The Lottery by Shirley Jackson turns out to be a horror story. What we as readers imagined at the start (a beautiful summers day in a New England village, a lottery) turns out to be something much more violent and sinister. The writer ‘hints’ throughout her tale and offers the opportunity for a reader to make multiple inferences.

This assignment consists of section A, B and C and is worth 28 marks

Section A

The picturesque village and opening scene contrast dramatically to the violent ending of the story.

Pick 5 direct quotes from the text which paint a beautiful and peaceful picture at the start of the story. These quotes try and fool us into a feeling of comfort!

2 marks for each correct quote taken from the text

Section B

The writer offers multiple opportunities for us to ‘infer’ that something is wrong, something sinister is afoot.

Can you find five examples from the text? Direct quotes taken from the text.

Can you explain why these examples hint at something sinister

Hint/suggestion that something unpleasant is afoot What inference can you make about this evidence?

Select the correct text in the passage. in richard connell's short story "the most dangerous game," zaroffs aristocratic appearance and dignified manners mask his sinister, animalistic nature. which line from the excerpt best provides a glimpse into his true nature? rainsford's first impression was that the man was singularly handsome; his second was that there was an original, almost bizarre quality about the general's face. he was a tall man past middle age, for his hair was a vivid white; but his thick eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as black as the night from which rainsford had come. his eyes, too, were black and very bright. he had high cheekbones, a sharpcut nose, a spare, dark face-the face of a man used to giving orders, the face of an aristocrat. turning to the giant in uniform, the general made a sign. the giant put away his pistol, saluted, withdrew. "ivan is an incredibly strong fellow," remarked the general, "but he has the misfortune to be deaf and dumb. a simple fellow, but, i'm afraid, like all his race, a bit of a savage." "is he russian? " "he is a cossack," said the general, and his smile showed red lips and pointed teeth. "so am i." half apologetically general zaroff said, "we do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here. forgive any lapses. we are well off the beaten track, you know." laughter shook the general. "how extraordinarily droll you are! " he said. "one does not expect nowadays to find a young man of the educated class, even in america, with such a naive, and, if i may say so, mid-victorian point of view. it's like finding a snuffbox in a limousine. ah, well, doubtless you