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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 do they list the villagers before the lottery begins?

2. What element of surprise does Jackson use in the story?

3. Where is Tessie by the time everyone has their stones?

4. What is the irony of Tessie Hutchinson drawing the black dot?

5. When is the lottery held each year?

Short Essay Questions

1. Are other lotteries still being held in other villages?

2. What time of the year is the lottery being held?

3. What happens after Mr. Zanini draw his paper?

4. What does Mr. Graves do at the Hutchinson family drawing?

5. What is Jackson saying about children in this story?

6. Why does Mrs. Dunbar come forward to draw in place of her husband?

7. Why is Mr. Summers always in charge of the lottery every year?

8. What does the setting of THE LOTTERY say about the citizens of the village.

9. In naming the holidays observed by the village, how does Jackson hint at the macabre nature of the lottery?

10. Have there ever been deviations from tradition in the past? What are they?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a paper on what you believe Shirley Jackson is satirizing in THE LOTTERY. Explain whether you think there is a religious undertone to the story.

Essay Topic 2

Write two or three paragraphs about how a tradition was defeated in the USA. [For example, you might write about Women's Suffrage and how they got the right to vote.]

Essay Topic 3

Do some research and write a paper that briefly describes cultures that have held human sacrifices. Identify, if possible, their reasons for doing so.

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