Your Points: San Pasqual Academy

___/157 English 9 and 10 - Ms. Priester

“Lamb to the Slaughter” Test
Reading Comprehension (7 points each)
At the beginning of the story, Mary Maloney is—
a. plotting to kill her husband
b. thinking about what to make for dinner
c. happily waiting for her husband
d. worried that her husband has betrayed her (let her down)

From Mary’s dialogue, the readers knows that her husband—

e. is unemployed
f. is a police officer
g. works for a butcher
h. sells life insurance

The fact that the leg of lamb is significant because—

i. it could be used as a murder weapon
j. thawing it will take time
k. it represents the couple’s icy relationship
l. it is much bigger than a lamb chop

Whom do the police first suspect when they arrive on the scene?
m. Mrs. Maloney
n. the husband’s co-workers
o. an intruder (someone who entered the house without permssion)
p. the grocer

The real reason that Mary goes to the store is that she needs—
q. food for dinner
r. some time to think
s. something to distract her
t. an alibi

Mary attempts to help the police officers relax by—

u. offering them drinks
v. confessing to the crime
w. gossiping with them
x. hiding the murder weapon

One of the police officers thinks the murder weapon was a—

y. kitchen knife
z. leg of lamb
aa. wrench, or spanner
bb. pistol

Mary refuses to lie down because she—

cc. needs to make dinner for the officers
dd. is beginning to go into labor
ee. wants to keep an eye on the investigation
ff. both b & c

Sergeant Noonan probably refuses to eat the lamb at first because he—
gg. works better on an empty stomach
hh. thinks it is unprofessional to eat on duty
ii. ate at Arby’s on his way to the scene

N.Priester 12/2/2009
 San Pasqual Academy
English 9 and 10 - Ms. Priester
jj. suspects that the lamb was used as a murder weapon
Readers can infer that Mary giggles at the end of the story because—
kk. the officers have eaten the murder weapon
ll. her mind has snapped
mm. her husband’s body began to twitch
nn. she wants to flirt with the officers
(__/70)

Focus on Irony Multiple Choice (10 points)

The types of irony found in “Lamb to the Slaughter” are—
oo. dramatic irony and situational irony
pp. verbal irony and ambiguity
qq. ambiguity
rr. both a & c

The dramatic irony of the officer’s comment that the murder weapon is “Probably
right under our noses” comes from the fact that—
ss. Mary is giggling uncontrollably
tt. it really is under their noses
uu. it is not what we expected him to say
vv. the situation is far worse than he thinks

Which of the following choices is the best description of the mood the author
creates in “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
ww. darkly comic
xx. light and breezy
yy. neutral
zz. eerie and frightening
(__/40)

Vocabulary Development (3 points each)

Write the word that best matches each definition on the word next to the definition.
anxiety hospitality placid consoling luxuriate
comforting ________________________
state of being worried or uneasy ________________________
friendly treatment of guests ________________________
calm, peaceful ________________________
(__/12)

Warning! If you do not attempt to answer most of the written section,

your entire test will not be graded.

N.Priester 12/2/2009
 San Pasqual Academy
English 9 and 10 - Ms. Priester

Written Response to the Standard (points are indicated within the prompt)
“Lamb to the Slaughter” is full of irony. Write a complete paragraph that:
-begins with a topic sentence (you may copy the sentence in the line above) (__/5)
-defines dramatic irony and provides one specific example from the story (__/10)
-defines situational irony and provides one specific example from the story (__/10)
-concludes with a closing sentence (__/5)
-uses grade-level writing skills – simple answers will earn simple scores (__/5)
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________(__/35)

N.Priester 12/2/2009