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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where is Patrick standing when Mary reenters the living room with the meat from the freezer?
(a) On the porch
(b) By the window
(c) In the kitchen
(d) On the stairs

2. According to the narrator, “the detectives kept asking [Mary] a lot of questions. But they always treated her” how?
(a) Kindly
(b) Respectfully
(c) Innocently
(d) Suspiciously

3. Who arrives after the police detectives to investigate Patrick’s death?
(a) O'Malley
(b) A doctor
(c) Sergeant Noonan
(d) A police photographer

4. One of the officers in the kitchen says of the murder weapon, “"Personally, I think it's” where?
(a) Long gone
(b) In the basement
(c) Out in the yard
(d) Right here on the premises

5. The plot structure of “Lamb to the Slaughter” depicts which qualities?
(a) It follows a postmodern plot line
(b) It follows a traditional plot line
(c) It follows a nonlinear plot line
(d) It follows an anticlimactic plot line

6. One of the officers in the kitchen says of Patrick, “The doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces just like from a” what?
(a) Sledgehammer
(b) Baseball bat
(c) Tire iron
(d) A piece of firewood

7. What does Mary do at the end of the short story?
(a) She trembles
(b) She vomits
(c) She giggles
(d) She cries

8. What kind of air is described about Mary and “everything she did” in the beginning of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) A slow smiling air
(b) A quick frantic air
(c) A methodical air
(d) A free-spirited air

9. What is the first thing that Mary says after Patrick has related his story in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) I am in shock
(b) Get out of here
(c) I’ll get the supper
(d) I have laundry to do

10. What does Mary resume doing after Patrick arrives home in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) Sewing
(b) Humming
(c) Reading
(d) Cooking

11. What time does the clock say when Mary begins to listen for her husband’s arrival in the beginning of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) 8:05 p.m.
(b) 5:15 p.m.
(c) 3:30 p.m.
(d) 4:50 p.m.

12. According to the narrator, Mary “knew [Patrick] didn’t want to speak much until” what was finished?
(a) Supper
(b) The second drink
(c) The first drink
(d) The sunset

13. Where does Mary set her parcel from the store down when she enters her home?
(a) In a chair
(b) On the floor
(c) In the sink
(d) On the kitchen table

14. How are Mary’s eyes described in the story?
(a) Slanted
(b) Small
(c) Beady
(d) Large

15. What does Mary tell the police detectives she went to the store to buy when they question her?
(a) Meat
(b) Vegetables
(c) Wine
(d) A newspaper

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the officer who is asked by another in the kitchen, “What do you think?”

2. Author Roald Dahl is perhaps best known for writing what children’s novel?

3. Which object from “Lamb to the Slaughter” symbolizes “revenge”?

4. How far along is Mary’s pregnancy in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

5. What does Mary do with the meat after killing Patrick?

(see the answer keys)

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