Lamb to the Slaughter Roald Dahl

Transcription

1 SELECTION TEST Student Edition page 317 LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS Lamb to the Slaughter Roald Dahl COMPREHENSION (40 points; 4 points each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. 1. At the beginning of the story, Mary Maloney is A plotting to kill her husband B thinking about what to make for dinner C happily waiting for her husband D worried that her husband has betrayed her 2. From Mary Maloney s dialogue you know that her husband F is unemployed G is a police officer H works for a butcher J sells life insurance 3. The fact that the lamb is frozen is significant because A thawing it will take time B it mirrors the couple s icy relationship C eating improperly thawed meat can make a person ill D it could be used as a murder weapon 4. Whom do the police first suspect when they arrive on the scene? F Mrs. Maloney G The husband s co-workers H An intruder J The grocer 5. The real reason Mary goes to the store is that she needs A food for dinner B an alibi C some time to think D something to distract her 6. Mary attempts to put the police officers at ease by F offering them drinks G confessing to the crime H making idle chitchat J hiding the murder weapon Lamb to the Slaughter 97

2 7. One of the police officers thinks the murder weapon was a A kitchen knife B leg of lamb C wrench, or spanner D pistol 8. Mary refuses to lie down because she F feels too nervous to relax G needs to make dinner for the officers H wants the officers to feel sorry for her J wants to keep an eye on the investigation 9. Sergeant Noonan probably refuses to eat the lamb at first because he A works better on an empty stomach B thinks it is unprofessional to eat on duty C suspects that the lamb has been used as a murder weapon D doesn t want to take time away from the investigation 10. Mary probably giggles at the end of the story because F the officers have eaten the murder weapon G her mind has snapped H she is glad her husband is dead J she wants to charm the officers LITERARY FOCUS (20 points; 5 points each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. 11. The types of irony found in Lamb to the Slaughter are A dramatic irony and situational irony B verbal irony and ambiguity C dramatic irony but no situational irony D situational irony but no dramatic irony 12. Which of the following statements best express the irony of the story s title? F A lamb generally symbolizes innocence. G It was the husband who was slaughtered. H The lamb and the husband were both Mary s victims. J The lamb is the murder weapon. 98 Holt Assessment: Literature, Reading, and Vocabulary

3 13. The dramatic irony of the officer s comment that the murder weapon is Probably right under our very noses comes from the fact that A it really is under their noses B Mary is giggling uncontrollably C it is not what we expected him to say D the situation is far worse than he thinks 14. Which of the following choices is the best description of the mood the author creates in Lamb to the Slaughter? F Darkly comic G Light and breezy H Neutral J Eerie and menacing VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT (20 points; 4 points each) Match the definition on the left with the Vocabulary word on the right. On the line provided, write the letter of the Vocabulary word. 15. comforting a. anxiety 16. state of being worried or uneasy b. hospitality 17. friendly treatment of guests c. placid 18. calm; tranquil d. consoling 19. take pleasure in e. luxuriate CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE (20 points) 20. Lamb to the Slaughter is full of irony. On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph identifying one example of dramatic irony and one example of situational irony in the story. Tell how each example is used in the story. Lamb to the Slaughter 99

4 Answer Key Reading Skills and Strategies: Determining an Author s Purpose 11. Students responses will vary. A sample R. A. Sasaki s purpose in this passage from Another Writer s Beginnings is to explain why she decided to become a writer. She is not trying to persuade anyone else to become a writer, nor is she merely telling a story about her childhood. The events that led her to become a writer are important, as are the events that lead anyone into a career. She wants readers to consider how seemingly small events and turns of fate can influence the course of an entire life. Making Inferences About Character 12. Students responses will vary. A sample Goal Wanting to become a Mouseketeer. Motivation Desire to be popular. Outcome Abandons the plan. Goal Showing her mother the school picture. Motivation Wants to be reassured that she is pretty. Outcome Realizes that she is not pretty after all. Goal Deciding to become a writer. Motivation Recognition that she cannot rely on beauty. Outcome Becomes a writer. Summarizing the Main Idea 13. Students responses will vary. A sample R. A. Sasaki conveys the main idea that she decided to become a writer when she realized that she could not rely on her appearance to carry her through life. Details include her mother s devastating response to the author s unattractive fifthgrade school picture. The mother s inability to find one nice thing to say confirms what the author had long suspected: that she was not attractive. This conclusion clearly shows the main idea: So for the first time I considered the possibility that I might not make it as a Mouseketeer after all. Looks would never be my meal ticket. I would have to develop other talents. : 14. Students responses will vary. A sample Form: As a novel novel. As an essay essay. Length: As a novel long. As an essay short. Content: As a novel fictionalized. As an essay all true. Purpose: As a novel to entertain. As an essay to explain. Statement about life: As a novel theme. As an essay main idea. Collection 5 Collection 5 Diagnostic Test Literature, Informational Text, Vocabulary, page C 6. G 2. J 7. D 3. A 8. F 4. G 9. B 5. C 10. H Lamb to the Slaughter Roald Dahl Selection Test, page C 6. F 2. G 7. C 3. D 8. J 4. F 9. B 5. B 10. F 11. A 13. A 12. J 14. F Answer Key 301

5 Answer Key Vocabulary 15. d 18. c 16. a 19. e 17. b 20. Students responses will vary. A sample Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows more about a situation than the character does. This story contains many examples of dramatic irony. For instance, we know that Mary is going shopping to provide herself with an alibi. Situational irony occurs when the reader s expectations are reversed. One example is that at the beginning of the story we see a content housewife who loves her husband; the fact that she murders him comes as a surprise. R.M.S.Titanic Hanson W. Baldwin A Fireman s Story Harry Senior From a Lifeboat Mrs. D. H. Bishop Selection Test, page C 6. F 2. G 7. B 3. C 8. F 4. G 9. B 5. C 10. H 11. A 13. A 12. F 14. H Vocabulary Development 15. e 18. d 16. b 19. a 17. c 20. Students responses will vary. A sample The situational irony in the essay comes from the fact that the tragic events he describes the sinking of the Titanic were exactly the opposite of what was supposed to happen. The dramatic irony comes from the fact that the passengers we are reading about do not know, as the readers do, what is about to happen to them. Two examples of dramatic irony are: first, when the radio operator tells the Californian to shut up ; second, when a lifeboat lowers less than half full. Examples of situational irony include the men exercising in the gym and the clerks trying to save the mail. from Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer Selection Test, page C 4. F 2. H 5. D 3. D 6. J 8. G 7. A 9. C Vocabulary Development 10. d 13. a 11. b 14. c 12. e 15. Students responses will vary. A sample It is ironic that Krakauer was lucky enough to find someone to lower his oxygen intake, but, as it turns out, the oxygen level was increased. Consequently his feelings of vitality and strength indicate his imminent danger of running out of oxygen too soon. Another example of situational irony and contradiction is that if Harris had 302 Holt Assessment: Literature, Reading, and Vocabulary