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Dark They Were, and Golden Eyes

Total questions: 38

Worksheet time: 19mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is Harry's main emotion in the first half of the story?

a)

curious about the fate of the Martians

b)

Angry at his wife for wanting to stay on Mars

c)

Fear of being changed by the Martian environment

d)

Annoyed by the other Earth people on Mars

2.

What event prevents the family's return to Earth?

a)

the family is happy living on Mars

b)

The return ticket costs too much money

c)

Harry's rocket doesn't work

d)

An atomic war breaks out on Earth

3.

What is Harry's first clue that his world is changing?

a)

his children want Martian names

b)

The peach blossoms change color and his garden grows green roses and purple grass

c)

Their eyes turn golden

d)

His neighbors calmly accept all of the change

4.

Choose 2 options: What does Harry do to cope with his fears about living on Mars?

a)

He investigates Martian ruins to understand them better

b)

He tries to build a rocket to take his family back to Earth

c)

He persuades his wife and family to go back to Earth

d)

He spends time with other settlers who talk him out of his fears.

e)

He concentrates on his work on the farm and house chores

5.

What is the best way to describe the Bitterings at the end of the story?

a)

They are completely changed into Martians and have no memory of their past selves.

b)

They are resigned to living on Mars but are unhappy with their lives there.

c)

They are different physically but still think and act like Earth people

d)

They are eager to return to Earth now that the atomic war is over

6.

If a road is submerged in water, it most likely:

a)

is impossible to navigate

b)

has experienced a long drought

c)

is high in the mountains

d)

needs extensive work by the highway department

7.

What does atmosphere mean in the following sentence?


The atmosphere of the Earth consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases.

a)

space

b)

chemistry

c)

cloud cover

d)

surrounding air

8.

What situation shows the meaning of forlorn?

a)

a soccer team that just won a game

b)

an abandoned dog sitting alone in the rain

c)

a teenage babysitter watching two young children play

d)

a busy man on a city street who missed the bus

9.

What does the constant wind on Mars represent?

a)

the power of the environment to change the Earth people

b)

the sadness that Harry feels about not returning to Earth

c)

the very hot weather on Mars

d)

the destruction of the Earth people's settlement on Mars

10.

What is a major theme of the story?

a)

we should work tho protect the Earth and save the environment

b)

Humans are generally open minded and peaceful in their encounters with the unknown

c)

though people often fear and resist it, change is unavoidable in the end

d)

Far-off worlds can be frightening and it's important to avoid them

11.

At the end of the story, what is the attitude of the lieutenant who has recently arrived?

a)

he finds Mars unappealing

b)

He likes Martians and believes they are peaceful

c)

he suspects the Martians are involved in the disappearance of the settlers

d)

He feels enthusiastic about the new settlement being planned.

12.

Which contains a similie?

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

d)

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

13.

Why is the sentence below a metaphor?


A river of wind submerged the house

a)

It makes the river and the wind seem like human beings.

b)

It describes how wind can overpower solid objects.

c)

It suggests that the wind is a powerful river.

d)

It shows that the house is near a river.

14.

Which quote contains an example of personification

a)

The children, small seeds, might at any instant be sown to all the

Martian climes.

b)

The captain looked at the room, the dusty windows, the blue mountains rising beyond…

c)

“I feel like a salt crystal,” he said, “in a mountain stream, being washed away.”

d)

The fear would not be stopped. It had his throat and heart.

15.

What best expresses the meaning of the sentence below?


Rubber tires upon which children had swung in back yards hung suspended like stopped clock pendulums in the blazing air.

a)

the swings are peeling in the harsh sun

b)

the swings go back and forth in the breeze

c)

the swings are no longer used as playthings

d)

the swings are too hot to play on.

16.

Read this similie.


"Rubber tires upon which children had swung in back yards hung suspended like stopped clock pendulums in the blazing air."


What does this figurative language help the reader see the scene in a new way?

a)

It suggests fear for the safety of the children.

b)

It conveys a sense of joy for the beauty of Mars.

c)

It expresses loss of humanity while suggesting the power of Mars.

d)

It suggests fear that the settlers will return to the settlement.

17.

Which of the following words is a synonym of destroy?

a)

uncover

b)

upset

c)

copy

d)

ruin

18.

My brother likes roller coasters, but I find them quite scary.


If you replaced scary with terrifying, how would you describe the nuance?

a)

Terrifying suggests a much more powerful feeling of fear.

b)

Scary suggests a feeling that is imaginary instead of real.

c)

Scary suggests a sense of resentment toward the brother.

d)

Terrifying suggests a sense of fun and adventure.

19.

What was Mr. Bittering's first impression when they landed on Mars?

a)

This is awesome!!!

b)

Take me back to earth!

c)

Ew what's this weird food?

d)

Earth people are ugly!

