What kinds of realms does speculative fiction present?
Fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or imaginative realms.
What is horror intended to do?
Disturb, frighten, or scare.
How is horror often divided?
Into psychological and supernatural horror.
What is science fiction based on?
Imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes.
What settings or journeys does science fiction frequently portray?
Space or time travel and life on other planets.
What characterizes a dystopia?
Great suffering or injustice in an imagined state or society.
What forms does a dystopia typically take?
A totalitarian or post-apocalyptic society.
What feature of the old man’s eye motivates the narrator’s murder in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”?
Its pale blue, film-covered appearance.
What does the narrator cite as evidence of sanity in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”?
His careful, cautious planning.
What does the narrator do after hearing the heartbeat grow louder in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”?
He confesses to the murder.
Which emotional effect did Edgar Allan Poe believe a short story should create?
A single emotional effect.
How does the course describe the beginning of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”?
Almost innocent.
How does the mood of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” change by the end?
It changes completely, making the reader feel betrayed.
Why does Leonard Mead walk alone at night in Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian”?
For air and to see.
What questions do police ask Leonard Mead about his activities in “The Pedestrian”?
They ask about his walking, profession, viewing screen, and family.
How many police cars serve the city in Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian”?
One.
Where does the police car take Leonard Mead in “The Pedestrian”?
The Psychiatric Centre for Research on Regressive Tendencies.
What does the police force’s reduction from three cars to one reflect in “The Pedestrian”?
Crime ebbs.
What does an allegory represent through its characters and events?
Qualities or ideas related to morals, religion, or politics.
Which Cold War fears does the course associate with Serling’s *The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street*?
Fears of communist infiltration and accusations against supposed spies.
What do the packet’s four texts use imaginative genres to depict?
Human nature and human society.
What does the narrator do on the first seven nights in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”?
He slowly opens the door and shines a lantern’s thin ray at the closed eye.
How does the narrator’s eighth night end in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”?
He kills the old man.
Which three literary roles did Edgar Allan Poe succeed in?
Poet, literary critic, and short-story writer.
Which famous Poe story features a pendulum?
“The Pit and the Pendulum.”
Which famous Poe story is named for a wine?
“The Cask of Amontillado.”
Which famous Poe story centers on a house?
“The Fall of the House of Usher.”
Which two famous Poe stories are titled “The Gold Bug” and what?
“The Purloined Letter.”
What is the black box in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” made of?
Wood.
What color is the black box in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”?
Black.
What condition is the black box in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”?
Shabby, stained, and faded.
What profession does the police car deny Leonard Mead has in “The Pedestrian”?
A profession.
When was Ray Bradbury’s best-known novel, Fahrenheit 451, published?
1953.
Which countries engaged in a nuclear arms race during the Cold War (1946–1989)?
The United States and the communist Soviet Union.
Where did Americans fear communist infiltration during the Cold War?
Government, Hollywood, and everyday society.
What did widespread fear of communist infiltration lead to?
Witch hunts, most famously led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
What transformation does the play’s stage direction describe?
People change from a group into a mob.
What real problems did Rod Serling address through science fiction and fantasy?
Problems such as hatred and prejudice.
Which genre does the course identify “The Lottery” as a classic example of?
Dystopian fiction.
What question does the course raise about other packet texts and dystopia?
Whether they can also be considered dystopian.
Answer 17 questions on Short Story and Drama Unit.
1. What distinguishes speculative fiction from strict imitation of everyday reality?
2. A story aims to frighten readers and may rely on either mental dread or supernatural threats. Which genre best describes it?
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