1: Hawthorne supposedly found the parchment sheets that contained the historical manuscript on which the novel is based in
a. a shoebox under his bed.
b. a file cabinet at the Essex Historical Society.
c. the Salem Custom House, along with the faded scarlet A.
d. a box filled with his father's papers.
|
2: Hawthorne suggests that the wild rosebush that grows outside the prison door is a symbol of
a. virginity.
b. the loss of true love.
c. natural, untamed beauty.
d. the thorny road of life.
|
3: What does the scarlet letter look like?
a. Very plain and severe, like most Puritan decorations
b. Artistically done, with elaborate embroidery and flourishes of gold thread
c. A plain A, twined with a thorny rosebush
d. Small and understated, so that it blends into Hester's dress
|
4: Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth, is
a. much younger than she is.
b. her soul mate.
c. much older than she is.
d. the minister of the town of Salem.
|
5: By punishing Hester with the scarlet letter, the Puritan community is
a. being reasonable about their justice.
b. following the principles of religious forgiveness.
c. proclaiming its own smug self-righteousness.
d. promising redemption at her death.
|
6: Two symbolic images of the good and evil battling over Dimmesdale's soul are
a. Pearl and Hester.
b. Chillingworth and Pearl.
c. Chillingworth and Mistress Hibbins.
d. the immense red A that appears in the sky as Dimmesdale performs a silent vigil on the scaffold and the scarlet letter A that Hester wears.
|
7: When asked who created her, Pearl says it was
a. God.
b. her parents.
c. the wild rosebush outside the prison door.
d. the Lord of Misrule.
|
8: As time goes by, Hester's scarlet letter comes to stand for
a. amends.
b. articulate.
c. able.
d. angel.
|
9: Chillingworth became the greatest sinner in violating the human heart because he
a. felt the church should have avenged him.
b. single-mindedly was bent on personal revenge.
c. neglected his young wife.
d. consistently acted with indifference toward everyone around him.
|
10: Hester tells Dimmesdale in the forest that humans have a right to be happy and that
a. the love she shared with him was sacred.
b. prayer could bring about their atonement.
c. the Puritan community had no right to tell them what to do.
d. their behavior could be judged only by God.
|
11: After she is released from prison, Hester remains in Boston because
a. the townspeople won't let her go.
b. she and Pearl's father can live together, giving Pearl a more stable lifestyle.
c. she has neither money nor friends to support herself if she moves.
d. every other place on earth would feel foreign to her, so she is bound, psychologically, to stay.
|
12: To support herself and Pearl, Hester sells needlework for all public ceremonies except
a. weddings.
b. funerals.
c. ordinations of new ministers.
d. baptisms.
|
13: Following an impressive meteor shower, the people of Boston see a symbol in the sky: a huge letter A. They interpret this A as standing for
a. adultery.
b. able.
c. angel.
d. Arthur (as in Arthur Dimmesdale).
|
14: Hester decides to reveal Chillingworth's true identity to Dimmesdale because
a. she realizes that Chillingworth is literally killing Dimmesdale.
b. she wants to hurt Dimmesdale by revealing her love for Chillingworth.
c. she wants Pearl to meet her real father.
d. otherwise Chillingworth will reveal the secret himself.
|
15: Hester explains the scarlet letter to Pearl by saying it is
a. a symbol of her membership in a secret society of women.
b. a family heirloom, given to her by her grandmother.
c. a sample of her craftsmanship.
d. a mark left from her one meeting with the Black Man.
|
|
|
