Scarlet Letter Final Test PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS TEST! MARK ALL ANSWERS ON A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER. Part I: Character Identification: Identification: Match each character with the appropriate description. description.
1. Hest Hester er Pryn Prynne ne ____________
2. Roger Roger Chill Chilling ingwo worth rth ____________
3. Arthu Arthurr Dimme Dimmesda sdale le ____________
4. Pearl ____________
5. Gover Governo norr Wint Winthro hrop p ____________
6. Gover Governo norr Bellin Bellingh gham am __________
A. Purchas Purchased ed at at a great great price; price; she is sometimes called an “imp” or “the child of the devil.” B. A respec respected ted member member of of the the community, when he dies, people claim to see an “A” for “Angel” in the sky. C. Sometim Sometimes es called called “the Black Black man,” his appearance deteriorates over time because of his evil nature. D. The sister sister of of the Govern Governor, or, she is a witch who holds meetings with the Devil in the woods. E. The The main main chara characte cter, r, she she is forced to wear an “A” for committing adultery. She is strong, passionate, and charitable. F. The The leade leaderr of the the tow town, n, he he tries to take Pearl away from Hester. He is hypocritical and judgemental. G. Pearl’s Pearl’s real real father, father, he is weak weak and racked with guilt over his sin. He beats himself and holds nightly vigils to relieve his guilt.
7. Mistr Mistres ess s Hibbi Hibbins ns ____________ Part II: Multiple Multiple Choice. Mark the letter letter of the best response response to each question. 8. What is the the settin setting g of the the novel? novel? A. Verona, Italy B. Bristol, England C. Boston, Massachusetts
D. Rhode Island 9. Why is Hester Hester in the the jail at at the beginning beginning of of the novel? novel? A. She has has commit committed ted adul adultery tery B. She She is is unm unmarr arried ied C. She wear wears s too fancy fancy of cloth clothes es D. She has talked badly about about the the Governor Governor 10. 10.
In what what centu century ry is the the sto story ry of Hest Hester er Prynn Prynne e set? set? A. The sixteenth century B. The seventeenth century C. The eighteenth century E. The The ninete nineteen enth th centu century ry
11. With Boston? A. B. C. D.
whom has Chillingworth been living before he appears in Another band of Puritans Spanish settlers in Florida Native Americans Canadian Canadian fur trapper trappers s
12. How A. B. C. D.
does Hester support herself financially? As a prostitute As a seamstress As a nurse As a farmhand
13. What is situated immediately outside the door of the prison in which Hester is kept? A. A rosebush B. A pine tree C. A gallows D. A graveyard 14. Which of the following is a method Dimmesdale uses to punish himself for his sins? A. Scourging or whipping B. Fasting C. Vigils (extended periods of wakefulness and/or prayer) D. All of the above 15. Next to whom is Hester buried at the end of the novel? A. Dimmesdale B. Chillingworth C. Pearl D. No one; her body is burned.
16. What natural phenomenon comes to symbolize both Dimmesdale’s “sin” and Governor Winthrop’s “virtue”? A. A lightning bolt B. A meteor C. A forest fire D. A flood 17. How does Pearl acknowledge Dimmesdale as her father at his death? A. By calling him “father” B. By interrupting his sermon C. By kissing him D. By announcing that she has seen him with her mother 18. What mark can supposedly be seen on Dimmesdale’s chest? A. A scarlet letter “A” B. A tattoo C. The mark of the devil D. A red rose 19. 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 C. By killing Chillingworth D. By committing suicide 20. How does Pearl become wealthy? A. She discovers pirates’ treasure. B. She marries the governor’s son. C. She inherits Chillingworth’s estate and marries a nobleman. D. She becomes a famous actress and dancer. 21. Where do Hester and Pearl live? A. In the poorhouse B. In a house owned by Roger Chillingworth C. In the forest D. In an abandoned cottage on the outskirts of Boston 22. What does Chillingworth pretend to be? A. A minister B. A doctor C. A madman D. A scholar
23. What does Hester’s letter “A” eventually come to represent to the townspeople? A. “Able” B. “Alone” C. “Attractive” “Attractive” D. “Admirable” 24. Which item is Hester NOT allowed to make for the people? A. Gloves B. Baby clothes C. Bridal veils D. Pastoral robes 25. At the end of the novel, the following individuals are up on the scaffold together: A. Hester, Hester, Pearl Pearl,, and Dimmesd Dimmesdale ale B. Dimmesda Dimmesdale le and and Hester Hester only only C. Chillingworth, Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, Dimmesdale, Hester, Hester, and Pearl D. Hester, Hester, Pearl, Pearl, and Chilling Chillingwort worth h Part III: True/ False: Identify if the answer is true or if it is false.
26. 26. Hester Hester stays stays in in the Purit Puritan an commu communi nity ty becau because se lea leavin ving g woul would d prove that society has control over her life—she wants to prove that what they say does not matter to her. TRUE FALSE 27. 27. Hawtho Hawthorn rne e put put littl little e or no no thou though ghtt into into the the names names of his his characters. TRUE FALSE 28. 28.
Pear Pearll cal calls ls Chil Chilli ling ngwo wort rth h the the Devi Devil. l. TRUE FALSE
29. 29.
Mist Mistre ress ss Hibb Hibbin ins s is exec execut uted ed as a wit witch ch.. TRUE FALSE
30. 30.
Hester Hester Prynn Prynne e never never retur returns ns to to the the Puri Puritan tan settl settleme ement. nt. TRUE FALSE
Part IV: Short answer questions. Answer each question with AT LEAST A PARAGRAPH. You must pick THREE to answer. You only need to answer THREE.
1. Discuss the function of the physical setting in The Scarlet Letter. What is the relationship between the book’s events and the locations in which these events take place? Do things happen in the forest that could not happen in the town? What about time of day? Does night bring with it a set of rules that differs from those of the daytime? 2. Is The Scarlet Letter a feminist novel? Had Hester not been a woman, would she have received the same punishment? When Hester undertakes to protect other women from gender-based persecution, can we interpret her actions as pointing to a larger political statement in the text as a whole? 3. Describe Chillingworth’s “revenge.” Why does he choose to torture Dimmesdale and Hester when he could simply reveal that he is Hester’s husband? What does this imply about justice? About evil? 4. Children play a variety of roles in this novel. Pearl is both a blessing and a curse to Hester, and she seems at times to serve as Hester’s conscience. The town children, on the other hand, are cruel and brutally honest about their opinion of Hester and Pearl. Why are children presented as more perceptive and more honest than adults? How do children differ from adults in their potential for expressing these perceptions? 5. Gothic novels feature supernatural events, gloomy atmospheres, castles, and the mysterious. Gothic novels often feature a villain, who is identifiable as the evil person by some sort of obvious deformity. In Gothic novels, nature is often used to set the atmosphere of the story, sometimes with seasons, and sometimes with darkness, light, shadows, and moonlight. Does The Scarlet Letter fit within the “gothic romantic” genre? How so? What about the novel is or is not “gothic romantic?”
