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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. Has there ever been any other breaks with tradition?

2. What is the traditional job of the village boys on Lottery Day?

3. In general, what type of village is the setting of the story?

4. What is Jackson saying about tradition.

5. What does Mr. Graves carry onto the village square?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the boys do to prepare for the lottery.

2. Who is called after Mrs. Dunbar, showing that no one is left out of the lottery?

3. Describe the kind of morning it is on the day of the lottery.

4. What happens next after it is settled that Bill Hutchinson holds the paper with the black dot?

5. How are people dressed for this annual event?

6. Why is everything so organized in the village for the lottery?

7. What excuse does Tessie make for being late?

8. Who do they look for before continuing with the lottery?

9. What happens as the stoning begins?

10. As Tessie continues to voice her objections, what does her husband do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a paper on how well written short stories hold the interest of the reader including the fact that they can be read in one sitting.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Write a paper where the towns people hold a meeting to decide if they will do away with the lottery. Use the characters from Shirley Jackson's story. Who, besides Old man Warner, will oppose the idea of doing away with it?

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This section contains 557 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample