PLOT
What is the story's setting?
August 4, 2026 Allendale, California, after a nuclear holocaust
"It quivered at each sound, the house did." AND "Now the fire lay in beds, stood in windows...." are both examples of _________________
personification
Which vocabulary words means pieces of something that is left after destruction?
debris
At what point in the story does the house seem to "come alive"?
When it is on fire and tries to save it's own life
What caused the fire that destroyed the house?
Which of the following words best describes one of the house's announcements? Pleasant, Sarcastic, or Lonely
Pleasant
Which word best describes the type of life the family probably led? TIMID, ORDERLY, CASUAL
ORDERLY
What makes the house special?
The house is fully automated that operates without any human residents.
Which of these does the house NOT do? water the lawn, realize what has happened, prepare food, read poems aloud
realize what has happened
Which vocabulary word means very strictly organized or controlled?
regimented
Describe what the family was doing when disaster struck?
Mother: picking flowers Father: mowing the lawn Kids: playing ball
What image in the story shows what happened to the people?
the silhouettes of four people burned into the side of the house
tactile
Which vocabulary means something that you do regularly and in the same way each time?
ritual
What would each member of the family have eaten for breakfast on August 4, 2026?
Each person would have eaten: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 4 slices of bacon
What is the climax in this story?
When the tree branch fell into the window and broke the routine functions of the house
The incident with the dog takes the reader through a drastic shift in mood. What is that shift? From ______________ to _____________
From Hopeful to Hopeless
What sentence in the story first gave the hint that a nuclear explosion had occured?
"At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles."