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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 police detectives that the meat for Patrick’s dinner is where when they question her?

2. Before Mary commits the crime of murder, she exhibits the qualities of what archetype or stereotype in the story?

3. How many table lamps are described in the room in the opening of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

4. Where is Patrick standing when Mary reenters the living room with the meat from the freezer?

5. 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”?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What characteristics define Mary Maloney in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

5. How is Mary’s discussion with Sam regarding “dessert” an example of verbal irony?

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

7. How does Roald Dahl demonstrate black humor through the act of murder in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

8. How does the theme of betrayal apply to “Lamb to Slaughter”?

9. What symbolism surrounds the murder weapon in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the setting of “Lamb to the Slaughter” and the time period in which the short story was published. What literary movements took hold in America and Europe during the Post-War period? What qualities defined these movements? How is the setting of the 1950s evident in the story?

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