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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What refers to the defense by an accused person of having been elsewhere at the time an alleged offense was committed?

2. Where does Mary say there’s “plenty of meat and stuff” after Patrick’s arrival?

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

4. Where does Mary sit in the bedroom after killing Patrick?

5. What word from the story refers to keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does Mary appear the most emotionally vulnerable in the story? Is this emotion true or a performance?

2. What role does Sergeant Noonan play in the ultimate plot twist of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

3. What is the motivation for the crime committed in “Lamb to Slaughter”? How is this motivation established in the beginning of the story?

4. What influences can be seen in “Lamb to Slaughter”? When in Dahl’s career was the story written?

5. How can the influence of television culture be seen in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

6. How is Biblical allusion depicted through the title of “Lamb to Slaughter”?

7. What can be seen as ironic in Mary’s ability to evade suspicion and prosecution in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

8. Where in the story does the exposition take place? What important information is revealed through the exposition?

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

10. What actions does Mary plot on her way home from the store? How do these actions play out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the character of Patrick Maloney in the short story. What does Patrick look like? How is his appearance described from Mary’s point of view? How do Patrick’s actions display his personality?

Essay Topic 2

Define “foreshadowing” in narrative literature and identify examples of foreshadowing in “Lamb to the Slaughter.” What actions, events, and descriptions in the opening pages of the story indicate that a murder will take place? What purpose does the foreshadowing serve in the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the historical context of “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Consider how the story relates to its time period in terms of societal, political, cultural, and technological aspects. Do you think the story effectively reflects the time period in which it is set? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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