The Lottery

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Identify the situational irony employed by Jackson and explain its impact on the audience.

• How is the lottery in the story different from what the audience likely expected? (topic sentence)
• Identify passages that explain the lottery, including the drawing process and the conclusion of the lottery.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain the situational irony of the lottery and how it impacts the audience.

2. The setting of “The Lottery” affects the story in various ways.

• How does the small-town setting affect the actions and interactions of the characters? (topic sentence)
• Identify at least three passages describing the small-town setting, including the people who live there and their traditions. 
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain the impact of the setting on the theme of Small Towns and Small Minds.