Lamb to the Slaughter

Part A: Read paragraph 1 below:

The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight — hers and the one by the empty chair opposite. On the sideboard behind her, two tall glasses, soda water, whiskey. Fresh ice cubes in the Thermos bucket. Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work.

How does the setting help to develop the mood of paragraph 1? (R.1.1)

• It emphasizes how difficult and draining Patrick's job can be.

• It shows how Mary always prioritizes Patrick's comfort.

• It hints at the state of the Maloney's finances.

• It foreshadows how Mary stages the crime to look like an accident.

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Part B: What effect does the phrase “cry her heart out” have on the overall mood of the paragraph? (R.3.1)

• It creates a sympathetic feeling in the reader.

• It creates a doubtful feeling in the reader.

• It creates a jubilant feeling in the reader.

• It creates a fearful feeling in the reader.

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Read the sentence below from paragraph 76.

All the old love and longing for him welled up inside her, and she ran over to him,
knelt down beside him, and began to cry her heart out. It was easy. No acting was necessary.

What does the phrase “cry her heart out” convey in this sentence? (R.3.1)

• Mary's feelings for her husband were genuine.

• Mary is glad she killed her husband.

• Mary is confused by her husband's demise.

• Mary is just pretending to care.

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Read the dictionary definition for peculiar.

adjective

1. strange or odd; unusual.

2. 2. particular; special.

   3. 3. a parish or church.

   4. 4. belonging to.

What does peculiar mean as it is used in paragraph 49? (V.1.3)

• forced

• crazed

• beautiful

• bizarre

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Which sentence from paragraphs 47-48 shows why Mary decides to cover up the murder? (R.1.1)

1. She began thinking very fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be. That was fine. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the child? What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both — mother and child? Or did they wait until the tenth month? What did they do? Mary Maloney didn’t know. And she certainly wasn’t prepared to take a chance.

• As the wife of a detective...

• It made no difference...

• What were the laws...

• And she certainly wasn't...

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Part A: What is the universal theme of "Lamb to the Slaughter"? (R.1.2)

• Tomorrow isn't promised.

• Marriage is a sacred vow that should be respected.

• Sometimes the truth is right in front of you.

• Looks can be deceiving.

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Part B: Select two (2) details from the passage that develop the universal theme chosen in Part A. (R.1.2)

• “How about a nice big slice of cheesecake? I know he likes that.”

  “Perfect,” she said. “He loves it.”

• Maybe, if she went about her business and acted as though she hadn’t been listening, then later, when she sort of woke up again, she might find none of it had ever happened.

• She laid aside her sewing, stood up, and went forward to kiss him as he came in.

  “Hullo darling,” she said.

• All right, she told herself. So I’ve killed him.

• That’s the way, she told herself. Do everything right and natural. Keep things absolutely natural and

  there’ll be no need for any acting at all.

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How does Roald Dahl use imagery in lines 101-102, below? (R.1.1)

The search went on. She knew that there were other policemen in the garden all around the house. She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw a flash of a torch through a chink in the curtains. It began to get late, nearly nine she noticed by the clock on the mantle.

• To emphasize the thoroughness of the search.

• To highlight the devastation the officers felt at losing one of their own.

• To build suspense in the reader for the possibility of Mary getting caught.

• To portray Mary as a victim of police incompetence.

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How does Mary's actions to cover up the murder contribute to the use of satire in the text? (R.1.3)

• Mary's actions create dramatic irony, because the audience knows the lamb is the murder weapon, but the officers think it is just supper.

• Mary's actions create doubt, since the audience never truly knows what Patrick told her or if he deserved to die.

• Mary's actions create situational irony, since you wouldn't normally expect a pregnant woman to lose her temper.

• Mary's actions create verbal irony, because when she said 'til death do us part', it wasn't expected that she'd cause the death of her husband.

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How does the author’s use of simile in paragraph 7 contribute to the mood? (R.3.1)

She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man, and to feel — almost as a sunbather feels the sun — that warm male glow that came out of him to her when they were alone together.

• It creates a romantic mood.

• It creates a desperate mood.

• It creates a cozy, calm mood.

• It creates a depressed mood.

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