there will come soft rains

Question 1

What is the daily routine of the automated house?

Answer 1

The house wakes the family up, tells events on the
family calendar as well as the weather, prepares
meals and snacks and puts them on the table,
cleans the house, turns on the sprinkler system,
runs baths and warms the beds, turns on the
fireplace, plays music, and reads to the family.

Question 2

What has happened to the rest of the houses in the neighborhood?

Answer 2

The other houses in the city have been destroyed
by a bomb.

Question 3

What are the five spots of paint on the exterior of the house?

Answer 3

The five spots of paint are the images of the
mother, father, son, daughter, and ball that
have been left on the side of the house after the
nuclear explosion.

Question 4

. By the end of the story, what happens to the house?

Answer 4

. The house catches fire and is destroyed, but, at
the end of the story, one wall is still standing.

Question 5

(a) Analyze What tone, or attitude, does the automated voice use to
address the missing inhabitants? (b) Draw Conclusions What idea about
technology does this tone suggest?

Answer 5

1. (a) The automated voice sounds afraid that no
   one will answer; Paragraph 1. (b) This
   tone suggests that technology has humanlike
   feelings