Lamb to the Slaughter

At the beginning of the story, why is Mary Maloney smiling as she waits for her husband’s return at the beginning of the story?

• She knows she will get even with him that night.

• She loves him and always finds his return a “blissful time of day.”

• She is looking forward to drinking Coca-Cola.

• She knows he won't speak to her for a while, and she is looking forward to the peace and quiet.

Why does Mr. Maloney hope Mrs. Maloney will not fuss about the decision he has made?

• He doesn't want to deal with a woman crying.

• He believes it is the best decision for her and that she will agree.

• He thinks a fuss would not be very good for his job.

• He doesn't want to ruin their dinner with an argument.

Mr. Maloney can be characterized as ...

• honorable and innocent

• disloyal and untrustworthy

• concerned and kind

• moody and difficult

Why does Mrs. Maloney go to the freezer to the lamb?

• She thinks if she goes about her business as usual then everything will be alright.

• She realizes her husband does not want to go out to dinner, so she needs to cook something fast.

• She wants to use it to kill her husband.

• She thinks that she can change her husband's mind with her amazing cooking.

Which of the following best characterizes Mary's reaction to killing her husband?

• Mary is pleased that he died with little pain.

• Mary is panicked that her husband is dead.

• Mary is delighted by his death.

• Mary is calm over her husband's demise.

What is the REAL reason Mary goes to see Sam, the grocer?

• She needs vegetables to go with the lamb.

• Her husband agreed to dinner, so she needs to pick up more food.

• She needs a witness as proof she was not in the house when her husband was killed.

• She is in shock and does not know what she is doing.

What evidence is there that the police were considering Mary as involved in the death of her husband?

• They go off to question the grocer about her alibi.

• They check her house for fingerprints.

• They assure her that the murder weapon is light enough for her to successfully handle.

• They never suspect her.

How does the story being set during the 1950s inform Mary Maloney's decision to kill her husband?

• Mrs. Maloney is certain the police will clumsily and incompetently handle the case like they have so many others.

• Mrs. Maloney knows that she can easily get a job and raise her child on her own.

• Mrs. Maloney is a housewife; she is completed dependent on her husband for her livelihood.

• Mrs. Maloney knows that she is young and beautiful and can easily get a new husband.

What difficult decision does Mrs. Maloney make in Dahl's short story "Lamb to the Slaughter?"

• She has to decide between living alone as a divorcee with a baby or the widow of a dead police officer.

• Her dilemma lies in how to murder her husband.

• She is most concerned about how to best prepare the lamb for the police officers.

• She is uncertain whether her husband is pleased with his drink or if she should offer him something else.

All of the following are reasons helping to explain the title "Lamb to the Slaughter" except

• Lamb is Patrick's favorite meal.

• Mary is a "lamb to the slaughter" because she never suspects her husband leaving her.

• Patrick is a "lamb to the slaughter" because he never suspects his wife killing him.

• A "lamb to the slaughter" is representative of innocence, meaning that someone has no idea what is going to happen.