Question

How does the reader learn where and when “There Will Come Soft Rains” takes place?
A. The date and location are burned into the side of the house.
B. The reader must figure it out using a variety of clues throughout the story.
C. An electronic device states the time, date, and location at the beginning of the story.
D. There is a newspaper on the kitchen table that shows the date and location of the story.

Answer 1

B. The reader must figure it out using a variety of clues throughout the story.

Explanation: Bradbury never plainly narrates "this is the place" or only one explicit source gives both date and location. Instead the house's voice-clock announces the time and date, the burned silhouettes and ruined cityscape imply a nuclear disaster and approximate setting, and other details scattered through the text let the reader infer when and where it takes place.