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- 1. Multiple Choice
Comprehension
What is Harry Bittering’s main emotion in the first half of “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”?
He is curious about the fate of the Martians.
He is angry at his wife for wanting to stay on Mars.
He is afraid of being changed by the Martian environment.
He is annoyed by the other Earth people in the town on Mars.
- 2. Multiple Choice
Which sentence from the beginning of the story foreshadows what will actually happen?
"They looked at Martian hills that time had worn with a crushing pressure of years."
"He felt submerged in a chemical that could dissolve his intellect and burn away his past."
"Why, in ten years there'll be a million Earthmen on Mars. Big cities, everything!"
"And I wonder if those Martians mind us living here?"
- 3. Multiple Choice
Which event in “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” is most important in preventing the family’s return to Earth?
The family is happy living on a farm in the new settlement.
The return ticket to Earth costs more than the family has.
A rocket that Harry builds does not function.
An atomic world war breaks out on Earth.
- 4. Multiple Choice
In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what is Mr. Bittering’s first clue that his world is changing?
His children want to adopt Martian names.
His peach tree sheds strange new blossoms.
His wife’s and his children’s eyes turn a golden color.
His neighbors calmly accept all the changes around them.
- 5. Multiple Choice
"'You know they have! Onions but not onions, carrots but not carrots. Taste: the same but different. Smell: not like it used to be.' He felt his heart pounding and he was afraid." Why did the author write this passage?
to show the unique qualities of the vegetables
to explain how the family started a garden.
to foreshadow the changes that will occur to the family.
to describe the benefits of having a garden.
- 6. Multiple Choice
In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what does Mr. Bittering do to cope with his fears about living on Mars? Choose two options.
He investigates Martian ruins to understand them better
He tries to build a rocket to take his family back to Earth
He persuades his wife and family to return with him to Earth.
He spends time with other settlers, who talk him out of his fear.
He concentrates on his work on their small farm and other chores.
- 7. Multiple Choice
Harry got little assistance from others in building a rocket because
No one else cared about returning to Earth
He was the only person who knew how to build one
Everyone else thought a rocket would arrive soon
He was really cranky and no one liked him
- 8. Multiple Choice
Which sentence best describes the Bittering family members at the conclusion of “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”?
They are completely changed into Martians and have no memory of their past selves.
They are resigned to living on Mars but are unhappy with their lives there.
They are different physically but still think and act like Earth people.
They are eager to return to Earth now that the atomic war is over.
- 9. Multiple Choice
Concept Vocabulary
If a road can correctly be described as submerged in water, which of the following must be true? Base your answer on the meaning of submerged.
The road is impossible to navigate.
The area has experienced a long drought.
The location of the road is high in the mountains.
The road needs extensive work by the highway department.
- 10. Multiple Choice
What is the most accurate meaning of atmosphere in this sentence?
The atmosphere of the Earth consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases.
space
chemistry
cloud cover
surrounding air
- 11. Multiple Choice
Which of the following situations could best be used to illustrate the meaning of forlorn? Base your answer on the meaning of forlorn.
a soccer team that has just won a game
an abandoned dog sitting alone in the rain
a teenage babysitter watching two young children play
a busy man on a city street who has just missed a bus
- 12. Multiple Choice
Analyze the Text
The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
Part A In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what does the constant wind on Mars most likely represent?
the power of the environment to completely change the Earth people
the sadness that Mr. Bittering feels when he cannot return to Earth
the very hot weather on Mars that disturbs the Earth people
the destruction of the Earth people’s settlement on Mars
- 13. Multiple Choice
Part A In “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what does the constant wind on Mars most likely represent?
a. the power of the environment to completely change the Earth people
b. the sadness that Mr. Bittering feels when he cannot return to Earth
c. the very hot weather on Mars that disturbs the Earth people
d. the destruction of the Earth people’s settlement on Mars
Part B Which quotation from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” best supports the answer to Part A?
The wind blew as if to flake away their identities. At any moment, the Martian air might draw his soul from him, as marrow comes from a white bone.
