The Lottery

In the passage, ritualistic actions are shown in a manner that could best be described as

• blind

• opportunistic

• clever

• sagacious

• entertaining

When little Davy Hutchinson is given a few pebbles, the reader feels

• relieved

• somewhat tricked

• happily noninvolved

• cautiously optimistic

• blatantly misled

The fact that Mrs. Dunbar is gasping and out of breath shows

• refusal

• that the aphorism “with age goes wisdom” is often incorrect

• cultural passivity

• certain positive aspects

• disobedience

At the end of the passage (line 36), Tessie says, “It isn’t fair.” This is a prime example of

• understatement

• hyperbole

• kinesthesia

• foreboding

• futility

The tone of Jackson’s story is best described as

• contemplative

• reflective

• matter-of-fact

• iconoclast

• facetious

An underlying theme of the story is

• stoning is cruel and brutal

• violence takes place anywhere all the people are uneducated

• acts of irrationality can be committed by ordinary people

• clear thinking always trumps mob rule

• good wins over evil

The black box is symbolic of

• hope for the future

• happiness that results from change

• the villagers’ inability to change

• a happy tradition

• stasis

Mrs. Delacroix was friendly to Tessie at the beginning of the story. The fact that she rushes at her with a large stone “she had to pick up with both hands” (lines 21-22) shows

• irony

• resistance

• hope

• flattery

• gluttony

Shirley Jackson highlights humankind’s captivity to victimize even family and friends to explicate

• the beneficial aspects of humankind

• the value of ancient customs

• the benefit of sacrifice

• a symbol of victimization

• the danger of adherence to norms

Because the men pick for their families and the women are treated as, Tessie objects to the method of drawing. This

• stresses the importance of women in society

• reveals the true nature of society

• highlights a negative aspect of patriarchal societies

• shows that Tessie is loved

• shows that Tessie is unloved