The Lottery

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How is the black box described?

A) Brand new, polished, and shiny

B) Old, beat up, and chipped 

C) Technologically advanced 

D) Haunting and eerie 

2. According to Old Man Warner, why is there a lottery?

A) To ensure a good harvest 

B) To bring rain to the area

C) To appease their god

D) To celebrate the town’s founding

3. What happens if a head of family cannot draw for his family?

A) His family is not entered into the lottery.

B) His family is automatically chosen by the lottery. 

C) His grown boy or wife draws for the family.

D) His family draws twice the following year.

4. How does Mr. Hutchinson react to his wife’s protests to the lottery?

A) He joins in the protest.

B) He tells her that it is only fair. 

C) He tells her to shut up. 

D) He begins to cry.

5. Which of the following does the black box symbolize?

A) A chance of death 

B) A tradition

C) A hope for survival

D) A link to past evils

6. Which of the following represents the author’s view on traditions?

A) Traditions should always be followed.

B) Traditions should adapt and change over time. 

C) Traditions should not be blindly followed. 

D) Traditions should bring a community together.

7. Which of the following best embodies the thematic motif of The Cruelty of Friends and Family?

A) A girl hoping Nancy isn’t chosen in the lottery 

B) Mr. Graves helping Davy Hutchinson to pick a paper out of the box

C) Mrs. Delacroix telling Mrs. Dunbar to hurry up 

D) Someone giving Davy Hutchinson pebbles to throw

8. The townspeople throwing stones is an example of which of the following literary devices?

A) allusion

B) metaphor

C) imagery 

D) simile

Long-Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does the author create a sense of dread and tension throughout the story?

2. How are children indoctrinated into the tradition of the lottery?