VOCABULARY
If something is tangible, what does that mean?
It can be touched or physically experienced.
On what planet does the story take place?
Venus
Where do the children discover the man?
At the bottom of a well.
Who conducts the lottery?
Mr. Summers.
What is Leonard Mead doing when the police car encounters him?
He is walking through the city at night.
If someone does something perfunctorily, how do they do it?
They do it routinely or without much thought, care, or enthusiasm.
Why is Margot different from the other children?
She remembers seeing the sun on Earth, while the other children have spent most or all of their lives on rainy Venus.
What do the children initially do instead of immediately helping the man?
They leave him in the well and continue interacting with him rather than getting an adult to help.
What does the lottery ultimately determine?
Which villager will be selected to be stoned to death.
What are most people in the city doing instead of walking outside?
They are inside their homes watching television.
If someone intercedes for another person, what are they doing?
They intervene or step in on that person's behalf.
What do the children do to Margot because they are jealous and influenced by the group?
They lock her in a closet.
Why is Aaron's reaction important when the man in the well says his name?
Aaron becomes frightened because he realizes the man knows who he is, making the children confront the seriousness of what they have done.
Why do the villagers continue the lottery even though some of its original traditions have been forgotten?
They continue it because it is an old tradition that has been passed down for generations.
Why does Leonard Mead stand out from the rest of society?
He chooses to walk outside and experience the world rather than stay inside watching television like everyone else.
What does it mean to rummage through something?
To search through something in a messy or disorderly way.
What does the sun symbolize for Margot?
Hope, freedom, happiness, and her connection to her life on Earth.
How does the group's behavior influence the narrator's decisions?
The narrator goes along with the other children instead of acting independently and doing what he knows may be right.
What does the lottery symbolize?
The dangers of blindly following tradition and accepting harmful practices simply because they have always been done.
What does Leonard's brightly lit house symbolize?
His individuality, independence, and separation from a society that has become focused on conformity and technology.
Which vocabulary word best describes something that is empty, meaningless, or lacking thought?
Vacuous
What does the story suggest can happen when people follow a crowd without thinking about the consequences of their actions?
They may participate in cruel or harmful behavior that they might not have done on their own and may later regret their actions.
What is one major theme of The Man in the Well related to following the crowd?
Following a group can cause people to participate in harmful behavior even when they know, or later realize, that their actions are wrong.
What is ironic about the way the villagers conduct the lottery?
They treat the lottery like an ordinary community event while knowing that it will result in someone's violent death.
How does Leonard Mead's behavior connect to the unit's theme of following the crowd?
Leonard refuses to follow society's expectations. His choice to live differently makes him an outsider and ultimately causes him to face consequences.