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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. Mary tells the store clerk that Patrick has caught her without any what?

2. Which object from “Lamb to the Slaughter” symbolizes “revenge”?

3. How is Patrick said to travel in relation to Mary as he relates his story in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

4. How is the drink that Mary mixes for herself described in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

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

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

3. Why do you think the author chooses not to detail Patrick’s story to the reader?

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

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

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

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

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

9. Why does Mary giggle at the end of “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of the names in “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Why do you think the author chooses these names for his characters? Is there symbolic significance to the names? What type of heritage do these names imply?

Essay Topic 2

Identity in “Lamb to the Slaughter”

a. How does author Dahl explore the theme of identity through the character of Mary in the story? How does Mary’s identity become threatened and what does she do as a result?

b. How does the theme of identity relate differently to the men and women in the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of betrayal in “Lamb to the Slaughter.” How is this theme illustrated through the actions of Mary and of Patrick? What symbolism does the author use to reinforce this theme? How does betrayal relate to the other prominent themes in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

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