View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. While his health is failing, Dimmesdale has achieved what in his profession?
(a) "Populist ire."
(b) "Sanctimonius reputation."
(c) "Brillant popularity."
(d) "Sturdier texture."

2. What adjective best characterizes the governor's house?
(a) Opulent.
(b) Baroque.
(c) Plain.
(d) Cramped.

3. What prominent wild plant grows just outside the door to the jail?
(a) A rose bush.
(b) Lilacs.
(c) Dandelions.
(d) A weeping willow.

4. By what moniker does Hawthorne name the Custom-House building itself?
(a) Regal Apartment.
(b) Old Manse.
(c) Big House.
(d) Venerated Palace.

5. What was the door to the jail made of?
(a) Mahogany.
(b) Oak.
(c) Birch.
(d) Maple.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which character is described as having a "wildflower prettiness?"

2. The title of Chapter 8 is the what and "the Minister?"

3. What distinguishes the men in the "throng" at the beginning of thChapter 1?

4. What quiets Pearl in this when she wants something from the governor's garden?

5. The title of Chapter 9 ("The Leech") refers to which character?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Hawthorne's emotional state in the preface?

2. Why is Hester standing before the townsfolk in the beginning of the novel?

3. What does Hawthorne promise to "alter or expunge"?

4. Why is "The Leech" an appropriate and significant name for this chapter?

5. Why does Hester stay in town after she is released from jail in Chapter 5?

6. What happens to Hester when the jailer introduces Chillingworth?

7. What has happened to the original spirit of the town of Salem, as in, to the legacy of the original founders?

8. What does Hawthorne find alongside the scarlet letter?

9. What does Hester refuse to do during this chapter 3, despite pressure from her neighbors?

10. Describe the door to the jail.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 649 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample