Name _________________________________________
Date __________
“A Sound of Thunder” Study Guide
Directions: Using the following word bank, choose the word that best completes the sentences that
follow.
Annihilate
Depression
Delirium
Expendable
Paradox
Primeval
Remit
Resilient
Revoke
Subliminal
__________1. During a _____ many people cannot find work.
__________2. The agitated patient’s _____ was caused by high fever.
__________3. After a driver gets too many tickets, the law may _____ his license.
__________4. Modern builders are careful not to completely _____ the remains of
ancient civilization.
__________5. A time that is even older than ancient times is known as _____.
__________6. The car will be yours after you _____ the final payment.
__________7. Items that are thrown overboard to lighten a load are _____.
__________8. Good rubber tires are strong and _____.
__________9. Thoughts that lie just below the surface are _____.
__________10. If a heavy load is light to carry, that is an example of a _____.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What company does Eckels visit?
2. What are the penalties for disobeying instructions?
3. What did some people want to do if Deutscher had won the election and why?
4. Who is the Safari Leader?
5. How many people besides Eckels are on the trip? Name them.
6. What does Travis tell Eckels is the best way to kill a dinosaur?
7. How many years did the men travel?
8. What is the antigravity metal path and why must the men stay on it?
9. Why do the men wear oxygen helmets?
10. What is unique about the dinosaurs that the men can shoot?
11. What is a paradox?
12. How does the reader know Eckels is afraid?
13. How do the men know which dinosaurs they can shoot?
14. Where was Eckels on his way to when he stepped off the path?
15. What do Billings and Kramer do after the dinosaur is dead?
16. What does Travis make Eckels do in order to go back with them?
17. What does Eckels notice about the sign on their return?
18. What does Eckels find on the bottom of his boots?
19. What does Eckels learn about the election?
20. What is the reader to infer that Travis does to Eckels?
Directions: Answer each of the following questions using details from the story as support.
1. Fill in the cause-and-effect chart below to show the sequence of events in the story. The first and the
last event are already filled in.
1.
Eckels signs up for a safari to the past.
2.
_________________________________________________________________
3.
_________________________________________________________________
4.
_________________________________________________________________
5.
_________________________________________________________________
6.
We hear “a sound of thunder.”
2. Identify the steps in the chain of causes and effects that Travis says would occur if a time
traveler accidentally killed even one mouse. Do you think his theory might really be accurate?
Thoroughly explain your answer.
3. When the time travelers, crossing the border between the past and the present, return to the
world of 2055, how has that setting changed? What details were given that revealed the
changes?
4. What happens to Eckels at the end of the story? What is the cause of the final event?
5. There’s no doubt that Bradbury has written what critics would call a blockbuster story. Now,
take it apart. Do you find flaws in its logic? Explain with examples to support your claims. Do
flaws in the story lessen your enjoyment of it? Explain.
6. Bradbury’s writing style is full of vivid descriptions and images. What descriptive details help
you to see, hear, and smell Bradbury’s prehistoric swamp?