Theme
What animal does Eckels step on?
A butterfly.
What is the reason they mark the dinosaurs with red paint?
The red paint is to mark what creatures they can kill without affecting time.
What does Travis tell the group not to do?
Step off the path.
Who is the leader of Safari?
Travis.
What type of figurative language is used when something is compared using "like" or "as"?
Simile.
What is the theme of the story?
The theme is even the smallest of actions can have great consequences.
What era do the main characters travel to?
The prehistoric/dinosaur era.
Who is the president at the start of the story?
President Keith.
How far do they time travel?
60 million years
What form of figurative language is this? "Time steps aside." (This is said when Lesperance explains the paradox of a man meeting himself.)
Personification.
What does the butterfly symbolize in the story?
The butterfly effect.
What is the reason they don't let the time machine touch the ground?
They don't want to damage or alter time.
What does the title A Sound of Thunder suggest about the story?
Something dangerous and powerful will happen.
What are all of the characters names?
Eckels, Travis,
How does Bradbury display vivid imagery in the story?
Bradbury gives detailed descriptions of the setting. He also describes the T-Rex in great detail as well.
What lesson does Eckels learn?
His careless decision had serious consequences.
What happens to the world when the group returns to the future?
President Keith is no longer the winning president and the smell of the air is different.
Who is the president at the end of the story, and why is this important?
Deustscher. This is important because this detail from earlier hints at what changes later from Eckel's mistake.
Why does Eckels want to go onto the time safari?
He wants to hunt a T-Rex.
Why does Bradbury use vivid descriptions of the T.rex?
To give the reader a better image and make the dinosaur seem frightening and powerful almost in a dramatic way to further explain how they underestimated it.
What is the butterfly affect and how is it represented in the story?
In the context of the story, the butterfly affect is the result of one event multiplying and causing issues over time. It is represented by Eckels stepping on the butterfly.
Why does Eckels freak out when he sees the T.rex?
He realizes how powerful and dangerous the dinosaur really is
How does Eckels fear cause problems later on in the story?
Eckels panics and leaves the path, which changes the future and leads to Travis killing him.
what major change does eckels cause by stepping off the path?
He changes the future, including who becomes president and how people write.
How does Bradbury description of the future help create the mood?
It creates a sense of mystery because the future has been changed. He does this by adding a sense of uncertainty when they return, because they do not know if anything has changed or not.