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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. What color is the thread that embroiders the scarlet letter?

2. What is Hester delivering to the governor's house when she goes there in Chapter 7?

3. What does Hawthorne find in a "mysterious package" in the Custom-House?

4. How does Hawthorne metaphorically refer to the United States government in "The Custom House"?

5. In what month does Chapter 1 take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. Does Hawthorne, in the end, decide to change anything?

2. Why does Hawthorne say that it is ironic that Pearl is such a beautiful child, in Chapter 6?

3. What does Hawthorne say the purpose of the eagle is, which hangs in front of the building?

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

5. What does Hawthorne find alongside the scarlet letter?

6. How is Chillingworth able to see what Dimmesdale is hiding on his body?

7. What kind of plant stands outside the prison, offering a contrast in color and form? Describe what the narrator says about it.

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

9. How does Hawthorne describe the inhabitants of Boston?

10. 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"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pearl is enigmatic, first because she is an infant and then because of her other-worldliness, but she plays a key role in structuring the narrative of Hester Prynne. Consider Pearl's function in this narrative--as a symbol, as a plot device, as well as as a character in her own right--and write an analytical essay that interprets how Pearl is characterized and the primary fictional methods Hawthorne uses to paint a picture of her.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Specific colors play a role in telling the story, especially the colors red and black. While "red" is manifested in the scarlet letter (and other symbolic objects), "black" often remains a metaphorical color in this novel. Write an analytical essay that examines Hawthorne's use of these colors, in terms of metaphor as well as literal meaning in the novel.

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