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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. As Mary walks home from the store, the narrator states, “Mind you, she wasn’t expecting to find anything. She was just going home with the” what?
(a) Vegetables
(b) Steak
(c) Whiskey
(d) Bread

2. How many notes does the police detective have when he returns from checking Mary’s alibi at the store?
(a) A couple of sentences as notes
(b) Two pages of notes
(c) A paragraph of notes
(d) A page of notes

3. 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

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

5. What is Patrick’s profession in the short story?
(a) He is a policeman
(b) He is a truck driver
(c) He is a taxicab driver
(d) He is a doctor

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Mary’s response when Patrick tells her, “Listen, I’ve got something to tell you”?

2. Mary tells herself on the way home from the store that if she does things correctly “there’ll be no need for any” what at all?

3. Where does Mary set her parcel from the store down when she enters her home?

4. What is Sergeant Noonan’s first name in the story?

5. What time does the clock say when Mary begins to listen for her husband’s arrival in the beginning of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What differences can be seen between the 1950s society in the short story and society today?

3. What social and cultural elements influenced the Post-War period in Western literature?

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

5. Where in the story does the denouement take place? What happens in the denouement?

6. What do you think the outcome will be for Mary based on the ending of the story?

7. Whom does Mary call after “discovering” the body? What happens next in the story?

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

9. How is the setting described in the first paragraph of “Lamb to Slaughter”? What items are described in the room?

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

(see the answer keys)

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