A Sound of Thunder

Question 1

annihilate

Answer 1

to reduce to nothing, to destroy, to eradicate

Question 2

expendable

Answer 2

not strictly necessary; dispensable

Question 3

infinitesimally

Answer 3

to an incalculably small degree

Question 4

primeval

Answer 4

belonging to the 1st ages

Question 5

resilient

Answer 5

able to endure adversity w/out cracking

Question 6

revoke

Answer 6

to cancel/invalidate by w/drawing or reversing

Question 7

sheathed

Answer 7

put into a sheath/scabbard/holster

Question 8

subliminal

Answer 8

belo the threshold of conscious perception, especially if still ableto produce a response

Question 9

taint

Answer 9

to contaminate/corrupt with an external agent, either physically/morally

Question 10

undulate

Answer 10

to cause to move in a wavelike motion

Question 11

correlate

Answer 11

to establish a mutual or reciprocal relation between

Question 12

malfunctioning

Answer 12

failing to function properly

Question 13

paradox

Answer 13

a counterintuitive conclusion or outcome

Question 14

stagnating

Answer 14

ceasing motion, activity, or progress

Question 15

foreshadowing

Answer 15

a writer’s use of hint/clues in early scenes to suggest events that will occur later

Question 16

describe what is foreshadowed in the story

Answer 16

“Does this safari guarantee I come back alive” and all the talk of probably death foreshadows death, or at least near death.

The talk abt Deutscher foreshadows something to do with him

“we don’t want anyone going who’ll panic at the first shot” foreshadows that someone(most likely Eckels) will panic

Eckels’ nervousness before the hunt began also foreshadows a panic attack from him

Question 17

simile

Answer 17

the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind

used to make a description more emphatic or vivid

uses “like” or “as”

Question 18

simile example

Answer 18

“sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior”

“like a sleepwalker”

“like so many chess pieces blown in a dry wind”

“like a gigantic bonfire burning all of Time”

“like golden salamanders”

“like Chinese boxes”

Question 19

metaphor

Answer 19

a word/phrase is applied to an obj/action to which it is not literally applicable

Question 20

metaphor example

Answer 20

“time was a film run backward”

“gigantic bats of delirium & night fever”

“a great evil god”

“each lower leg was a piston”

Question 21

protagonist

Answer 21

the main character of the story

Eckels

Question 22

antagonist

Answer 22

the character/force the protagonist struggles against & must overcome

time

Question 23

setting

Answer 23

the time, place, physical details & circumstances in which a situation occurs

around A.D.2055 in the Time Safari office

all times in time machine

around 67-65 million years ago, toward the end of the Mesozoic Era in what is now western North America, at the time an island continent identified as Laramidia

back around A.D. 2055 in the subtly changed but still very different office

Question 24

mood

Answer 24

the atmosphere that pervades a literary work with the intention of evoking a certain emotion/feeling from the audience

Question 25

mood during time of the actual safari?

Answer 25

very tense & strained

Question 26

versimilitude

Answer 26

the sense that what one reads is “real”, or at least realistic & believable

Question 27

any detail that adds to the story’s believability

Answer 27

vivid imagery

takes place in the future where time machines and other such technology is highly possible

the guns

how the animals came to feed on the dead dinosaur

Eckel’s reaction to the T-rex

aiming for the eyes instead of just anywhere

Question 28

How would you characterize the business practices of Time Safari Inc.?

Answer 28

They seem very dangerous and barely illegal. Time Safari Inc. is quite shady. There are also not that many precautions taken(could have put railings on the sides of the Path) and other such precautions.

They also seem very unformal (manner of speech)

Question 29

What are the penalties for disobeying the company’s rules?

Answer 29

“There’s a stiff penalty of another ten thousand dollars, plus possible government action, on your return.”

Question 30

What might the convo abt the persidential election results foreshadow?

Answer 30

It foreshadows a change in who wins the election.

Question 31

Name 2 details that you learned in the exposition of the story.

Answer 31

The Time Safari can take you anywhere in the past.

Keith beat Beutscher in the race for presidency.

Deutscher is very militaristic and controlling.

