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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 kind of air is described about Mary and “everything she did” in the beginning of “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
(a) A quick frantic air
(b) A free-spirited air
(c) A slow smiling air
(d) A methodical air

2. According to the narrator, “the detectives kept asking [Mary] a lot of questions. But they always treated her” how?
(a) Innocently
(b) Respectfully
(c) Kindly
(d) Suspiciously

3. How is Mary said to greet the store clerk when she arrives after killing Patrick?
(a) Sadly
(b) Faintly
(c) Brightly
(d) Decisively

4. What kind of store does Mary go to after killing Patrick?
(a) A candy store
(b) A bookstore
(c) A grocery store
(d) A taxidermy store

5. What member of the investigative team departs after the body has been carried out on a stretcher?
(a) The fingerprint man
(b) A police photographer
(c) A doctor
(d) Charlie

Short Answer Questions

1. Mary hides the truth about Patrick’s murder to presumably protect whom?

2. What word from the short story refers to the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers?

3. Who gets up at once after the congealed blood is found on Patrick’s head and hurries to the phone?

4. How are Mary’s eyes described in the story?

5. Where was “Lamb to the Slaughter” first published?

Short Essay Questions

1. How would you compare the style of “Lamb to the Slaughter” to other horror short stories?

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

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

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

5. What foreshadowing can be seen in the curtains as described in the first paragraph of “Lamb to Slaughter”?

6. Whose point of view does the narrative of “Lamb to Slaughter” revolve around?

7. How does Mary’s character transform after hearing Patrick’s news in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

8. At what point in the story is Mary’s sense of identity shattered? What does she do to regain her sense of identity?

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

10. How does Patrick Maloney feel about his wife Mary in “Lamb to Slaughter”?

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