The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

"The Earth Men"
  1. The word telepathy literally means... a) distant look  b) mind look  c) distant feeling  d) brain talk  e) distant mind
  2. On page 17, after Mrs. Ttt yells at him about his muddy boots, the captain says, "This is no time for trivialities...we should be celebrating." The word trivialities means...  a) worries about cleanliness, b) important things, c) womanly worries, d) unimportant things, e) yelling.
  3. The best word(s) to describe most Martians' reaction to the Earth men would be... a) fear. b) anger. c) indifference. d) politeness. e) none of the above.
  4. What does the captain say that finally makes Mr. Aaa stop and listen to him?   a) "All the way from Earth."  b) "Mr. Ttt sent us to see you."  c) "Earth. Rocket. Men. Trip. Space."  d) "We came sixty million miles."  e) "We're from Earth."
  5. What is it the Earth men want from the Martians?  a) Land. b) They want the Martians to surrender. c) Recognition. d) Goods to trade with Earth. e) All of the above.
  6. Even though it doesn't really have anything to do with the story, Ray Bradbury spends time describing a mechanical spider toy that the little girl plays with. What might be the point?  a) To show how weird the Martians are. b) To show us a glimpse of what Martian life is like. c) He's comparing the Earth men to the spider; they are just toys that the Martians play with. d) To show that Martian children play with toys too. e) All of the above.
  7. What does the captain say that makes Mr. Iii laugh so hard he cries?  a) "We're from Earth."  b) "Do we have to go through all this rigmarole?"  c) "Do you want my crew to sign also?"  d) "It's a great honor."  e) "What's funny?"
  8. When the Earth men first get to the House, the reaction there is pretty much the same as it was everywhere else they went.  a) True.  b) False.
  9. At the House, they meet other people from Earth.  a) True.  b) False.
  10. All of these describe Martians, except...  a) metallic voices. b) vertically challenged. c) yellow eyes. d) telepathic. e) green skin.
  11.  It turns out that the line of work a Martian needs to be in to welcome Earth men is...   a) military  b) government leader  c) police  d) immigration  e) psychology
  12. Why was there no "hullabaloo" to welcome the Earth men?    a) The Martians didn't believe the Earth men's story. b) There are many people on Mars who claim to be from Earth. c) The Martians had already met Earth men before (from the First Expedition). d) The Martians wanted the Earth men to go home. e) none of the above
  13. What was the Martian's explanation for the rocket?    a) It came from somewhere else on Mars. b) It was left there by the First Expedition. c) It was a product of the Earth men's minds. d) It was a giant fake. e) none of the above
  14. Why does Mr. Xxx shoot the captain?    a) The captain is a danger to Martians. b) The captain is in pain and wants Mr. Xxx to put him out of his misery. c) Mr. Xxx believes they really are from Earth. d) Mr. Xxx thinks he will be happier dead. e) none of the above
  15. Why does EMEN end with a "weather report"?     a) As a foreshadowing of things to come. b) To show how the Martians are starting anew after the Earthmen are gone.  c) To show that, as far as the Martians are concerned, the Earthmen were never there.  d) To show that Mars has weather like Earth.  e) All of the above.
  16. Describe the reaction(s) of the Martians. Why does their reaction make sense (now that we know how the story ends)?
  17. What was the captain's first clue that something was wrong?
  18. (page 29) Based on how Mr. Xxx uses these words, match each one with the sense it refers to:
    • olfactory
    • labial
    • auditory
    • visual
    • tactile (He doesn't use this one, but you can probably figure it out.)
    • touch
    • taste
    • smell
    • sight
    • hearing
  19. How could you prove that you were not insane or an alien?
  20. What could Captain Williams and the rest have done differently?
  21. What event(s) in history could be compared to the clash of cultures depicted in "The Earth Men"?
  22. Should we spend large amounts of money exploring space, when we have so many problems that need attention here on Earth? Why/not?
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