his family

c)

he is more determined to return home than ever

d)

his urgency to finish the rocket has increased

23.

What is tone?

a)

the genre of a story or a piece of writing

b)

the author's reason for writing a story

c)

a literary element that causes certain feelings, emotions, or vibes in the reader.

d)

the narrator’s attitude towards his or her subject.

24.

Mood deals mainly with..

a)

the reader

b)

the author

c)

the protagonist

d)

the conflict

25.

Tone deals mainly with..

a)

the author

b)

the reader

c)

the conflict

d)

the resolution