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The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Quiz

1. In what century is the story of Hester Prynne set?

(A) The sixteenth century

(B) The seventeenth century

(D) The nineteenth century

2. What is the occupation of the narrator of this story?

(A) Attorney

(B) Minister

(D) Customs officer

3. Where do Hester and Chillingworth live before coming to America?

(A) Amsterdam

(B) Paris

(D) Jamaica

4. With whom has Chillingworth been living before he appears in Boston?

(A) Another band of Puritans

(B) Native Americans

(D) Canadian fur trappers

5. What is situated immediately outside the door of the prison in which Hester is kept?

(A) A rosebush

(B) A pine tree

(D) A graveyard

6. What item in the governor's mansion shows Hester a distorted reflection of herself?

(A) An antique mirror

(B) A suit of armor

(D) The governor's eyeglasses

7. Which of the following is a method Dimmesdale uses to punish himself for his sins?

(A) Scourging or whipping

(B) Fasting

(D) All of the above

8. In what city do Hester and Pearl live?

(A) Salem

(B) Providence

(D) Hartford

9. Who is Mistress Hibbins?

(A) The governor's sister

(B) Hester's mother

(D) Chillingworth's second wife

10. How does Mistress Hibbins eventually die?

(A) She is strangled by Chillingworth

(B) She wastes away in a diphtheria epidemic

(D) Pearl puts a hex on her

11. How does Hester support herself financially?

(A) As a prostitute

(B) As a seamstress

(D) As a farmhand

12. Next to whom is Hester buried?

(A) Dimmesdale

(B) Chillingworth

(D) No one; her body is burned

13. What natural phenomenon comes to symbolize both Dimmesdale's “sin” and Governor Winthrop's “virtue”?

(A) A lightning bolt

(B) A meteor

(D) A flood

14. Why does Pearl not recognize her mother when she sees her with Dimmesdale in the forest?

(A) Hester has removed the scarlet letter

(B) Hester has removed her cap to expose her long hair

(D) Mistress Hibbins has cast a spell on Hester, changing her appearance

15. How does Pearl acknowledge Dimmesdale as her father at his death?

(A) By calling him “father”

(B) By interrupting his sermon

(D) By announcing that she has seen him with her mother

16. What mark can supposedly be seen on Dimmesdale's chest?

(A) A scarlet letter “A”

(B) A tattoo

(D) A red rose

17. How do Hester and Dimmesdale plan to escape their suffering?

(A) By going to live with the Native Americans

(B) By boarding a ship bound for Europe

(D) By committing suicide

18. How does Pearl become wealthy?

(A) She discovers pirates' treasure

(B) She marries the governor's son

(D) She becomes a famous actress and dancer

19. Where does the narrator first encounter Hester Prynne's story?

(A) He finds a manuscript in the attic of the Salem Custom House

(B) He hears it from an elderly aunt

(D) It comes to him in a dream

20. What item of clothing does Hester make for Governor Winthrop?

(A) A cloak for his swearing-in

(B) A nightcap

(D) A winter hat

21. What color of clothing does Hester always wear?

(A) Scarlet

(B) White

(D) Gray

22. Where do Hester and Pearl live?

(A) In the poorhouse

(B) In an abandoned cottage on the outskirts of Boston

(D) In the house of Roger Chillingworth

23. What does Chillingworth pretend to be?

(A) A minister

(B) A doctor

(D) A scholar

24. What does Hester's letter “A” eventually come to represent to the townspeople?

(A) “Able”

(B) “Alone”

(D) “Absolutely Admirable”

25. Why does the narrator lose his job in the customhouse?

(A) He is incompetent

(B) He spends too much time writing when he should be working

(D) A new president is elected, and a new chief customs officer is appointed

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The Scarlet Letter