The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Here is a cool interview with Ray Bradbury! Study Guide by Paul Brians, Department of English, Washington State University, Pullman. Ray Bradbury.com Final Projects / Rubrics for Projects Vocabulary

"The Earth Men"     also...     Madlib for "The Earth Men"

"Summer Night"

1. The short transition piece, "The Summer Night" (p14) is an extended kind of foreshadowing of _________.

1. When they tell the taxpayer that the first two expeditions to Mars probably died, he suggests that what really happened was...    a) they were kidnapped by the Martians.  b) they decided to stay on Mars.  c) their radio equipment failed.  d) they came back, but it was kept secret.  e) all of the above.
2. Why does the taxpayer (p31) want to go to Mars so badly?  a) He feels he deserves it.  b) He really needs a vacation.  c) He just

     wants to.  d) He wants to escape what's happening on Earth.  d) All of the above.  e) None of the above.

Mars Facts and Pics

• Average temperature on Mars is about  -67, Martian surface temperatures range widely from as little as -207 at the winter pole to almost 80 on the day side during summer.
• A Martian year is  686.98 days.
• The pressure is only 1% of Earth's. Almost no atmosphere.
• Mars has permanent ice caps at both poles composed mostly of solid carbon dioxide ("dry ice").
• Pics and facts courtesy of nineplanets.org.

"The Settlers" (S), "The Green Morning" (GM), "The Locusts" (L), "Night Meeting I
"Night Meeting"  II, "The Shore", "Interim", "The Musicians":
# What is Tomas's proof that he is the one from the Future?  a) His car.  b) The rockets.  c) The fact that he's from Earth.  d) The ruins.  e) The fact that it's the year 2001.
# The Martian's answer for that argument is... a) that what Tomas sees aren't ruins at all.  b) that maybe Tomas is seeing the ruins of a future Earth civilization in the far future.  c) that Tomas is dreaming.  d) that what Tomas is seeing are ruins from an ancient Martian civilazation  e) none of the above.
# In "The Shore," the second wave of settlers came from all over the world.  a) True  b) False
# In "Interim," what similes does Ray Bradbury use to show how it looked like an Earth town had been transplanted to Mars? a) a church and a farm house  b) an earthquake and a tornado   c) California and Oregon  d) a rocket and fireworks  e) poets and writers
# "The Musicians" was foreshadowed by what previous story? a) "Ylla"  b) "The Earth Men"   c) "The Third Expedition"  d) "-and the Moon Be Still as Bright"  e) "The Settlers"

"The Martian" Part I
"The Martian" Part II and "The Luggage Store"

"The Off Season" Part I
# "The Off Season" Part II:
# What happens to the Martians in the ship Sam shoots up?  a) They turn into brittle "leaves" and bones.  b) They turn into smoke and flame.  c) They collapse in a heap.  d) They die just like humans.  e) None of the above.
# Sam faces consequences for killing some of the Martians.  a) True  b) False
# About how many Martians are left?  a) a couple of thousand  b) a handful  c) almost a thousand  d) about a hundred and fifty  e) They don't know.
# What message did the Martians finally give to Sam? a) That he owns half of Mars. b) That he should get ready for a surprise. c) That the Martians are leaving. d) All of the above. e) None of the above.
# What does Sam think will happen that night?  a) The Earth will explode.  b) That he will get a message from Earth.  c) That thousands of people will be arriving.  d) That People from town will be here soon to help him.  e) None of the above.
# Why does Elma keep looking at the sky after the Martians give Sam the message? a) She's watching for the rockets she thinks are coming.  b) She's thinking that her suspicion about war on Earth might be right.  c) She watching for the Martians to leave.  d) She thought she saw a rocket landing.  e) All of the above.
# Could Elma really see if the Earth caught fire? a) Yes.   b) No.
# When Elma says "Gotta be ready, yes, sir," (p143) she is... a) foreshadowing.  b) referring to the conflict of the story  c) using a metaphor.  d) using a simile  e) being ironic.
# Why is the story called "The Off Season"? a) Sam is a little "off."  b) It's not the time of year for hot dogs.  c) The Martians only come around sometimes.  d) The rockets only come from Earth sometimes.  e) None of the above.

"The Empty Towns"
   1. What do you think the expression, "the life of Reilly" (p154) means? What would your "life of Reilly" be like?
   2. How would it be different if the Walter character were a woman, and the man was like Genevieve?