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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 word from the story refers to keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss?

2. What reason does Mary give to the store clerk for her staying in tonight?

3. What is described in the Thermos bucket in the opening of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

4. What murder weapon is used to kill Patrick in the story?

5. From what narrative point of view is “Lamb to the Slaughter” related?

Short Essay Questions

1. What appear to be Patrick’s motivations and desires in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

2. After the murder has been committed, what is Mary’s central objective in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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

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

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

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

7. What influences can be seen in “Lamb to Slaughter”? When in Dahl’s career was the story written?

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

9. How is “climax” defined? Where in “Lamb to the Slaughter” does the climax occur?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare the reality of Patrick’s behavior to the depiction of Patrick as seen through Mary’s eyes in the narrative. Where in the story does the reader witness first-hand “that warm male glow that came out of him to her when they were alone together”? How far from reality is this imagery?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Irony in “Lamb to the Slaughter”

a. Define dramatic, situational, and verbal irony. What are examples of each in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

b. Why do you think the author employs irony in “Lamb to the Slaughter”? What are the effects of the irony employed?

(see the answer keys)

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