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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Where has Chillingworth been gathering herbs, when he is asked by the minister in Chapter 10?
2. Who thinks that Hester's punishment/sentence is too light?
3. Which character is described as having a "wildflower prettiness?"
4. Who is to wear the thing Hester is delivering to the governor's house?
5. How old is the baby in Hester's arms when we first see her?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe the setting Hawthorne describes of the busy wharf.
2. What does Hester refuse to do during this chapter 3, despite pressure from her neighbors?
3. Describe the people referred to as the five in the following quotation: "If the hussy stood for judgment before us five, that are now here in a knot together"?
4. How does Hawthorne describe the inhabitants of Boston?
5. Of all the finery in the governor's mansion, what does Pearl cry for most of all?
6. When Hester delivers gloves to the governor, what is the other reason for her going there?
7. Why does Hester stay in town after she is released from jail in Chapter 5?
8. Why is Hester standing before the townsfolk in the beginning of the novel?
9. What does Chillingworth implore Hester to do when they meet in the jail?
10. What has happened to the original spirit of the town of Salem, as in, to the legacy of the original founders?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Hawthorne's preface to this novel claims that he has gotten himself in trouble for an unflattering portrait of the Customs Inspector, yet nonetheless, the novel features many real historical people anyway. Take up one of these real historical persons (for example, Governor Bellingham or Mistress Hibbins) and offer a descriptive analysis of their role in the narrative. How does Hawthorne characterize these real historical people? To what dramatic purposes or fictional ends does he put them alongside the invented characters? Be sure to consider the role these minor characters play in the historical setting of this novel.
Essay Topic 2
One major set of symbols in this work has to do with an interplay of the supernatural and the natural, both of which express various emotions or meanings at particular times in the book. Incorporating at least three examples from each category (three examples of the natural and three of the supernatural), define these concepts in terms of Hawthorne's novel, and interpret your examples in a comparative manner to show how they function in helping Hawthorne's narrator tell this story.
Essay Topic 3
Some critics might characterize parts of this work as feminist, particularly considering the role of Hester Prynne vis-a-vis her interactions with Governor Bellingham and the other public officials who want to take Pearl away from her. Argue this point in an analytical essay: does this particular sequence in the novel represent a feminist approach to custody? Decide whether you think so or not, and construct a well-reasoned argument that makes use of specific textual examples. (Note: there is no "right" answer: you can argue yes, no or maybe, as long as you construct a textual argument with specific and precise reasoning.)
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This section contains 905 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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