Martian Chronicles Study Questions
"The Long Years"
Why did Hathaway torch the city?
What happened to Parkhill?
What first makes them suspect that Hathaway's wife and children aren't what they appear to be? How do they confirm this?
True/False. The wine ran down the chins of Hathaway's family because they were Martians, and couldn't drink wine. The reason Hathaway's family didn't cry when he died was that they were robots, and couldn't cry.
What do the men do with Hathaway's family after he dies? What does Captain Wilder do right before they leave Mars? Where are they going after this?
"There Will Come Soft Rains"
Who is/are the main character(s) of the story?
What happened to the family in the yard? How can we tell?
The main idea of the poem on p170 is...
Why is the story called "There Will Come Soft Rains"?
What happens to the house?  The house in the story represents (among other things)... a) nature going on without man.  b) technology run wild.  c) man's stupidity.  d) all of the above.  e) none of the above.
"The Million Year Picnic"
Why do they blow up their rocket?
They plan on being the only people on Mars.  a) True  b) False
How do they know that there's almost nothing left on Earth?
What was the only sign of life in the city that they picked?
On p179, Mom says, "I can see that'll cause trouble later..." What will cause trouble?
Dad's speech about why they left Earth matches almost exactly  the attitude of what previous character?
The last thing they burn is a map of Earth.  a) True  b) False
If the war hadn't come, the family would never have come to Mars.  a) True  b) False
The family turned into real Martians from the effects of being in the old Martian city. a) True  b) False

Martian Chronicles Study Questions
"The Long Years"
Why did Hathaway torch the city?
What happened to Parkhill?
What first makes them suspect that Hathaway's wife and children aren't what they appear to be? How do they confirm this?
True/False. The wine ran down the chins of Hathaway's family because they were Martians, and couldn't drink wine. The reason Hathaway's family didn't cry when he died was that they were robots, and couldn't cry.
What do the men do with Hathaway's family after he dies? What does Captain Wilder do right before they leave Mars? Where are they going after this?
"There Will Come Soft Rains"
Who is/are the main character(s) of the story?
What happened to the family in the yard? How can we tell?
The main idea of the poem on p170 is...
Why is the story called "There Will Come Soft Rains"?
What happens to the house?  The house in the story represents (among other things)... a) nature going on without man.  b) technology run wild.  c) man's stupidity.  d) all of the above.  e) none of the above.
"The Million Year Picnic"
Why do they blow up their rocket?
They plan on being the only people on Mars.  a) True  b) False
How do they know that there's almost nothing left on Earth?
What was the only sign of life in the city that they picked?
On p179, Mom says, "I can see that'll cause trouble later..." What will cause trouble?
Dad's speech about why they left Earth matches almost exactly  the attitude of what previous character?
The last thing they burn is a map of Earth.  a) True  b) False
If the war hadn't come, the family would never have come to Mars.  a) True  b) False
The family turned into real Martians from the effects of being in the old Martian city. a) True  b) False