Author & Genre
Is the television script "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" fiction or nonfiction?
fiction
"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is written in _____ point of view.
a) first person b) third person
Where does the story take place?
Which phrase from the following excerpt (Paragraph 33) most closely supports the meaning of the term scapegoat?
a) "stop telling me who's dangerous"
b) "desperate to point some kind of finger at a neighbor”
"desperate to point some kind of finger at a neighbor”
What word means "foolish"?
a) dense b) insomnia c) anxious
dense
Who wrote "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"?
Rod Serling
Whose car starts by itself?
Goodman
What time of day does the story take place?
at night
What does the following dialogue (Paragraphs 27-28) mainly reveal about Steve?
“CHARLIE. Go ahead, Steve. What kind of ‘radio set’ you workin’ on? I never seen it. Neither has anyone else. Who you talk to on that radio set? And who talks to you?
STEVE. I’m surprised at you, Charlie. How come you’re so dense all of a sudden? [A pause.] Who do I talk to? I talk to monsters from outer space. I talk to three-headed green men who fly over here in what look like meteors.”
a) Steve is admitting to Charlie that he is from outer space.
b) Steve is showing that he finds Charlie’s questions ridiculous.
Steve is showing that he finds Charlie’s questions ridiculous.
What word means "hesitantly"?
a) apprehensive b) reluctantly c) idiosyncrasy
reluctantly
What television series is "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" from?
The Twilight Zone
Who tries to defend Goodman from the mob?
Steve
How does the setting of the story contribute to the conflict and the neighbors' fear and paranoia?
When the power goes out, the neighborhood is suddenly cut off from the outside world. Paranoid and afraid, the neighbors begin to turn on each other.
What mainly does the final line (Paragraph 53) reveal about what has happened over the course of the excerpt?
GOODMAN. That’s what I’d like to know.
a) The "monster" has been revealed, and it is Goodman.
b) The accused has become an accuser among the group of people.
The accused has become an accuser among the group of people.
What word means "oddity"?
a) idiosyncrasy b) apprehensive c) reluctantly
idiosyncrasy
"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" first aired on March 4, _____.
a) 1940 b) 1960 c) 1980
1960
Who shoots Pete Van Horn?
Charlie
How does the setting of the story contribute to the conflict and transform a peaceful group into a violent mob?
(HINT: Why do the neighbors turn on each other?)
When the power goes out, the neighborhood is cut off from the outside world. As a result, the neighbors rely on fear rather than logic and turn on whoever acts different or suspicious.
Who are most likely the “suspects” Steve refers to in the following passage (Paragraph 24)?
STEVE. Go ahead, what’s my wife said? Let’s get it all out. Let’s pick out every idiosyncrasy of every man, woman, and child on the street. And then we might as well set up some kind of kangaroo court. How about a firing squad at dawn, Charlie, so we can get rid of all the suspects? Narrow them down. Make it easier for you.
Neighbors who appear different from other neighbors.
What word means "afraid"?
a) dense b) apprehensive c) anxious
apprehesive
What is the genre of the television script "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"?
a) historical fiction b) realistic fiction c) science fiction
science fiction
Who are the real monsters on Maple Street?
the people who live on Maple Street
By using an everyday location instead of an alien planet, Rod Serling shows that the real "monsters" are regular people giving into _____.
fear
Which of the following selections best expresses a theme of the excerpt?
a) Fear of the unknown and paranoia can lead to disaster.
b) Spying on the behavior of others assists in preventing neighborhood crime.
Fear of the unknown and paranoia can lead to disaster.
What word means "sleeplessness"?
a) anxious b) apprehensive c) insomnia
insomnia