Setting and Conflict in "The Lottery" quiz

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands.

Which line from the excerpt provides clues about the setting?

• Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.

• They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed.

• The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk.

• They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

"They do say," Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, "that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery."

Old Man Warner snorted. "Pack of crazy fools," he said. "Listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while. Used to be a saying about 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There's always been a lottery," he added petulantly. "Bad enough to see young Joe Summers up there joking with everybody."

"Some places have already quit lotteries," Mr. Adams said.

"Nothing but trouble in that," Old Man Warner said stoutly. "Pack of young fools."

Which character in this excerpt is in conflict with society, and why?

• Joe Summers is in conflict with society because he is joking with the villagers.

• Old Man Warner is in conflict with society because he believes that young folks have crazy ideas.

• Mr. Adams is in conflict with society because he says some villages have stopped holding lotteries.

• Mrs. Dunbar is in conflict with society because she is standing with the villager who represents society’s old ways.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix – the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy" – eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. The girls stood aside, talking among themselves, looking over their shoulders at the boys, and the very small children rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters.

Whose behavior is ironic in this excerpt?

• the villagers, for their pronunciation of Delacroix

• the girls, for talking among themselves

• the boys, for making and guarding the pile of stones

• the very small children, for rolling in the dust

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

Because so much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded, Mr. Summers had been successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood that had been used for generations. Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had argued, had been all very well when the village was tiny, but now that the population was more than three hundred and likely to keep on growing, it was necessary to use something that would fit more easily into the black box. The night before the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves made up the slips of paper and put them in the box, and it was then taken to the safe of Mr. Summers' coal company and locked up until Mr. Summers was ready to take it to the square next morning. The rest of the year, the box was put away, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it had spent one year in Mr. Graves's barn and another year underfoot in the post office, and sometimes it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there.

What important information does the setting in this excerpt communicate about the story?

• The setting reveals that the village people rarely shop for groceries because there is only one grocery store.

• The setting proves that the old way of selecting the names from the black box is better.

• The setting reveals that the village population is small and maintains a country lifestyle.

• The setting describes why special care is taken to secure the black box and the village family names.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly. Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers. "You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!"

"Be a good sport, Tessie." Mrs. Delacroix called, and Mrs. Graves said, "All of us took the same chance."

"Shut up, Tessie," Bill Hutchinson said.

Which behavior in the excerpt best indicates that there is a conflict between the society and an individual?

• Tessie's outburst

• Bill standing quietly

• Bill staring at the paper

• Characters arguing with Tessie

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands.

What information from the excerpt is ironic?

• The children are still thinking about school now that it is summer.

• The children gathered quietly together.

• The children arrived first for the lottery.

• The feeling of freedom from school is an uneasy one.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

Mr. Graves nodded and held up the slips of paper. "Put them in the box, then," Mr. Summers directed. "Take Bill's and put it in."

"I think we ought to start over," Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could. "I tell you it wasn't fair. You didn't give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that."

Mr. Graves had selected the five slips and put them in the box, and he dropped all the papers but those onto the ground, where the breeze caught them and lifted them off.

Who in the excerpt represents a new idea that is in conflict with society’s expectations?

• Mr. Graves

• Mr. Summers

• Bill Hutchinson

• Tessie Hutchinson

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

What is the main type of conflict in the story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson?

• character versus character

• character versus society

• character versus self

• character versus nature

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

Read the sentence from "The Lottery."

The lottery was conducted – as were the square dances, the teen-age club, the Halloween program – by Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities.

What is most ironic about this sentence?

• that Mr. Summers has time to devote to community events

• that these events take a considerable amount of time to prepare

• that the village has a teen club

• that the lottery is thought of as a civic activity

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."

A sudden hush fell on the crowd as Mr. Summers cleared his throat and looked at the list. "All ready?" he called. "Now, I'll read the names – heads of families first – and the men come up and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until everyone has had a turn. Everything clear?"

The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions: most of them were quiet, wetting their lips, not looking around. Then Mr. Summers raised one hand high and said, "Adams." A man disengaged himself from the crowd and came forward. "Hi, Steve." Mr. Summers said, and Mr. Adams said, "Hi, Joe." They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously. Then Mr. Adams reached into the black box and took out a folded paper. He held it firmly by one corner as he turned and went hastily back to his place in the crowd, where he stood a little apart from his family, not looking down at his hand.

Which phrase from the excerpt best reveals how the social environment shifts as the lottery begins?

• A sudden hush fell on the crowd as Mr. Summers cleared his throat and looked at the list. "All ready?" he called.

• The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions . . .

• A man disengaged himself from the crowd and came forward. "Hi, Steve." Mr. Summers said, and Mr. Adams said, "Hi, Joe."

• He turned and went hastily back to his place in the crowd, where he stood a little apart from his family, not looking down at his hand.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4