High School

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**EXTRACT 2**

When she walked across the room, her feet touching the floor, she couldn't feel anything at all—except a slight nausea and a desire to vomit. Everything was automatic now—down to the freezer, the light switch, the deep freeze, the meat inside. She couldn't keep hold of the first object it met. She looked out and looked at it.

It was wrapped in paper, and she took off the paper, and looked at it again. A leg of lamb. Alright then, they would have lamb for supper. She carried it upstairs, holding the thick bone end of it with both her hands, and as she went through the living room, she saw him standing over by the window with his back to her, and she stopped.

"For God's sake," she said, hearing her, but not moving round. "Don't make supper for me, I'm going out."

At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head.

She might just as well have hit him with a shoe club. She stepped back a pace, waiting, and the funny thing was that the violence of the crash, the noise, the small tide overturning, helped bring her out of the shock. She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a while blinking at the body, taking the ridiculous piece of meat light with both hands.

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**Questions:**

2.1 Refer to paragraph 1.

(a) Using your own words, state TWO points which imply that Mrs. Maloney is suffering from shock. (2)

(b) What indication is there that she does not plan to kill her husband? (2)

2.2 Refer to paragraph 3.

Identify if this was a crime of passion, or premeditated murder. Give a reason for your answer. (3)

2.3 Refer to lines 25-26 ('She began trembling - penalty would be).

(a) Why does she have to think fast? (1)

(b) What would the penalty be? (1)

(c) Why do you think, would the penalty be a relief for her? (1)

2.4 Immediately after the events in this extract, Mrs. Maloney becomes concerned about one thing only. What is that thing? (1)

2.5 Patrick Maloney is a cold-hearted character. Discuss your view. (2)

2.6 Explain how Mary Maloney goes about creating an alibi for herself. (2)

2.7 Critically discuss the ironic way in which Mary Maloney gets rid of the murder weapon later. (2)

Answer :

2.1 Refer to paragraph 1.

(a) Mrs. Maloney is suffering from shock as implied by the description that everything she does feels automatic, and she experiences slight nausea with a desire to vomit. These points suggest that she is emotionally overwhelmed and not entirely aware of her actions.

(b) An indication that she does not plan to kill her husband is her initial action of preparing dinner. She takes the leg of lamb to make supper, implying her expectations of a normal evening, not a violent encounter.

2.2 Refer to paragraph 3.

This is a crime of passion. The spontaneous action of swinging the frozen leg of lamb at her husband without forethought shows that it wasn't premeditated. Mary's actions seem fueled by immediate emotion rather than pre-planned intent.

2.3 Refer to lines 25-26.

(a) She has to think fast because she has just committed a serious crime and needs to figure out how to avoid immediate consequences, such as being arrested.

(b) The penalty would be severe punishment for committing murder, likely a prison sentence.

(c) The penalty might be a relief for her because it signifies an end to her shock and confusion, replacing it with a straightforward course of action from others (justice system handling the issue).

2.4 Immediately after the events in this extract, Mrs. Maloney becomes concerned about covering up her crime and ensuring that she does not get caught.

2.5 Patrick Maloney is a cold-hearted character because he dismisses his wife's efforts and boldly states his intention without considering her feelings. His indifferent attitude suggests emotional detachment.

2.6 Mary Maloney creates an alibi by going out to the grocery store after murdering her husband. She acts calmly and engages in conversations with shopkeepers to portray normalcy, establishing a timeline that could suggest she was not at home during the murder.

2.7 The irony in how Mary Maloney gets rid of the murder weapon is that she later cooks the leg of lamb and serves it to the detectives who are investigating her husband's death. This is ironic because they unknowingly consume the very evidence that could implicate her in the crime.

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