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

3. Who is offered more as Mary listens to the policemen in the kitchen eating?

4. Patrick tells Mary after he’s finished his story, “So there it is. And I know it’s kind of” what?

5. The plot structure of “Lamb to the Slaughter” depicts which qualities?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What conversation between Mary and Sergeant Noonan leads to the destruction of the evidence in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

3. What foreshadowing can be seen in the curtains as described in the first paragraph of “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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

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

6. What action does Patrick commit in “Lamb to Slaughter” to propel the action of the story forward?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Describe and discuss Mary’s response when she “discovers” Patrick’s body after returning from the store. Do you think that Mary’s emotions are legitimate or performed? In what ways does her behavior exhibit the qualities of performance? In what ways does her behavior seem to be legitimately driven by emotion?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the character of Mary and analyze her personality and characteristics as described in the narrative. How are Mary’s feelings about her husband indicated in the text? How does Mary Maloney fulfill the “archetype” of the American housewife in the 1950s? What characteristics does Mary exhibit that fulfill this archetype? How does Mary break from the archetype, and what do you think this indicates?

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