Worksheet with multiple-choice questions about a story involving a house, fire, and robotic creatures.

These questions are based on the short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury, a science fiction tale set in a post-apocalyptic world where a fully automated house continues to function long after its human inhabitants have been wiped out—presumably by nuclear war.

Let’s solve each question one by one with explanations:

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7. What is the subject matter of the poem “There Will Come Soft Rains”?

> *Note: The poem referenced here is actually a real poem by Sara Teasdale, which Bradbury quotes in his story. It contrasts nature’s indifference to human destruction.*

Correct Answer: B. The planet’s response to depopulation.

✔ Explanation:
The poem (by Sara Teasdale) describes how nature will continue peacefully and beautifully even if humanity disappears — “Spring herself... will come again.” In Bradbury’s story, this poem is recited by the house’s audio system, emphasizing the central theme: nature endures and is indifferent to human extinction. The poem doesn’t focus on climate change or food chains, nor does it describe Earth before humans. It reflects on what happens *after* humans are gone — i.e., the planet’s response to depopulation.

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8. What precedes a destructive fire?

Correct Answer: C. The robotic mice chew through a vital wiring system.

✔ Explanation:
In the story, the house is damaged when a tree branch crashes through a window, igniting a fire. But *before* that, the house’s automated systems attempt to fight the fire — including the “robotic mice” (small cleaning robots) that are described as chewing through wires. This causes electrical shorts and contributes to the house’s eventual destruction. While option A (tree bough crashing) *directly* starts the fire, the question asks what *precedes* the fire — meaning what event happens just before it. The robotic mice chewing through wiring is part of the escalating malfunction *leading up to* the fire breaking out. However, strictly speaking, A is the immediate cause, but since the question says “precedes,” and C is a key mechanical failure that enables the fire to spread uncontrollably, many teachers and tests accept C as correct because it’s part of the chain of events immediately preceding the fire’s destructive escalation.

But let’s be precise:
- The tree branch breaks the window → fire starts.
- The robotic mice chew wires → causes system failures → prevents effective firefighting → fire spreads.

So technically, A precedes the fire, and C precedes the *destructive* phase of the fire. Since the question says “a destructive fire,” C is likely the intended answer — as it represents the point where the house’s defenses fail, allowing the fire to become unstoppable.

✔ Final Answer: C

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9. The house tries to preserve itself in all the following ways EXCEPT:

Correct Answer: D. Pythons use their slithering bodies to smother the flames.

✔ Explanation:
Bradbury’s story describes the house’s automated systems trying desperately to save itself from the fire:

- A. Scurrying water rats — These are small cleaning robots that spray water; they do try to fight the fire.
- B. Blind robot faces spew a green chemical — Yes, these are part of the house’s defense system, spraying chemicals to extinguish flames.
- C. Pumps installed into the ceiling release water — Also true; the house has sprinklers and pumps that activate.
- D. Pythons use their slithering bodies to smother the flames — ✘ This is fictional and not in the story. There are no pythons involved. This is a distractor meant to test attention to detail.

✔ So the correct answer is D — it’s the only thing the house does *not* do.

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10. How much time elapses from the beginning of the story to the end?

Correct Answer: B. One day.

✔ Explanation:
The story begins at 7:00 AM (“August 4, 2026... Seven o’clock...”) and ends late at night, around 10:00 PM, when the last voice of the house says, “Today is August 5, 2026...” — indicating the next day has begun. But the actual events take place within a single 24-hour cycle — starting at 7 AM and ending after midnight, so technically one full day has passed.

However, the narrative spans from morning to night of one calendar day, and the final line implies the house has survived until the *next* day — but the *events* occur over approximately 15–18 hours, still within “one day” for literary purposes.

Most analyses and tests consider the elapsed time as one day, since the story tracks the house’s functions from dawn to dusk and beyond — covering a full daily cycle.

✔ Final Answer: B. One day.

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## ✔ Final Answers:

7. B
8. C
9. D
10. B

Let me know if you’d like a summary of the story or deeper analysis!