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

2. What does Mary do at the end of the short story?

3. What is Mary’s presumed reason for going to the store in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

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

5. What is the store clerk’s response when Mary asks him if he thinks her dinner will be all right despite being cooked from frozen?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

5. What is foreshadowed by Patrick’s action of downing of his drink in the story?

6. Where does the rising action take place in the narrative? What happens in the rising action of the story?

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

8. How do Mary’s actions after the murder resemble those of an actor preparing for a role?

9. Who is Sam? What role does he play in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

10. How is the character of Patrick Maloney described in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the dialect and language style of the short story. What have critics and literary experts written about Dahl’s language style in his writing? Do you think that given the language style, this story could be set elsewhere? How would the story appear if recreated with a contemporary Chicago dialect?

Essay Topic 2

Plot Structure

a. Discuss the plot structure of “Lamb to the Slaughter.” In what ways is the narrative related and what effect does this have on the reader?

b. How does “Lamb to the Slaughter” compare with other short stories written during this time period? Are there specific stylistic elements that can be seen in Dahl’s writing?

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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