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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens to the murder weapon in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) It gets buried in the yard
(b) It remains hidden in the basement
(c) The policemen eat it
(d) A dog runs off with it

2. How is the shape of Patrick’s mouth described in the beginning of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) Obtuse
(b) Large
(c) Funny
(d) Small

3. One of the officers in the kitchen says of Patrick, “The doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces just like from a” what?
(a) A piece of firewood
(b) Baseball bat
(c) Tire iron
(d) Sledgehammer

4. One of the policemen says to Mary, “It’s the old story. Get the weapon, and you’ve got” what?
(a) A good lead
(b) The man
(c) More questions
(d) The answers

5. According to the narrator, after Patrick tells Mary his story, “Her first instinct was to” do what?
(a) Not believe any of it, to reject it all
(b) Run out the front door
(c) Scream and slap him
(d) Clean the house

6. When Mary leaves the store, she tells herself that she’s returning home to do what?
(a) Call her sister on the phone
(b) Finish the laundry
(c) Cook dinner for her husband
(d) Wash the dishes

7. What does Mary request while she’s rehearsing in her room after killing Patrick?
(a) A lawyer
(b) Ham and eggs
(c) Her mother’s phone number
(d) Potatoes and peas

8. The plot structure of “Lamb to the Slaughter” depicts which qualities?
(a) It follows a traditional plot line
(b) It follows a postmodern plot line
(c) It follows an anticlimactic plot line
(d) It follows a nonlinear plot line

9. According to the narrator, Mary “knew [Patrick] didn’t want to speak much until” what was finished?
(a) Supper
(b) The sunset
(c) The first drink
(d) The second drink

10. What is Mary’s response when Patrick tells her, “Listen, I’ve got something to tell you”?
(a) Could it wait until after dinner?
(b) What is it, darling? What’s the matter?
(c) Should I sit down for this?
(d) Please, explain yourself

11. “Lamb to the Slaughter” was initially rejected by what periodical for publication?
(a) Readers Digest
(b) The New Yorker
(c) Harper’s Magazine
(d) Newsweek

12. What does Mary buy at the store after she’s killed Patrick?
(a) Potatoes and peas
(b) A newspaper and a book
(c) Candy and cigarettes
(d) Rice and cheese

13. Who gets up at once after the congealed blood is found on Patrick’s head and hurries to the phone?
(a) Charlie
(b) O’Malley
(c) The fingerprint man
(d) Sergeant Noonan

14. What is Mary doing as she enters her home from the store?
(a) Laughing and giggling
(b) Humming and smiling
(c) Frowning and praying
(d) Crying and thinking

15. Mary is told by the policemen that her husband has been killed with what weapon?
(a) A small caliber firearm
(b) A large caliber firearm
(c) A heavy blunt instrument
(d) A sharp knife

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Mary’s presumed reason for killing her husband in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

2. How far along is Mary’s pregnancy in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

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

4. According to the narrator, “the detectives kept asking [Mary] a lot of questions. But they always treated her” how?

5. How does Mary kill her husband in the story?

(see the answer keys)

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