“Even the house. The wind’s done something to it. The air’s burned it. The fog at night.”
The nights were full of wind that blew down the empty moonlit sea meadows past the little white chess cities lying for their twelve-thousandth year in the shallows.
The captain looked at the room, the dusty windows, the blue mountains rising beyond, the canals moving in the light, and he heard the soft wind in the air. He shivered.
- 14. Multiple Choice
Read the following paragraphs.
Mr. Bittering gazed at the Earth settlement far away in the low valley. ‘Such odd, such ridiculous houses the Earth people built.’
‘They didn’t know any better,’ his wife mused. ‘Such ugly people. I’m glad they’ve gone.’They both looked at each other, startled by all they had just finished saying. They laughed.
'Where did they go?' he wondered. He glanced at his wife. She was golden and slender as his daughter. She looked at him, and he seemed almost as young as their eldest son.
'I don't know,' she said.
How do the paragraphs affect the development of the story? (RL.7.5)
The paragraphs emphasize how hard the Bitterings worked to adapt to their new home on Mars.
The paragraphs show that the Bitterings have changed so much they do not remember who they were when they first arrived on Mars.
The paragraphs describe the plans the Bitterings are making to return to their home on Earth.
The paragraph highlights Mrs. Bittering’s fear of what would happen if they stayed on Mars instead of returning to Earth.
- 15. Multiple Choice
Which of the following best states a major theme in “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”?
Since we have limited resources on Earth, governments should look to other planets to meet our needs.
Humans are generally open minded and peaceful in their encounters with the unknown.
Though people often fear and resist it, change is unavoidable in the end.
Far-off worlds can be anything people imagine them to be.
- 16. Multiple Choice
The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
Part A At the end of “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what is the attitude of the lieutenant who has recently arrived?
He finds the environment on Mars unappealing.
He likes the Martians and believes they are peaceful.
He suspects the Martians’ involvement in the disappearance of the settlers.
He feels enthusiastic about the new settlement that the captain is planning.
- 17. Multiple Choice
Part A At the end of “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed,” what is the attitude of the lieutenant who has recently arrived?
a.He finds the environment on Mars unappealing.
b.He likes the Martians and believes they are peaceful.
c.He suspects the Martians’ involvement in the disappearance of the settlers.
d.He feels enthusiastic about the new settlement that the captain is planning.
Part B Which of these quotations from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” best supports the answer to Part A?
The captain established headquarters in an abandoned bar. His lieutenant came back to report.
“Dark people. Yellow eyes. Martians. Very friendly. . . . I’m sure our relations will be most friendly with them, sir.”
“Six, eight hundred, I’d say, living in those marble ruins in the hills, sir.”
“They hadn’t the foggiest notion of what happened to this town or its people.”
- 18. Multiple Choice
Analyze Craft and Structure
Which of the following quotations from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” contains a simile?
The man felt . . . the tissues of his body draw tight as if he were standing at the center of a vacuum.
At any moment the Martian air might draw his soul from him.
A few tremblings shook him, but were carried off in waves of pleasant heat as he lay in the sun.
And then the water can build on that skeleton—green things, deep water things, red things, yellow things.
- 19. Multiple Choice
Why can the following sentence from “Dark They Were, and
Golden-Eyed” be correctly called a metaphor?
A river of wind submerged the house.
It makes the river and the wind seem like human beings.
It describes how wind can overpower solid objects.
It suggests that the wind is a powerful river.
It shows that the house is near a river.
- 20. Multiple Choice
Which of the following quotations from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” contains an example of personification?
The children, small seeds, might at any instant be sown to all the Martian climes.
They saw the old cities, lost in their meadows, lying like children’s delicate bones. . . .
“I feel like a salt crystal,” he said, “in a mountain stream, being washed away.”
The fear would not be stopped. It had his throat and heart.
- 21. Multiple Choice
The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
Part A Read this excerpt from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed.”
Summer burned the canals dry. Summer moved like flame upon the meadows. In the empty Earth settlement, the painted houses flaked and peeled. Rubber tires upon which children had swung in back yards hung suspended like stopped clock pendulums in the blazing air.
