Lamb to the Slaughter

At the beginning of the story, why is Mary Maloney smiling as she waits for her husband’s return at the beginning of the story?

• She knows she will get even with him that night.

• She loves him and always finds his return a “blissful time of day.”

• She is looking forward to drinking Coca-Cola.

• She knows he won't speak to her for a while, and she is looking forward to the peace and quiet.

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Why does Mr. Maloney hope Mrs. Maloney will not fuss about the decision he has made?

• He doesn't want to deal with a woman crying.

• He believes it is the best decision for her and that she will agree.

• He thinks a fuss would not be very good for his job.

• He doesn't want to ruin their dinner with an argument.

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Mr. Maloney can be characterized as ...

• honorable and innocent

• disloyal and untrustworthy

• concerned and kind

• moody and difficult

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Why does Mrs. Maloney go to the freezer to the lamb?

• She thinks if she goes about her business as usual then everything will be alright.

• She realizes her husband does not want to go out to dinner, so she needs to cook something fast.

• She wants to use it to kill her husband.

• She thinks that she can change her husband's mind with her amazing cooking.

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Which of the following best characterizes Mary's reaction to killing her husband?

• Mary is pleased that he died with little pain.

• Mary is panicked that her husband is dead.

• Mary is delighted by his death.

• Mary is calm over her husband's demise.

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What is the REAL reason Mary goes to see Sam, the grocer?

• She needs vegetables to go with the lamb.

• Her husband agreed to dinner, so she needs to pick up more food.

• She needs a witness as proof she was not in the house when her husband was killed.

• She is in shock and does not know what she is doing.

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What evidence is there that the police were considering Mary as involved in the death of her husband?

• They go off to question the grocer about her alibi.

• They check her house for fingerprints.

• They assure her that the murder weapon is light enough for her to successfully handle.

• They never suspect her.

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How does the story being set during the 1950s inform Mary Maloney's decision to kill her husband?

• Mrs. Maloney is certain the police will clumsily and incompetently handle the case like they have so many others.

• Mrs. Maloney knows that she can easily get a job and raise her child on her own.

• Mrs. Maloney is a housewife; she is completed dependent on her husband for her livelihood.

• Mrs. Maloney knows that she is young and beautiful and can easily get a new husband.

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What difficult decision does Mrs. Maloney make in Dahl's short story "Lamb to the Slaughter?"

• She has to decide between living alone as a divorcee with a baby or the widow of a dead police officer.

• Her dilemma lies in how to murder her husband.

• She is most concerned about how to best prepare the lamb for the police officers.

• She is uncertain whether her husband is pleased with his drink or if she should offer him something else.

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All of the following are reasons helping to explain the title "Lamb to the Slaughter" except

• Lamb is Patrick's favorite meal.

• Mary is a "lamb to the slaughter" because she never suspects her husband leaving her.

• Patrick is a "lamb to the slaughter" because he never suspects his wife killing him.

• A "lamb to the slaughter" is representative of innocence, meaning that someone has no idea what is going to happen.

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