The Martian Chronicles

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which is the most reasonable interpretation of what the planet Mars stands for?

A) The American frontier

B) Contemporary America

C) European dominance

D) Humanity’s capacity for cruelty

2. Which does the text closely associate with rockets?

A) Air

B) Water

C) Fire

D) Earth

3. What does the text suggest is the most significant human achievement?

A) Technology

B) Architecture

C) Space travel

D) Art and literature

4. Which cycle is a dominant motif in the text?

A) Love and hate

B) Destruction and renewal

C) Work and play

D) Accumulation and depletion

5. Which object in the text can most reasonably be seen as a symbol of withdrawal and approach?

A) Trash

B) Food

C) Clothing

D) Doors

6. What does the text suggest people miss most from their pasts?

A) Customs

B) Loved ones

C) Past selves

D) Objects

7. Which character has the most romantic and idealized perspective regarding Mars?

A) Spender

B) Wilder

C) Parkhill

D) Teece

8. Which character most clearly represents oppression on Earth?

A) Spender

B) Wilder

C) Parkhill

D) Teece

9. Which aspect of the Martians’ culture foreshadows their relationship with humanity?

A) Their canals

B) Their chemical fires

C) Their masks

D) Their telepathy

10. Which story most clearly supports the idea that human nature is often callous and even mean-spirited?

A) “August 2002: The Night Meeting”

B) “April 2003: The Musicians”

C) “October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic”

D) “January 1999: Rocket Summer”

11. What does the Martians’ way of life suggest might be lacking in human cultures?

A) Balance

B) Ambition

C) Reverence

D) Structure

12. Which story is most like a folktale?

A) “November 2005: The Off Season”

B) “June 2003: Way in the Middle Air”

C) “December 2001: The Green Morning”

D) “March 2000: The Taxpayer”

13. What message do the stories “February 2002: The Locusts,” “2004-2005: The Naming of Names,” and “December 2001: The Green Morning” have in common?

A) Order can be imposed on chaos.

B) Hard work and determination pay off over time.

C) Humanity is like a plague.

D) It is foolish to try to shape the world to one’s will.

14. What idea unites the stories “2004-2005: The Naming of Names,” “April 2005: Usher II,” and “August 2005: The Old Ones”?

A) The last of the Martians have finally vanished.

B) Mars has been subjugated to Earth’s authority and regulations.

C) Mars is a place of hope for refugees of many kinds.

D) The new world of Mars will be shaped by those with the courage to shape it.

15. Which story most clearly demonstrates the artificial and sometimes pointless nature of human rituals and traditions?

A) “November 2005: The Luggage Store”

B) “October 2002: The Shore”

C) “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”

D) “September 2005: The Martian”

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How do Ylla’s comments about Earth early in the collection foreshadow later events?

2. What is Bradbury’s likely purpose in including the motif of the recreation of Earth towns, homes, etc., on Mars?