Which of the following best expresses the meaning of the underlined sentence in this excerpt?
The rubber tire swings are peeling in the harsh summer sun.
The rubber tire swings swing back and forth in the breeze.
The rubber tire swings are no longer used as playthings.
The rubber tire swings are too hot to play on.
- 22. Multiple Choice
Part A Read this excerpt from “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed.”
Summer burned the canals dry. Summer moved like flame upon the meadows. In the empty Earth settlement, the painted houses flaked and peeled. Rubber tires upon which children had swung in back yards hung suspended like stopped clock pendulums in the blazing air.
Which of the following best expresses the meaning of the underlined sentence in this excerpt?
a.The rubber tire swings are peeling in the harsh summer sun.
b.The rubber tire swings swing back and forth in the breeze.
c.The rubber tire swings are no longer used as playthings.
d.The rubber tire swings are too hot to play on.
Part B How does the use of figurative language most clearly add to the literal meaning of the underlined sentence excerpted in Part A?
It suggests fear for the safety of the children.
It conveys a sense of nostalgia for life on Earth.t.
It expresses loss while suggesting the power of Mars.
It suggests dread that the settlers will return to revive the settlement
- 23. Multiple Choice
Word Study
Which of the following words is a synonym of destroy?
uncover
upset
copy
ruin
- 24. Multiple Choice
In the following sentence, you could replace scary with terrifying, a synonym. Which sentence best explains the difference in nuance between the synonyms?
My brother likes roller coasters, but I find them quite scary.
Terrifying suggests a much more powerful feeling of fear.
Scary suggests a feeling that is imaginary instead of real.
Scary suggests a sense of resentment toward the brother.
Terrifying suggests a sense of fun and adventure.
- 25. Multiple Choice
Conventions
Which term in the following sentence is in the superlative degree?
Scientists recently discovered that Mars, in the past, had the most important elements for supporting life, including a thicker atmosphere than it has now and more water.
recently
most important
thicker
more
- 26. Multiple Choice
Which terms in the following sentence are in the positive degree? Choose three options.
The most interesting discovery made by NASA’s mechanical rover, fittingly named “Curiosity,” was an ancient streambed that showed that a stream of water deeper than originally thought flowed there long ago.
most interesting
fittingly
ancient
deeper
originally
- 27. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is a comparative adverb that best completes this sentence?
The rover Curiosity is discovering facts about Mars _______ than scientists expected.
strangest
quicker
more quickly
most important
- 28. Multiple Choice
Comparing Text to Media
Both the story text and the radio play versions of “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” include Harry Bittering as a character. Which statement best explains how the two versions develop his character?
The story text’s narration directly reveals Harry’s thoughts and feelings, which must be inferred through his dialogue in the radio play.
The radio play’s music and sound effects build on Harry’s thoughts and fears, which are not as well supported in the story text.
The radio play’s dialogue and the actor’s interpretation of it create a better sense of his feelings than the story text’s narration does.
The story text’s specific focus on Harry develops a stronger character than the radio play’s focus on his entire family does.
- 29. Multiple Choice
Which of the following are the most significant differences between the story and the radio play version of “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”? Choose three options.
The story features fewer characters than the radio play does.
The children play a smaller role in the radio play than they do in the story text.
The adaptation for the radio play leaves out important information from the written story.
The ideas presented in the story’s narration are often left out or presented in dialogue in the radio play.
The radio play not only relies on the words of the text but also adds sound effects, music, and silence to bring the story to life.
- 30. Multiple Choice
Which statement best describes the effect of beginning the radio play version of “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” with an excerpt from the middle of the story text?
Starting with this excerpt quickly establishes Mars as a threat and creates a feeling of dread in the audience.
Because the excerpt is out of context, it makes little sense until the radio play reaches the middle of the plot.
Beginning in the middle of the plot makes the radio play seem more modern than the text.
The introductory excerpt sets up the audience to be surprised by the twist at the end of the plot.
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