The Rocket by Ray Bradbury

“The Rocket” by Ray Bradbury

1. Who is the protagonist of the story? (1 point) a) Bramante c) Maria b) Fiorello Bodoni d) Paolo

2. From which point of view is this story written? (1 point) a) Bodoni’s point of view c) limited omniscient b) first person d) third person

3. According to Bramante, why will Bodoni never ride a rocket? (1 point) a) Bodoni gets airsick c) rockets are for the rich b) his wife will go instead d) there’s no time for a vacation

4. At first, Bodoni refuses to buy the junk metal from Mr. Matthews because ___. (1 point) a) his aluminum furnace is broken c) his wife would be angry b) he doesn’t have enough money d) he’s going to Mars instead

5. Sometimes the antagonist of a story is a character and sometimes it’s an idea or aspect of the world around the protagonist. What non-human part of his life must Bodoni overcome? Give proof from the text to support your answer. (2 points) ______

6. Which two types of conflict appear in this story? Explain how each type is present. (4 points) ______

7. Give an example of how the rockets are personified in the story? (1 point) ______

8. Why, according to Bramante, would Bodoni’s wife hate him if he went to Mars alone? (1 point) ______

9. What is Bramante’s view on having wild goals and dreams? Give proof from the text to support your answer. (2 points) ______

10.Why does Paolo say he can’t go to Mars? What is the real reason? (2 points) ______

11.Why did Bodoni laugh with wide eyes at line 185-6? (1 point) ______

12.Why does Maria lock the children in the closet? (1 point) ______

13.How does Maria’s reaction to the rocket change by the end of the story? (1 point) ______

14.At line 158, there is a set of short, choppy sentences. At line 161, the pattern changes to longer and more detailed sentences. What is the effect of this change? (1 point) ______

15.Did Bodoni take his children to Mars? Explain. (1 point) ______

16.Which rocket trip would have meant more to Maria, going on the first trip with the boys or the possible future trip with Bodoni? Explain. (1 point) ______

17.At line 209, Bradbury writes that Bodoni “exhausted his bank account” to do his secret work on the rocket. Was this a good choice for Bodoni to make? Explain. (1 point) ______

18.How did Bodoni convince his children that they had gone to Mars? (1 point) ______

19.What is one possible theme of this story? Explain. (1 point)

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