20.

Which characteristic makes it clear that this is a fictional piece of literature?

a)

The colorful setting

b)

The description of family members

c)

The use of dialogue

d)

The setting is on Mars

21.

Which word best describes the character of Harry Bittering at the beginning of the story

a)

Loud

b)

Paranoid

c)

Demanding

d)

Quiet

22.

How do the townspeople react to Mr. Bittering's worries?

a)

They are angry

b)

They are excited to change

c)

They are unconcerned

d)

They are worried too

23.

Harry got little assistance from others in building a rocket because

a)

No one else cared about returning to Earth

b)

He was the only person who knew how to build one

c)

Everyone else thought a rocket would arrive soon

d)

He was really cranky and no one liked him

24.

Which universal theme is most frequently reflected throughout the story

a)

People fear the unknown

b)

A family becomes stronger when they are far from home

c)

Sometimes people change and do not realize it

d)

Family is the most important element in life

25.

Define science fictiton

a)

A genre based on future scientific, technological or environmental changes

b)

A genre that is focused on comedic, funny moments

c)

A genre based on romance, love and connections

d)

A genre that is about space

26.

Which of the following is an example of science fiction?

a)

Beauty and the Beast

b)

Starwars

c)

Cinderella

d)

The Call of the Wild

27.

What event prevents the family's return to Earth?

a)

the family is happy living on Mars

b)

The return ticket costs too much money

c)

Harry's rocket doesn't work

d)

An atomic war breaks out on Earth

28.

Choose 2 options: What does Harry do to cope with his fears about living on Mars?

a)

He investigates Martian ruins to understand them better

b)

He tries to build a rocket to take his family back to Earth

c)

He persuades his wife and family to go back to Earth

d)

He spends time with other settlers who talk him out of his fears.

e)

He concentrates on his work on the farm and house chores

29.

What is the best way to describe the Bitterings at the end of the story?

a)

They are completely changed into Martians and have no memory of their past selves.

b)

They are resigned to living on Mars but are unhappy with their lives there.

c)

They are different physically but still think and act like Earth people

d)

They are eager to return to Earth now that the atomic war is over

30.

adj. completely covered with a liquid

a)

Immense

b)

Submerged

c)

Forlorn

d)

Canals

31.

adj. made of many small pieces of colored stone or glass

a)

Immense

b)

Atmosphere

c)

Mosaic

d)

Forlorn

32.

adj. abandoned or deserted

a)

Canals

b)

Forlorn

c)

Mosaic

d)

Immense

33.

n. artificial waterways for transportation or irrigation

a)

Canals

b)

Immense

c)

Forlorn

d)

Mosaic

34.

adj. very large

a)

Canals

b)

Immense

c)

Forlorn

d)

Atmosphere

35.

n. the gas surrounding the Earth; the air

a)

Forlorn

b)

Immense

c)

Canals

d)

Atmosphere

36.

What does the term "mood" mean when looking at literature?

a)

When someone is mad

b)

The mood of the author

c)

When a writer reveals the climax

d)

The feeling or atmosphere the writer creates for a reader

37.

'We must get away,' said Bittering. 'We'll eat this stuff and then we'll change -who knows to what. I can't let it happen. There's only one thing to do. Burn this food!''It's not poisoned.''But it is. Subtly, very subtly. A little bit. A very little bit. We mustn't touch it.'He looked with dismay at their house. 'Even the house. The wind's done something to it. The air's burned it. The fog at night. The boards, all warped out of shape. It's not an Earthman's house any more.''Oh, your imagination!'.

Which sentence best depicts or shows a mood of panic?

a)

The air's burned it. The fog at night.

b)

"We must get away", said Bittering. "We'll eat this stuff and then we'll change-who knows to what."

c)

It's not poisoned. But it is. Subtly, very subtly.

d)

It's not an Earthman's house any more.

38.

Read the following paragraphs.

Mr. Bittering gazed at the Earth settlement far away in the low valley. ‘Such odd, such ridiculous houses the Earth people built.’

‘They didn’t know any better,’ his wife mused. ‘Such ugly people. I’m glad they’ve gone.’They both looked at each other, startled by all they had just finished saying. They laughed.

'Where did they go?' he wondered. He glanced at his wife. She was golden and slender as his daughter. She looked at him, and he seemed almost as young as their eldest son.

a)

The paragraphs emphasize how hard the Bitterings worked to adapt to their new home on Mars.

b)

The paragraphs show that the Bitterings have changed so much they do not remember who they were when they first arrived on Mars.

c)

The paragraphs describe the plans the Bitterings are making to return to their home on Earth.

d)

The paragraph highlights Mrs. Bittering’s fear of what would happen if they stayed on Mars instead of returning to Earth.