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 office 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 26th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took only about 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.
—“The Lottery,”
Shirley Jackson
Based on the description of the setting, what kind of event would you expect this lottery to be?
a minor delay keeping people from working
a fascinating one that will last for days
a terrifying one on a dark and rainy day
an exciting one on a beautiful summer day