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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. What type of story is THE LOTTERY?

2. What accusation does Tessie make to Joe Summers?

3. Which man holds the winning paper?

4. What sound is heard as the papers are opened?

5. What is revealing about the social order of the village?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the children react to their school holiday?

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

3. What does Mrs. Delacroix do to participate in the stoning?

4. What excuse does Tessie make for being late?

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

6. Who participates in the subsequent activity?

7. Mostly the townspeople seem to look forward to the lottery. What comment is Jackson making on human nature at this point?

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

9. What request do Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves make of the villagers and who volunteers?

10. According to the rules of the lottery, how long does the stoning go on?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write two or three paragraphs in which you discuss whether Tessie Hutchinson had a premonition that she would draw the black spot. Decide if you think Shirley Jackson had that idea in mind as she wrote THE LOTTERY.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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