Read the excerpt from “The Lottery.” 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. Explain what is learned by the actions of the characters in the excerpt.

Read the excerpt and look at the question. It asks to learn and explain characters actions. The answer that answers the question with information from the excerpt is B or The lottery may not have been a happy occasion because the men smiled rather than laughed, and the children were apparently very hesitant to join their families when it started.

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mcarc09 mcarc09 · Answer 2 · 2022-01-10T12:16:26+01:00

After reading the excerpt from "The Lottery," we can say that we learned the following by the actions of the characters:

B. The lottery may not have been a happy occasion because the men smiled rather than laughed, and the children were apparently very hesitant to join their families when it started.

What happens in "The Lottery"?

In the short story by Shirley Jackson, a lottery is held every year in a small, rural village. However, the winner of the lottery will not necessarily be happy about it.

The excerpt we are analyzing here foreshadows the awful ending of the story. We can see that people seem nervous rather than excited. Men are not laughing, but smiling instead. Children are not jumping up and down, but are hesitant.

The reason for that is that the winner will be stoned to death. The lottery is held as a custom, a tradition of sacrificing someone for a better harvest.

With the information above in mind, we can choose letter B as the best option.

These are the missing options:

A. The lottery was a happy occasion because the men told jokes, the children laughed, and the women were able to exchange gossip.

B. The lottery may not have been a happy occasion because the men smiled rather than laughed, and the children were apparently very hesitant to join their families when it started.

C. Most of the villagers were indifferent about the lottery since it was held every year, and they already knew the outcome this time.

D. Most of the villagers were ready to do away with the lottery since it was an outdated custom, carried over from years past.

Learn more about "The Lottery" here:

https://brainly.com/question/14192752