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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What refers to the defense by an accused person of having been elsewhere at the time an alleged offense was committed?
(a) Motive
(b) Alibi
(c) Sentence
(d) Prosecution

2. How are Patrick’s legs described when Mary sees his body after returning from the store?
(a) Doubled up
(b) In a knot
(c) Straight as arrows
(d) At right angles

3. What does Mary take when she runs downstairs after rehearsing in her room?
(a) Her purse
(b) Her hat
(c) Her shoes
(d) Her coat

4. How far along is Mary’s pregnancy in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) 4 months
(b) 8 months
(c) 2 months
(d) 6 months

5. Who discovers a small patch of congealed blood on Patrick’s head when the police arrive?
(a) O'Malley
(b) Charlie
(c) Sergeant Noonan
(d) A police photographer

Short Answer Questions

1. What word used in describing the story’s setting refers to a piece of furniture, as in a dining room, often with shelves or drawers?

2. Where does Mary go after leaving Patrick in the living room in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

3. Sergeant Noonan discovers that what is still on in the kitchen?

4. How are Mary’s actions described when she kills her husband?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did “Lamb to Slaughter” fit in with the popular fiction of the era when it was published?

2. What do you think the outcome will be for Mary based on the ending of the story?

3. What is the central example of dramatic irony in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

4. Where in the story does the exposition take place? What important information is revealed through the exposition?

5. How is Mary’s transformation metaphorically depicted in her descent into the cellar?

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

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

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

9. How would you characterize the tone and mood of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

10. How can the influence of television culture be seen in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

(see the answer keys)

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