"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson First ReadQuiz

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

• present; first-person

• present; third-person

• past; first-person

• past; third-person

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

• It takes place annually, in late June.

• Most of the townspeople want to end the tradition.

• The children are the least willing to participate.

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

Old Man Warner’s dialogue in paragraph 32 mainly suggests __________ .

• the power of a tradition like the lottery and the dangers of abandoning the lottery.

• that he is much wiser than the other villagers

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

• that he is the story’s villain

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

• She was not on time.

• She believes her husband was hurried.

• She knows Mr. Summers dislikes the Hutchinsons.

• She was not allowed to draw.

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

• jovial

• sad

• impatient

• horrified

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

• “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.”

• “’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.’”

• “’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?’”

• “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 responses best explains why the village originally held the lottery?

• They believed the ritual sacrifice would bring them good fortune.

• Their government enforced the tradition.

• The villagers heard that terrible things happened to towns that discontinued the lottery.

• To deter villagers from committing crimes.

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

• “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.”

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

• “‘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.’”

• “‘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?

• noun | a temporary failure or loss of concentration

• noun | an interval of time

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

• verb | to fall into an inferior state or condition

Match the character with their appropriate description: The oldest living participant in the annual tradition

• Clyde Dunbar

• Old Man Warner

• Bill Hutchinson

• Mr. Summers