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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. Who is the officer who is asked by another in the kitchen, “What do you think?”

2. How are the curtains arranged in the opening of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

3. What member of the investigative team departs after the body has been carried out on a stretcher?

4. What is the first sound that Mary hears of her husband’s arrival in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

5. “Lamb to the Slaughter” is included in what short story compilation?

Short Essay Questions

1. In examining “Lamb to Slaughter” from an anthropological view of identity, what do you think Dahl’s statement is about mankind?

2. What is ironic about Mary’s answer to Sam regarding “meat” in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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

4. Whose point of view does the narrative of “Lamb to Slaughter” revolve around?

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

6. What crucial information to the story is omitted? Why do you think the author omitted these details?

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

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

9. How would you characterize Sergeant Noonan’s behavior toward Mary in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define “narrative point of view” and discuss the point of view of “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Is the story related in the past, present or future tense? Is the story told from a first, second, or third person point of view? How limited is the narrator’s perspective? Why do you think the author chose this narrative style?

Essay Topic 2

The climax of the story could be said to be when Mary kills Patrick. What indications show that this might be the case? What indications show that the climax happens elsewhere in the story? What risks does Mary face by calling the police? How are her actions justified?

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?

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