View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Mary reenter her home after going to the store?
(a) Through the front window
(b) Through the cellar door
(c) Through the front door
(d) Through the back door

2. Patrick tells Mary not to make supper for him for what reason in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) It is too late in the day
(b) He doesn’t like her cooking
(c) He’s going out
(d) He’s not hungry

3. One of the police detectives asks Mary if anything in the house could have been used as a weapon and if she will take a look around to see if anything is missing. What items does he suggest?
(a) A frying pan or a fire poker
(b) A hammer or a shovel
(c) A brick or a rock
(d) A big spanner or a heavy metal vase

4. How is the drink that Mary mixes for herself described in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) Ice cold
(b) Strong
(c) Weak
(d) Just right

5. What overturns when Patrick falls to his death in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) A radio
(b) A bookshelf
(c) A lamp
(d) A small table

6. “Lamb to the Slaughter” was adapted for an episode of what television show?
(a) Alfred Hitchcock Presents
(b) Unsolved Mysteries
(c) Saturday Night Live
(d) The Twilight Zone

7. What word from the short story means to be reluctant or wait to act because of fear, indecision, or disinclination?
(a) Hesitate
(b) Decisive
(c) Abundant
(d) Ponder

8. Mary tells the police officers that arrive that she had been where when Patrick was killed?
(a) The grocery store
(b) The church
(c) The library
(d) The department store

9. When Mary gets up to leave the room after Patrick’s related his story, she cannot feel what?
(a) Her eyes, gazing around the room
(b) Her hands reaching for her coat
(c) Her face looking in the mirror
(d) Her feet touching the floor

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

11. What reason does Mary give to the store clerk for her staying in tonight?
(a) She is feeling ill
(b) The car needs repairs
(c) The restaurant is closed
(d) Patrick is tired

12. How long does Patrick remain standing before he crashes to the carpet?
(a) 2-3 seconds
(b) 5-10 seconds
(c) 4-5 seconds
(d) 15-20 seconds

13. The final comment made by the policemen in “Lamb to the Slaughter” relates to which literary element?
(a) Onomatopoeia
(b) Assonance
(c) Alliteration
(d) Irony

14. The narrator states that Mary “loved to” do what “in the presence of this man” (Patrick) in the beginning of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) Pray
(b) Luxuriate
(c) Philosophize
(d) Entertain

15. What is Mary’s response when Patrick tells her, “Listen, I’ve got something to tell you”?
(a) Please, explain yourself
(b) Should I sit down for this?
(c) Could it wait until after dinner?
(d) What is it, darling? What’s the matter?

Short Answer Questions

1. What literary style that applies to “Lamb to the Slaughter” refers to the use of the grotesque, morbid, or absurd for darkly comic purposes?

2. What does Mary take when she runs downstairs after rehearsing in her room?

3. What murder weapon is used to kill Patrick in the story?

4. One of the officers in the kitchen says of the murder weapon, “"Personally, I think it's” where?

5. What does Mary request while she’s rehearsing in her room after killing Patrick?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 567 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample