REINFORCEMENT ACTIVITY
Read the following extract from the short story, and complete the activities below:
"The Lottery" - Shirley Jackson
1 The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers
were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the
square, between the post oBice and the bank, around ten o'clock; in some towns there were so many
people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 2nd, but in this village, where there
were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten
o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.
7 The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of
liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke
into boisterous play. and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands.
Bobby Martin had already stuBed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his
example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix--
the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of
the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. The girls stood aside, talking among
themselves, looking over their shoulders at rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers
or sisters.
16 Soon the men began to gather. surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors
and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and
they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly
after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their
husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their children, and the children
came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mother's grasping
hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones. His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly
and took his place between his father and his oldest brother.
24 The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr.
Summers. who had time and energy to devote to civic activities. He was a round-faced, jovial man and he
ran the coal business, and people were sorry for him. because he had no children and his wife was a
scold. When he arrived in the square, carrying the black wooden box, there was a murmur of
conversation among the villagers, and he waved and called. "Little late today, folks." The postmaster, Mr.
Graves, followed him, carrying a three- legged stool, and the stool was put in the center of the square and
Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between
themselves and the stool. and when Mr. Summers said, "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?"
there was a hesitation before two men. Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter. came forward to hold the
box steady on the stool while Mr. Summers stirred up the papers inside it.
34 The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the
stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born. Mr.
Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as
much tradition as was represented by the black box. There was story that the present box had been made
with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first
people settled down to make a village here. Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again
about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade oB without anything's being done.
Part A: True or False: Select wheter the statement below is true or false, circle your answer and use
a brief quotaion to justify it.
1. The lottery in this village takes less than two hours to complete. (True / False)
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2. The children played near the pile of stones until the lottery began. (True / False)
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3. Mr. Summers is a well-liked figure in the village. (True / False)
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Part B: Understanding Pronouns
Identify who or what the underlined pronouns refer to in the context of the story:
6. “They tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play”? – Line 8
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7. “The stool was put in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box down on it”?.– Line
30
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8. “Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the
subject was allowed to fade oC without anything's being done”? – Line 40
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Word Meaning (context-based)
9. What does the word boisterous in line 9 most closely mean?
a) Cheerful and noisy
b) Nervous and shy
c) Serious and disciplined
d) Quiet and calm
10. What does the word paraphernalia in line 34 most closely mean?
a) Rules and traditions
b) Tools and equipment
c) Decorations and ornaments
d) Old documents and records
11. What does the word hesitation in line 32 suggest about the villagers' mood?
a) They are eager to participate.
b) They are cautious and uneasy.
c) They are impatient.
d) They are indiBerent to the lottery.
Multiple Choice (analysis and interpretation)
12. Why do the villagers hesitate to help Mr. Summers with the box?
a) They are afraid of the box.
b) They want to avoid responsibility.
c) They dislike Mr. Summers.
d) They are unsure of the tradition.
13. What does the black box symbolize in this extract?
a) A connection to tradition and history
b) The wealth and status of the village
c) The fairness of the lottery process
d) The reluctance to change
14. How is Mr. Summers characterized in this extract?
a) Jovial but pitied by the villagers
b) Cold and distant
c) Stern and authoritative
d) IndiBerent to the lottery process
15. Why do the villagers avoid making a new box?
a) They believe the old box has sentimental value.
b) They do not want to disrupt tradition.
c) They lack the resources to build one.
d) They fear changing the lottery rules.
16. How do the men in the village behave while waiting for the lottery?
a) They are cheerful and loud.
b) They are nervous and reserved.
c) They are playful and carefree.
d) They are argumentative.
