Study Guide for “The Lottery”
QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions. Be sure to change the color of your answers
1. When does the lottery take place? July 27th, 10:00am every year
2. Where does the lottery take place? Describe the setting. It takes place in a small village with about 300
people with blooming flowers and richly green grass
3. How does the author, Shirley Jackson, foreshadow what is to come? They all collected stones
4. What can you say about the people of the town? They are very normal people
5. What paraphernalia is used to conduct the lottery and what attempts are made to keep the traditional
ceremony? Black Box, which has been the same box used for many years and a three legged stool
6. What role does Old Man Warner play? A stubborn old man who doesn't like change.
7. The lottery is carried on by Mr. Summers, who owns the coal company, and Mr. Graves, the postmaster.
What do the names and the objects hint at? Mr.Summers - positivity warmth and pleasant times
8. Usually a lottery is something good. When do you begin to suspect that, in this case, no one wants to “win”
the lottery? When the tension starts to build and when the people start to get nervious
9. How does the author build tension? By showing us that the lottery gets people nervous and building the
suspense.
10. What is the “procedure” of the lottery? Every head of each household had to draw
11. What is the reaction of Old Man Warner to the fact that in the north village “they’re talking of giving up the
lottery”? He reacts by saying that by listening to young people will send humanity back to living in caves and
eating acorns
12. What does the saying “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” hint at? That the lottery was originally used as a
ritual to bring good harvest long ago.
13. What does the story imply about traditions and ceremonies? Support your opinion from the story.
14. What does the story imply about family loyalties? Support your opinion from the story.
15. What does the story imply about human nature? Support your opinion from the story.