There Will Come Soft Rains
How does the reader learn where/when the story takes place?
A device in the house states the time, date, and location of the story
How did the residents react at first to the meltdown at Chernobyl?
They carried on as usual
In the poem "The Beginning of the End of the World", what is one thing the author compares to cockroaches
priests or soldiers
Give 2 details that describe the meaning of the poem "Fire and Ice" (think about literal/metaphorical interpretations of it)
Answers will vary; teacher discretion
How many people were part of the family in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?
4 - parents and a son and daughter
What happened to the human race in the story?
They were killed by a nuclear bomb
Why do some people come back to Chernobyl to live (not just visit)?
Because they want to return home despite the danger
In the poem "The Powwow at the End of the World", who/what does the speaker indicate would travel from the Ocean through the river?
A salmon
In the poem "The Beginning of the End of the World", how does the end of the world fail to live up to the speaker's expectations?
They are listening for a bang and only hear a tapping
In the poem "The Powwow at the End of the World", what does the poem suggest that most clearly needs to be forgiven?
loss of Native American traditions; destruction of Native American land
The word "manipulated" is used in the story. If a writer "manipulated" words to create an advertisement, what did the writer do?
Used the words skillfully or intentionally
What does the author suggest is the part of Chernobyl that was most affected by the nuclear accident?
The earth that was once topsoil
In the poem "A Song at the End of the World", what is the old man doing as he makes his prophecy about the end of the world?
An everyday, ordinary activity; selling vegetables/tomatoes
Give an example of irony in the story "There Will Come Soft Rains"
The house was destroyed in a fire, not a nuclear blast; the dog died from starvation while the house was cooking a meal
According to "The Nuclear Tourist", how has the world's view of splitting the atom changed over time?
It changed from enthusiasm to fear
What was each family member doing at the time of the nuclear blast?
The dad was mowing the lawn, the mom was gardening, and the children were playing catch
Why does the author feel at ease about his exposure risk in the Chernobyl area?
Because most of the radiation measurements he has taken have been quite low
What does the speaker in "The Powwow at the End of the World" hope to be doing when the world ends?
Celebrating his heritage; dance with his tribe
Give an example from "The Nuclear Tourist" that supports the following: Radiation's negative effects on people can take a while to show up.
People who consumed irradiated food as children later developed thyroid cancer
In the poem "The Beginning of the End of the World", what does "cockroach population possibly declining -- news report" communicate to the reader?
The end of the world might be unpredictable and start with small changes
What is the most important reason that the author compared the house to an altar and said "but the gods had gone away and the ritual... continued senselessly"
To show the house is working without a purpose now that the people are gone
What is the main reason that so many buildings in the town are crumbling and rundown?
Because the town is abandoned, so no one has taken care of them
What best sums up people's expectations about the end of the world in "A Song on the End of the World"?
They thought it would be dramatic
In the poem "A Song on the End of the World", what idea does every stanza most clearly reinforce?
People will continue behaving as they always do/living normal lives, even at the end of the world
Explain how the meaning of the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" most clearly connects to the themes of the story "There Will Come Soft Rains"
The poem says that the world/nature will keep going after humanity is gone in the same way that the house keeps going after the family is gone