Sound of thunder comprehension questions

What are the penalties for disobeying instructions?

You would have to pay a 10,000 dollar fine and possible government action.

What did some people want to do if Deutscher had won the election and why?

They wanted to go back in time to 1492 because they would have had the worst type of dictatorship.

What does Travis tell Eckels is the best way to kill a dinosaur?

Travis tells Eckels that he should shoot their eyes first, and then go back to the brain.

How many years did the men travel?

The men traveled sixty million two thousand and fifty-five years.

What is the anti-gravity metal path and why must the men stay on it?

The anti-gravity metal path is a path, not touching the ground, that is made of anti-gravity metal, they must stay on it or else they might change humanity.

What happened to the machine and the men’s clothes before they made their journey?

Their clothing and the machine was sterilized before they traveled back in time.

Why do the men wear oxygen helmets?

They wear the oxygen helmets because they do not want to introduce their bacteria to an ancient environment.

What is unique about the dinosaurs that the men can shoot?

They will die in the future and there will be no change if they get shot or if they just die naturally.

What does Eckels jokingly pretend to do?

Eckles pretends to aim his rifle, Travis does not like Eckles joking around.

What does Eckels say when he sees the size of the dinosaur?

Eckles says, (quote) "Why, why," his mouth twitched "It could reach up and grab the moon."

How do the men know which dinosaurs they can shoot?

The dinosaurs they could shoot had red paint splatted on their chest, with a paint bomb from Lesperence.

What do Billings and Kramer do after the dinosaur is dead?

After the dinosaur is dead Billings and Kramer sit on the pathway and throw up.

What does Travis make Eckels do in order to go back with them?

Travis makes Eckels put his arms in up to his elbows in his mouth so that he can extract the bullets.

What does Eckels notice about the sign on their return?

Eckles notices that the sign is spelled differently it spells out:

TYME SEFARI INC.

SEFARIS TU ANY YEER EN THE PAST.

YU NAIM THE ANIMALL.

WEE TAEK YU THAIR.

YU SHOOT ITT.

What does Eckels find on the bottom of his boots?

Eckles finds a green, gold and black butterfly in on his boots, inside a clod of dirt.

Answer each of the following questions using proper answer form.

1. What is inferred by the 'Sound of Thunder' through most of the story? What is inferred at the end of the story?
Throughout the story the 'sound of thunder' infers something wild and powerful made by nature. Something uncontrollable and unpredictable. At the end of the story the 'sound of thunder' infers death.

2. The author uses a great deal of imagery in the story. Pick an awesome paragraph with at least three good examples and explain how each is used to enhance the storytelling. everyone gets a different paragraph. First come first choice.

It came on great oiled, resilient, striding legs. It towered thirty feet above half of the trees, a great evil god, folding its delicate watchmaker's claws close to its oily reptilian chest. Each lower leg was a piston, a thousand pounds of white bone, sunk in thick ropes of muscle, sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior. Each thigh was a ton of meat, ivory, and steel mesh. And from the great breathing cage of the upper body those two delicate arms dangled out front, arms with hands which might pick up and examine men like toys, while the snake neck coiled. And the head itself, a ton of sculptured stone, lifted easily upon the sky. Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth like daggers. Its eyes rolled, ostrich eggs, empty of all expression save hunger. It closed its mouth in a death grin. It ran, its pelvic bones crushing aside trees and bushes, its taloned feet clawing damp earth, leaving prints six inches deep wherever it settled its weight.

Each lower leg was a piston, this image reminds you of huge force and the unstoppable power within the reptiles limbs.

It's mouth gaped exposing a fence of teeth like daggers, this image brings to mind, teeth so large that even one of them could impale a human like it is nothing.

'...While the snake neck coiled', it reminds us of a dangerous cobra ready to attack.

3. There are a number of moments of foreshadowing in the opening of the story (exposition). There are even more throughout the story as a whole. Give at least 5 examples from the whole story and explain what they foreshadow.


"We guarantee nothing," said the official...|Here the official is foreshadowing that Eckles will die at the end of the story.


"Makes you think, If the election had gone badly yesterday, I might be here now running away from the results. Thank God Keith won. He'll make a fine President of the United States."|Here Eckles is foreshadowing that also at the end of the story Deutscher will win the elections for president and will be the president of the United States


"So what?" Travis snorted quietly. "Well, what about the foxes that'll need those mice to survive?.... ....infinite billions of life forms are thrown into chaos and destruction.... ....From his loins would have sprung ten sons. From their loins one hundred sons, and thus onward to a civilization. Destroy this one man, and you destroy a race, a people, an entire history of life. It is comparable to slaying some of Adam's grandchildren.... ....a billion others yet unborn are.... ....Perhaps Rome never rises on its seven hills.... ....Queen Elizabeth might never be born, Washington might not cross the Delaware, there might never be a United States at all. So be careful. Stay on the Path. Never step off"|Here Travis foreshadows that everything will be changed when they go back to 2055, from spellings to different minds.


 Keith made President. Everyone celebrating.|Here Eckles is foreshadowing that, again, Deutscher would be the president of the US.

"I didn't realize it would be this big," said Eckels. "I miscalculated, that's all. And now I want out."

"It sees us!"|Here Travis foreshadows that there will be chaos, by the dinosaur looking at it.

"There's the red paint on its chest!"|Here either Travis or Lesperence foreshadows that the Tyrannosaurus-Rex is going to be killed.