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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Mary buy at the store after she’s killed Patrick?
(a) Candy and cigarettes
(b) Potatoes and peas
(c) Rice and cheese
(d) A newspaper and a book

2. Mary complains about what aspect of Patrick’s job after his arrival home in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) Walking about on his feet all day long
(b) Sitting in a chair behind a desk all day long
(c) Driving all day long
(d) Talking all day long

3. Before Mary commits the crime of murder, she exhibits the qualities of what archetype or stereotype in the story?
(a) The loyal maid
(b) The sassy mistress
(c) The obedient housewife
(d) The loving mother

4. How is Mary said to feel as she comes out of her shock after killing Patrick in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) Fearful and repellant
(b) Paranoid and energetic
(c) Cold and surprised
(d) Sickened and tortured

5. Mary is told by the policemen that the weapon used to kill her husband was “most certainly a large piece of” what?
(a) Plastic
(b) Metal
(c) Wood
(d) Rock

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Mary go after leaving Patrick in the living room in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

2. How many police officers initially arrive after Mary calls the police?

3. What does Mary do at the end of the short story?

4. Who discovers a small patch of congealed blood on Patrick’s head when the police arrive?

5. What kind of store does Mary go to after killing Patrick?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Patrick Maloney feel about his wife Mary in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

2. Who is Sergeant Noonan in the story? When does he arrive in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

3. What transitions did American culture (and European culture) and society make in the 1950s?

4. How does the author establish and develop tension through using sound in the beginning of the story?

5. How is Mary’s love for Patrick indicated through imagery in the story?

6. Who is Sam? What role does he play in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

7. How would you compare the style of “Lamb to the Slaughter” to other horror short stories?

8. What is black humor? When did black humor rise in popularity in literature and entertainment?

9. How is the concept of identity as seen in popular psychology depicted through the character of Mary in the novel?

10. How did “Lamb to Slaughter” fit in with the popular fiction of the era when it was published?

(see the answer keys)

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