Literature dossier: short stories

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 2

Welcome! Let's get started

This week: 

Prepare for the short stories TEST...

 

1 Lamb to the slaughter - Roald Dahl

2. The most dangerous game - Richard Connell

The lesson - Toni Cade Bambara

What is a short story? 

A short story is any story between 1,000 and 10,000 words.

A story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel.

So like a tiny book 

Typical short story stuff: 

Lower word count

Less character development

Less world-building

Fewer subplots than longer works

Different marketability

Lamb to the slaughter - Roald Dahl

What was Patrick Maloney drinking?

1. water
2. soda
3. wine
4. whiskey

page 2

When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was dark amber with the quantity of whiskey in it.

What was Patrick's profession?

page 4

It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be.

What does Patrick Maloney tell Mary before she kills him?

1. He does not like her cooking.
2. That he is not happy with his job.
3. That he is having an affair.
4. That he wasn't hungry.

How does Mary Maloney create the alibi?

1. By rehearsing in the mirror
2. By going to the grocery store
3. By calling the police
4. By going to dinner

Conflict: protagonist and antagonist

Who is the protagonist (main character) in "The Lamb to the Slaughter?"

1. Jack Noonan, the detective
2. Mary Maloney
3. Patrick Maloney
4. Sam, the greengrocer

Who is the antagonist in the story?

1. Mary Maloney
2. Patrick Maloney
3. Jack Noonan
4. the detectives

What is the rising action in the story?

1. When Patrick tries to work up enough courage to deliver bad news.
2. When the policemen arrive.
3. When Mary gets the leg of lamb from the freezer.
4. When Mary calls the police.

What point can be seen as the climax of this story?

1. Patrick being murdered
2. The police speculate about the murder weapon that it is still in the house.
3. The detectives eating the murder weapon.
4. Mary calling the police to report her husband's murder.

In order to understand what happens after the climax, one must first be able to pinpoint the point of maximum tension in the story. In the case of "Lamb to the Slaughter," there are in some ways two climaxes. The first of these is at the point in which Mary attacks her husband and kills him. This is the culmination of everything that has happened to this point in the story. The story then pulls back and allows the action to fall.

• The second and main climax of the story occurs when the detective notices that the oven is still on with the leg of lamb cooking. This is the point at which the detectives are closest to discovering the murder weapon and Mary has to keep from being caught. The conflict then begins to rise again as she creates an alibi and brings in the police to catch the murderer.

What is the falling action in the story?

1. Mary crying to the police.
2. Mary giggling.
3. The policemen eating the evidence.
4. When Mary rehearses and goes to the store.

What did Mary do with the leg of the lamb after she killed her husband?

1. She burned it.
2. She cooked it.
3. She burried it.
4. She hid it somewhere on the premises.

What does the leg of lamb symbolize in the "Lamb to the Slaughter?"

What are some themes of Lamb to the Slaughter?

Who is the protagonist of The MDG?

1. Zaroff
2. Ivan
3. Whitney
4. Rainsford

What do you know about this character?

Where is the story set?

1. England
2. South-Africa
3. the Caribbean
4. Ibiza

How does the General know about Rainsford?

1. he met him at a party
2. they have mutual friends
3. he's Rainsford's uncle
4. he read about him

Which answer best describes General Zaroff's problem before he invents his "game"?

1. he loves hunting but hates to see animals suffer
2. he hates Ivan but needs him for company
3. he cares for hunting, but it has begun to bore him
4. he hates Rainsford but must be kind to him

The Most Dangerous Game is best described as…

1. a sailor's story
2. a deadly contest between two hunters
3. a biographical story of Zaroff
4. a historical docuement

Why does Zaroff feel his game is not immoral?

1. he doesn't directly kill his victims
2. he gives his visitors plenty of food and exercise
3. he says that Cossacks are savage (and he is one)
4. he claims it is not murder because the sailors he kills are "scum"

What is the significance about the title of this story?

1. Rainsford never wanted to encounter danger
2. the word "game" has more than one meaning
3. Rainsford never wanted to visit the island
4. the word 'dangerous' is underrated

General Zaroff’s bed most likely symbolizes...

1. rest
2. comfort
3. love
4. victory

How did Ivan die?

1. by a knife
2. by a dog
3. by a gunshot
4. by quicksand

How many days must a person stay out of the hands of Zaroff before he is set free?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4

The climax of "The Most Dangerous Game" was...

1. When General Zaroff tells Rainsford he's going to hunt him
2. When Rainsford traps General Zaroff
3. When Rainsford hears the dogs
4. When General Zaroff wants to show his collection of heads

The Lesson - Toni Cade Bambara

What is the message of The Lesson?

1. racism
2. hunger
3. poverty
4. injustice

What themes are treated in the story?

1. wealth
2. inequality
3. poverty
4. all the above

Who is the protagonist?

1. Miss Moore
2. Sylvia
3. Sugar
4. the narrator

What do you know about this character?

Who is Ms. Moore?

What does Ms. Moore mean by "where we are is who we are"?

Why does Silvia hesitate before entering the store?

What does the sailboat symbolize?

Why is Silvia angry?

What is the climax of "The Lesson"?