Short Story Dystopian Study Guide “The Pedestrian” 1. What is the setting of the short story? 2. Why is Mr. Mead out for a walk? 3. How does the narrator view the cars on the street? 4. Why was the police force no longer important? 5. Why did Mr. Mead decide to change his shoes for his nightly walks? 6. What was Mr. Mead’s occupation? 7. What is “strange” about the police car? 8. When on his nightly walks, how does Mr. Mead occupy his time? 9. How long has Mr. Mead been taking his nightly walks? 10. What is the theme of “The Pedestrian”? “All Summer in a Day” 1. What has it been doing for seven years? 2. Identify the literary elements: similes, metaphors, etc. 3. How old are the children? 4. Where did Margot live before moving to Venus? 5. Why do the children not like Margot? 6. During the outage of the sun, what do the children experience? 7. Who are the major characters? 8. What are the children’s feelings about locking Margot in the closet? 9. What is the theme of “All Summer in a Day”? “There Will Come Soft Rains” 1. What is the house protecting itself against? 2. What happens in the nursery? 3. Identify literary elements: personification, similes, etc. 4. What two major items are contrasted in the story? 5. How does the house and people die? 6. How does the story begin? 7. How does the story end? 8. What is the theme of “There Will Come Soft Rains”? “The Veldt” 1. What is the cost of the house? 2. What is a veldt? 3. Identify literary elements: personification, similes, etc. 4. What are Lydia’s feelings about technology? 5. Explain the significance of Rima and the Green Mountains. 6. Describe the personalities of Wendy and Peter Hadley. 7. Where were the Hadleys going on vacation? 8. What is the significance of David McClean. 9. Review your summary of the story. What are the major plot points? Ray Bradbury’s Biography 1. Review the article about Ray Bradbury.