The Lottery - CommonLit Questions
Authored by Melissa Metzger
English
9th - 12th Grade
CCSS covered
Used 196+ times
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About
This quiz focuses on Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," a classic American short story that explores themes of tradition, conformity, and social violence. Designed for high school students in grades 9-12, the assessment evaluates students' ability to analyze literary elements including mood, characterization, theme, and the author's use of dramatic irony. Students must demonstrate reading comprehension skills by identifying explicit details about the townspeople's attitudes and behaviors, while also engaging in higher-order thinking to interpret the story's deeper meanings about blind adherence to tradition and mob mentality. The questions require students to understand how Jackson builds suspense through seemingly innocent descriptions, analyze character motivations and reactions, and recognize the story's central theme about the danger of unquestioning participation in harmful traditions. Students need strong textual analysis skills to support their interpretations with specific evidence from the story. Created by Melissa Metzger, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 9-12. This quiz serves as an excellent tool for formative assessment after students have completed reading "The Lottery," allowing teachers to gauge comprehension and analytical thinking before moving into deeper discussions or essay assignments. The assessment works effectively as a review activity to reinforce key story elements, as homework to encourage close reading, or as a warm-up to activate prior knowledge before class discussions about theme and social commentary in literature. Teachers can use this quiz to identify students who may need additional support in literary analysis or those ready for more advanced interpretive challenges. The questions align with Common Core standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 and RL.9-10.2, which emphasize citing textual evidence to support analysis and determining themes in literary texts, while also supporting RL.9-10.3 standards for analyzing how characters develop and advance the plot or theme.
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16 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
What is the mood of the townspeople as they gather for the lottery?
They are mostly light-hearted and friendly
They are all serious and sad
They are nervous and scared
They are completely quiet
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.1
CCSS.RL.9-10.4
CCSS.L.9-10.5
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
How do the townspeople view the lottery box?
They are afraid of it.
They all want to get rid of it.
They see it as part of tradition
THey are disinterested in the box.
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.1
CCSS.RL.9-10.2
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
The rituals of the lottery....
have become more casual over time.
are the same as they have been for generations.
have become stricter and more serious over time.
have been entirely forgotten by the town.
Tags
CCSS.RL.2.10
CCSS.RL.2.2
CCSS.RL.2.3
CCSS.RL.4.3
CCSS.RL.4.4
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
How does the town respond to Mrs. Hutchinson's lateness?
suspiciously
rudely
angrily
pleasantly
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.1
CCSS.RL.9-10.3
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
Why is Mrs. Dunbar participating in the lottery?
It's her turn to participate.
None of the men in her family are able to.
She is being punished by the town.
No one in her family will volunteer.
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.1
CCSS.RL.9-10.2
CCSS.RL.9-10.3
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
After the lottery begins, the townspeople become....
more excited.
more nervous.
more energetic.
more relaxed.
Tags
CCSS.RL.2.10
CCSS.RL.2.2
CCSS.RL.2.3
CCSS.RL.4.3
CCSS.RL.4.4
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
Why does the town have a lottery?
It is a tradition that is thought to bring them a good harvest.
Both the young and the old support the lottery.
They like to remember their town's history.
They genuinely enjoy the lottery.
Tags
CCSS.RL.2.10
CCSS.RL.2.2
CCSS.RL.2.3
CCSS.RL.4.3
CCSS.RL.4.4
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