MCQEasy1 mark
1
Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options. (Do not copy the questions, write ONLY the correct answers.)
What were the people in Mead's neighbourhood doing when he was out walking at night?
Topic: The world of the story
Previous-year question practice database
Try it
Pick an option and check your answer. The full worked answer is below either way.
Answer
Exam answer
(a) Watching television.
Explanation
Bradbury’s houses are dark and silent, lit only by the "grey phantoms" flickering behind the windows — everyone is indoors before their viewing screens. Mead walking alone through the empty streets is the single human activity in the city, which is exactly why the police car finds him abnormal. The story is a warning about a society hypnotised by screens.
In words
Watching television.
Example
Watching television.
More from The Pedestrian
In which year is Bradbury’s story set?
What did Leonard Mead ‘most dearly love to do’?2026In the given extract, what does Bradbury compare Mead’s experience of walking through the city late at night to?
List two reasons why you would consider the comparison suitable.2026Which three responses from Mead are viewed with suspicion by the police car?2026Where is Mead taken to at the end of the story?
What observation does the author make about Mead’s house as the police car drives through the street?2026Mention two dangers that the author is warning us against, through this story.
Suggest an alternative title for the story. Give one reason for your choice.2026Choose the option that lists the sequence of events from Ray Bradbury's short story, 'The Pedestrian':
1. One night, as he was nearing home, he was stopped by a police car.
2. Since his answers were considered odd and unacceptable, he was forced to enter the car and taken away.
3. Leonard Mead loved to walk through the empty streets at night.
4. A metallic voice from the car asked him a series of questions.2025