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Worksheets

The Lottery

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 34mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What type of tone does the title and beginning of story set?

a)

Happy

b)

Gloomy

c)

Sad

d)

Ecstatic

2.

What is the setting of the story?

a)

an inner urban city

b)

small country town

c)

New York, City

d)

Avery, Texas

3.

What day is the lottery held each year?

a)

December 24th

b)

February 9th

c)

June 27th

d)

October 15th

4.

What is being used for the first time this year?

a)

A new black box.

b)

Slips of paper instead of wood chips.

c)

A bigger stool.

d)

Black and white ping pong balls

5.

Who was running late for the lottery?

a)

Mrs. Hutchinson

b)

Mr. Summers

c)

Mr. Graves

d)

Bobby Martin

6.

What phrase best describes the mood the author tries to create in the story?

a)

dread and surprise

b)

excitement and happiness

c)

peace and anticipation

d)

sadness and boredom

7.

Why does Mrs. Hutchinson say that the lottery drawing is unfair?

a)

Her family is excluded from the drawing.

b)

She arrives too late to draw a slip of paper

c)

She knows the result of the lottery is bad

d)

She wants her friend to have another chance.

8.

What human trait does Shirley Jackson criticize in this story?

a)

arrogance

b)

conformity

c)

curiosity

d)

greed

9.

What would another theme be?

a)

Peer pressure can really make people do horrible things

b)

People do bad things without any help from others

c)

People are unaware of why they do things

d)

Think before you act

10.

Who draws for the household?

a)

The oldest person

b)

The parents

c)

The mom

d)

The man

11.

How long has the Lottery been around?

a)

77 years

b)

46 years

c)

This is the first year

d)

Over 100 years

12.

Who assembled first at the town square?

a)

The men of the village

b)

The women of the village

c)

The children of the village

d)

The old fellows

13.

What can be seen on the slip of paper of the winner of the lottery?

a)

Big x

b)

black spot

c)

red spot

d)

blank paper

14.

People in the story are tell to have “Mob Mentality”. What does it mean?

a)

people follow the actions and behaviors of their peers when in large groups.

b)

people enjoyed cruel actions and behaviors.

c)

people face their faith with bravery.

d)

none of above

15.

Which piece of evidence best demonstrates the sexism that existed throughout the village?

a)

Only the men of each family drew the slips of paper for each family.

b)

When Mrs. Dunbar was going to draw for her family because her husband was injured, Mr. Summers questioned whether her son could draw.

c)

Little David Hutchinson was given pebbles to throw at his mother.

d)

When Tessie complains that the drawing wasn't fair, her husband tells her to "Shut up."

16.

What could the black spot symbolize in the story?

a)

Losing

b)

Tradition

c)

Fear

d)

Death

17.

In the resolution of the story

a)

the people begin to stone Tessie Hutchinson as she screams that it isn't fair.

b)

Bill Hutchinson forced the paper from Tessie's hand and showed the crowd the black dot.

c)

Tessie Hutchinson arrives late to the lottery, saying she was doing dishes

d)

Tessie says her older married daughter should draw with the Hutchinson family.

18.

Which of the following is the climax of the story?

a)

Some boys gather stones in a corner of the town square.

b)

Old Man Warner gets angry about other villages stopping the lottery.

c)

The audience learns about some of the original lottery traditions.

d)

The Hutchinson family is chosen to draw slips and we find out from the crowd's reaction that the black dot is not a good thing.

19.

What is another example of the author showing us that sexism abounds in this society?

a)

there are lots of little boys

b)

the girls are gossiping

c)

the men and women don't really talk

d)

the men are the ones who are "heads of household"

20.

The main conflict is what?

a)

The townspeople vs the woman who dies

b)

The townspeople vs each other

c)

The townspeople vs the stones

d)

The woman who dies vs her family

21.

Why does the author purposely throw you off from what is going to happen?

a)

She doesn't

b)

Because it's a fun thing to do

c)

So that you're more surprised at the end

d)

How are we to know the answer to that?

22.

The story states that the tradition has changed over time, and people really don't remember much but do it anyway. What point is the author trying to get across with this aspect?

a)

That things change and that's ok

b)

That it's not ok that things change

c)

That you can change a tradition and it's fine

d)

That doing something just because it is a tradition is ridiculous

23.

At the end of the story, who wins the lottery?

a)

Buck

b)

Tessie

c)

Mr. Graves

d)

Mrs. Graves

24.

How does the detail “And someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” contribute to the text?

a)

It emphasizes that the children no longer understand the violence of the lottery.

b)

It shows that Davy doesn’t like his mother and wishes to hurt her.

c)

It reveals that no one expects Davy to seriously injure his mother.

d)

It stresses that everyone participates in the lottery, even Mrs. Hutchinson’s son.

25.

Read this excerpt from the story: "Right," Mr. Summers said. He made a note on the list he was holding. Then he asked, "Watson boy drawing this year?"

A tall boy in the crowd raised his hand. "Here," he said. "I'm drawing for m'mother and me." He blinked his eyes nervously and ducked his head as several voices in the crowd said things like "Good fellow, Jack," and "Glad to see you mother's got a man to do it."

What inference can you make about Jack's father?

a)

He is refusing to participate in the lottery.

b)

He "won" the lottery the previous year.

c)

He's ill and can't participate.

d)

He’s got divorced from his wife