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Worksheets

There will come soft rains

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 2hrs 52mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why was the city "rubble and ashes"?

a)

There was an earthquake

b)

There was a nuclear explosion

c)

There was a hurricane

d)

There was a wildfire

2.

What was burned onto the side of the house?

a)

The dog playing outside

b)

The mother's garden

c)

Wild animals

d)

A silhouette of the family

3.

When does the story take place?

a)

January, 1950

b)

July, 2010

c)

August, 2026

d)

November, 1941

4.

How does the house respond to the fire?

a)

It tries to put it out

b)

It doesn't do anything

c)

It goes about it's regular routine

d)

It opens all the windows and doors

5.

What finally happens to the house?

a)

It's able to put out the fire

b)

It burns down

c)

It scares away all animals

d)

It's left standing in spite of the fire

6.

How does Bradbury's description of the spreading fire suggest the limits of technology?

a)

Nature cannot go up against the power of technology.

b)

Technology will always be more powerful that nature.

c)

Nature will never be powerful enough to overcome the advancements of technology.

d)

As advanced as the house's protective features are, technology can't overcome the power of nature.

7.

What is the definition of "charred"?

a)

Parched by thirst

b)

A shadow

c)

Become discolored

d)

Burnt and blackened

8.

What does "silhouette" mean?

a)

The outline of something against a lighter background

b)

To shutdown

c)

An irrational fear brought on by mental illness

d)

Bubbled and blistered from heat

9.
Why does the first sentence turn out to be ironic? 
In the living room the voice-clock sang, "Tick-tock, seven o'clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o'clock!" as if it were afraid that nobody would."
a)
It really isn't 7:00. 
b)
There is no one in the house to get up or hear the clock. 
c)
The clock says tick tock instead of actually ticking.
d)
 The story is set in the future, but clocks are still used.
10.
How does the voice clock respond to the fact that no one reacts to it? 
a)
It asks why no-one is responding.
b)
 It becomes louder. 
c)
It turns itself off. 
d)
It continues doing it's job. 
11.
How did the dog die?
a)
Starvation and lack of human care.
b)

It died in a nuclear blast.

c)
It was attacked by robot mice.
d)
The house killed it.
12.
Which of the following is a theme from the story?
a)
Technology is amazing and should be used whenever possible.
b)
Nuclear weapons are essential to survival.
c)
Humans should be wary of technology and it's potential to make humans disposable.
d)
Eat lots of bacon.
13.
 Which of the following describes the tone of the house's announcements?
a)
pleasant
b)
lonley
c)
sarcastic/nasty
d)
threatening
14.
Why is no one home?
a)
 The house is too expensive to operate.
b)
Everyone is at work or school.
c)
Everyone has been killed.
d)
 The house is for sale. 
15.
 What happened next after the tree bough crashes through the kitchen window? 
a)
The dog whines because it is hungry. 
b)
The robot mice came to clean the floor.
c)
A bottle of solvent breaks open; the house catches on fire.
d)
Breakfast is prepared.
16.
How does the author arrange the chronological order in this story? 
a)
Use of a clock which announces the time in each new section. 
b)
He numbers each section of the story. 
c)
He discusses how the dog's hunger increases.
d)
He uses a robotic voice that serves as a calendar.
17.
Reread the "At eight -thirty the eggs ..." paragraph. What is the best paraphrase? 
"At eight-thirty the eggs were shriveled and the toast was like stone. An aluminum wedge scraped them into the sink, where hot water whirled them down a metal throat which digested and flushed them away to the distant sea. The dirty dishes were dropped into a hot washer and emerged twinkling dry."
a)
No one appreciated the machines' hard work 
b)
Cold food and dirty dishes give the machines' hard work
c)
Machines scraped the cold food into a garbage disposal. 
d)
The breakfast and the dirty dishes had to be cleaned up.
18.
The protagonist in "There Will Come Soft Rains" is 
a)
the McClellan family
b)
the dog
c)
the voice in the walls
d)
the house
19.
Who was the antagonist in the story?
a)
the house 
b)
the fire
c)
the dog
d)
the house and thermal flash images 
20.

Who wrote the short story There Will Come Soft Rains?

a)

Ray Bradbury

b)

Sara Teasdale

c)

Charles Dickens