Question 32

Based on desc, what kind of person is Eckels?

Answer 32

Eckels seems very frightened and anxious about what is to come. Earlier on however, he was almost bluffing, talking about shooting “his” dinosaur and acting very indignant when the desk man tried to warn him of the dangers. This scene just proves that he is a bluff and no more.

Question 33

what might Travis’ warming to the hunters foreshadow? How does this warning create suspense?

Answer 33

His warning foreshadows danger, definitiely, but also sever bodily harm & possibly even death. This creates suspense by making the readers want to know if they will all make it through successfully or not.

Question 34

In line 99, Travis says, “We don’t belong here in the past.” Why? Is he correct?

Answer 34

He says this because just one little, tiny change we make in the past could cause an enormous chain reaction that would change everything as we know it.

He is correct in saying that we do not belong in the past, because as humans, we already dwell in the past much too often. We must learn to move past our mistakes, etc. and move on.

Question 35

Scientifically speaking, what might the effects of introducing the visitors’ bacteria have on the ancient atmosphere?

Answer 35

The organisms on the planet at that time did not have immune systems prepared to fight these new, modern bacteria and probably would have died.

If, however, many organisms had not died, just one death would probably have caused a huge change in the future (as shown in the story).

Question 36

How might the possible change in “social temperament” be reflected in a country?

Answer 36

Citizens might rebel against their leaders or countries might go to war with each other for valuable, scarce resources.

Question 37

As Eckels moves thru the prehistoric jungle, he is recalling events that occurred in the future. How is this sequence different from the usual order in a story?

Answer 37

Instead of just going from farthest past to farthest future, Eckels is mixing past, present, and future together and alternating them.

Question 38

What is Travis annoyed with Eckels for? Why do u think that Eckels keeps speaking despite Travis’ warnings to remai silent? What advice would u give Eckels at this point?

Answer 38

Travis is probably annoyed because Eckels signed himself up for this and acted as if he could take it, but when the time for action came, he promptly turned into a coward, thereby also jeopardizing everyone else’s lives as well.

Eckels keeps talking because he is scared silly and so shocked that he is almost deaf and blind to anything other than the T-Rex.

I would politely remind him that this is his own fault and that he can either suck it up and get over himself or be eaten by a large lizard.

Question 39

How does Bradbury characterize the dinosaur? State what 2 desc’s r most effective

Answer 39

he uses very vivid imagery & lots of similes & metaphors.

I would say that the 2 most effective desc’s are “a thousand pounds of white bone, sunk in thick ropes of muscle, sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin” and “the Monster twitched its jeweler’s hands down to fondle at the men, to twist them in half, to crush them like berries, to cram them into its teeth and its screaming throat”

Question 40

is Travis’ punishment reasonable? why/why not?

Answer 40

No. I think he gave Eckels the better deal. It would’ve been much worse for Eckels if he had been forced to live with his actions and the consequences that came with them.

Question 41

With which character do u identify most - Travis or Eckels - and why?

Answer 41

I identify more with Travis because although working for a Time Safari was probably not the smartest idea, at least he understood what he was getting himself into, knew his boundaries, and could keep a clear head. Eckels was just a hot mess, and I was just as annoyed with him as Travis was.

Question 42

Does Eckels’ reaction upset you?

Answer 42

Yes. As I said before, he knew what he was signing up for and he should’ve either been prepared or not signed up at all. Dinosaurs aren’t just toys that you can turn off when you’re done with. He needs to face the consequences of his mistakes.

Question 43

Do you think that Travis overreacts?

Answer 43

No. Desperate times call for swift action.

Question 44

What important discovery does
Eckels make when he reads the sign?

Why do u think that it horrifies him so?

Answer 44

The English language has been drastically changed.

It is so horrifying because it signals great, possibly catastrophic changes in the world. It slams the truth that Eckels was trying so hard not to see right into his face.

Question 45

What is the “sound of thunder” at the end of the story?

Answer 45

It is the gunshot of Travis shooting Eckels.

Question 46

What message or theme does Bradbury convey thru this story?

Answer 46

Everyone must face the consequences of their actions.

Even little things can change the world.