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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 is the officer’s reply when another says from the kitchen, "She wants us to finish it. She said so. Be doing her a favor”?
(a) Fine, I’ll take some home for my dog
(b) Okay then. Give me some more
(c) I would but I’m full
(d) Let’s just hide it in the trash

2. What is a literary technique used to develop suspense in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) Foreshadowing
(b) Assonance
(c) Literary allusion
(d) Nonlinear plot

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

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

5. How are Mary’s actions described when she kills her husband?
(a) Filled with remorse
(b) Hesitant
(c) Without any pause
(d) Rage driven

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the first thoughts that Mary thinks after killing her husband?

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

3. According to the narrator, Mary “knew [Patrick] didn’t want to speak much until” what was finished?

4. “Lamb to the Slaughter” illustrates author Roald Dahl’s fascination with what literary genre?

5. Patrick tells Mary in the story, “I've thought about it a good deal and I've decided the only thing to do is” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What symbolism surrounds the murder weapon in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

2. After the murder has been committed, what is Mary’s central objective in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

3. What is foreshadowed by Patrick’s action of downing of his drink in the story?

4. How would you characterize Mary’s mindset as she commits murder in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

5. How would you characterize the tone and mood of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

6. What elements of the setting of “Lamb to the Slaughter” indicate the time period for the story?

7. How do Mary’s actions after the murder resemble those of an actor preparing for a role?

8. What is significant about O’Malley’s name in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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

10. At what point in the story is Mary’s sense of identity shattered? What does she do to regain her sense of identity?

(see the answer keys)

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