The Lottery Comprehension Quiz

“The Lottery” is told in the ___tense, from a(n) ___ point of view.

• A. present; limited third-person

• B. present; omniscient third-person

• C. past; limited third-person

• D. past; omniscient third-person

Which of the following statements about the lottery is most likely accurate?

• A. It takes place annually, in late June.

• B. Most of the townspeople want to end the tradition.

• C. The children are the least willing to participate.

• D. Most people want to change the black box used for the drawing.

Old Man Warner’s dialogue in the following passage (paragraph 32) mainly suggests ____.

(p32) "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.”

• A. the power of a tradition like the lottery

• B. that he is much wiser than the other villagers

• C. that the lottery is necessary for the village’s survival

• D. that he is the story’s villain

Which of the following best explains why Tessie is unhappy with the first drawing?

• A. She was not on time.

• B. She believes her husband was hurried.

• C. She knows Mr. Summers dislikes the Hutchinsons.

• D. She was not allowed to draw.

Which of the following words best describes the general mood of the villagers in attendance?

• A. jovial

• B. sad

• C. impatient

• D. horrified

Which passage from the story most strongly supports the answer to Question 5?

• A. “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.”

• B. “’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.’”

• C. “’Well, now,’ Mr. Summers said soberly, ’guess we better get started, get this over with, so’s we can go back to work. Anybody ain’t here?’”

• D. “After that, there was a long pause, a breathless pause, until Mr. Summers, holding his slip of paper in the air, said, ’All right, fellows.’”

Which of the following best explains why the villagers continue to hold the lottery?

• A. They believe the ritual sacrifice will bring them good luck.

• B. The federal government forces this tradition to continue indefinitely.

• C. They’ve heard the terrible things that have happened to those who have stopped.

• D. None of the above

Which passage from the text most strongly supports the answer to Question 7?

• A. “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born.”

• B. “‘Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery,’ Old Man Warner said as he went through the crowd.”

• C. “‘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.’”

• D. “‘Daughters draw with their husbands' families, Tessie,’ Mr. Summers said gently. ‘You know that as well as anyone else.’”

Which meaning of lapse most closely matches its meaning in the following excerpt?

… There was the proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year; some people believed that the official of the lottery used to stand just so when he said or sang it, others believed that he was supposed to walk among the people, but years and years ago this part of the ritual had been allowed to lapse.

• A. noun | a temporary failure or loss of concentration

• B. noun | an interval of time

• C. verb | to come to an end, because of a lack of use or renewal

• D. verb | to fall into an inferior state or condition

Match the character with their appropriate description:

• Mrs. Hutchinson

• The person conducting the ceremony

• Mr. Summers

• The oldest living participant in the annual tradition

• Clyde Dunbar

• The winner of the lottery.

• Bill Hutchinson

• Not in attendance at this year’s lottery because of a broken leg

• Old Man Warner

• Father of three and husband to Tessie