War of the Worlds
Call Kai
Learn
Practice Test
Spaced Repetition
Match
Flashcards
Knowt Play1/70
There's no tags or description
Looks like no tags are added yet.
71 Terms
Who wrote The War of the Worlds?
H. G. Wells.
When was The War of the Worlds published?
1898.
Where does the first Martian cylinder land?
Horsell Common, near Woking.
Who first investigates the cylinder?
Ogilvy, an astronomer.
What emerges from the cylinders?
Martians who begin attacking humans.
What is the Heat-Ray?
A Martian weapon that burns and destroys targets.
What are the fighting-machines?
Tall three-legged Martian machines called tripods.
What is the Black Smoke?
A poisonous Martian weapon.
What happens to ordinary life during the invasion?
People flee and normal society breaks down.
What does HMS Thunder Child do?
Attacks Martian tripods to help civilians escape.
Where does the narrator hide with the curate?
Inside a ruined house near Sheen.
What does the narrator see Martians feeding on?
Human blood.
What does the artilleryman propose later?
An underground human society to resist the Martians.
Why does the artilleryman’s plan seem unrealistic?
He talks grandly but does little work.
What finally kills the Martians?
Earth bacteria against which they have no immunity.
How does the narrator change by the end?
He becomes more aware of humanity’s vulnerability.
How does Wells show imperialism?
Martians conquer humans as empires conquered weaker peoples.
How does the invasion reverse human superiority?
Humans become powerless victims of a stronger species.
How is human vulnerability shown?
Human weapons and armies cannot stop the tripods.
How does Wells show fear?
Crowds panic and flee as the Martians advance.
How is civilisation shown to be fragile?
Transport, law and daily routines collapse quickly.
How does Wells explore survival?
Characters respond through courage, fear or selfishness.
How does the Heat-Ray show technology’s danger?
Advanced science becomes a tool of mass destruction.
How does Wells show nature’s power?
Bacteria defeat the Martians when humans cannot.
How is religion explored through the curate?
His beliefs cannot help him cope with the disaster.
How is courage shown by Thunder Child?
The ship fights despite overwhelming danger.
How does Wells question human arrogance?
People assume Earth belongs to them until invaded.
How does Wells show the limits of knowledge?
Humans initially misunderstand the cylinders and Martians.
How does the novel explore isolation?
The narrator becomes separated from family and society.
How is selfishness shown during the invasion?
Some people prioritise their own escape over others.
What does the Martian defeat suggest about progress?
Technology alone cannot guarantee survival.
Who narrates the main story?
An unnamed educated man living near Woking.
Why is the narrator useful to Wells?
His first-person account makes events feel immediate.
How does the narrator respond to danger?
He is observant but often frightened and uncertain.
Who is Ogilvy?
An astronomer interested in the first cylinder.
What does Ogilvy represent?
Scientific curiosity and early human misunderstanding.
Who is the curate?
A clergyman who hides with the narrator.
How does the curate react to the invasion?
He becomes overwhelmed by fear and confusion.
What does the curate help Wells explore?
The limits of faith under extreme pressure.
Who is the artilleryman?
A soldier the narrator meets during the invasion.
What does the artilleryman represent?
Big ambitions that are not matched by action.
Who is the narrator’s brother?
A character whose journey shows panic around London.
What do the Martians represent?
Ruthless imperial power and advanced technology.
How are the Martians different from humans?
They are physically strange and technologically superior.
Why is the narrator’s wife important?
His concern for her makes the disaster personal.
What is first-person narration?
A story told using “I” by a character.
What effect does first-person narration create?
Readers experience uncertainty and fear alongside the narrator.
What is imagery?
Descriptive language that creates pictures or sensations.
How does Wells use imagery?
He makes Martian machines and destruction vivid.
What is a simile?
A comparison using “like” or “as”.
What is a metaphor?
A direct comparison without “like” or “as”.
What is personification?
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
What is foreshadowing?
Hints that suggest events still to come.
How does Wells create suspense?
He delays information and emphasises uncertainty.
What is juxtaposition?
Placing contrasting ideas or images close together.
How does Wells use contrast?
Peaceful ordinary life changes into violent chaos.
What is irony?
A difference between expectation and reality.
What is ironic about the Martians’ defeat?
Tiny bacteria succeed where human armies fail.
What is symbolism?
Using something to represent a wider idea.
What can the tripods symbolise?
Overwhelming technological and military power.
What is tone?
The writer’s attitude or feeling in the language.
What is setting?
The time and place where events happen.
Why does Wells use familiar English settings?
The invasion feels closer and more believable.
What was the British Empire in 1898?
A powerful empire controlling territories around the world.
How does imperialism relate to the novel?
Britain experiences the kind of conquest it imposed elsewhere.
Why was science important in Wells’s time?
New discoveries changed ideas about life and technology.
How does evolution relate to the ending?
Martians lack resistance to Earth’s microorganisms.
What should an essay paragraph explain?
A point, evidence, Wells’s method and its effect.
Why use specific events in an essay?
They provide clear evidence for an interpretation.
Why analyse a technique instead of naming it?
Its effect explains how Wells communicates meaning.
What should a conclusion do?
Sum up how Wells presents the question’s main idea.