125 pages 4 hours read

Ray Bradbury

The Martian Chronicles

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1950

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

“January 1999: Rocket Summer”

Reading Check

1. What is the story’s setting?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why do people call this day “Rocket Summer”?

“February 1999: Ylla”

Reading Check

1. Who appears to Ylla in her dreams?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Yll insist that Ylla stay home on the day of the rocket landing?

“August 1999: The Summer Night”

Reading Check

1. Which expedition is about to arrive in August of 1999?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What kinds of behavior cause chaos on the night before the expedition arrives?

“August 1999: The Earth Men”

Reading Check

1. Who is the first Martian that Captain Williams encounters?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does dramatic irony heighten the reader’s response to the encounter between Mr. Xxx and Williams’s crew?

Paired Resource