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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What distinguishes the men in the "throng" at the beginning of thChapter 1?
(a) They are bearded.
(b) They are fat.
(c) They are bald.
(d) They are ministers.

2. Which part of The Scarlet Letter does this preface specifically refer to?
(a) "The Custom-House."
(b) "The New England Holiday,"
(c) The climax.
(d) The denouement.

3. Where was Hester's "happy infancy and stainless maidenhood?"
(a) Amsterdam.
(b) Salem.
(c) Bustling London.
(d) Rural England.

4. Who is to wear the thing Hester is delivering to the governor's house?
(a) The governor's daughter.
(b) The governor's servants.
(c) The governor himself.
(d) The governor's wife.

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

6. How does Hawthorne describe the historic Salem of years ago?
(a) A dour harbor.
(b) A busy metropolis.
(c) A bustling port.
(d) A sad sailing town.

7. Where is Hester when she and Pearl are examined by the doctor?
(a) In jail.
(b) At the doctor's office.
(c) At the governor's mansion.
(d) In church.

8. This preface is the preface to which edition of the novel?
(a) The fourth.
(b) The third.
(c) The second.
(d) The first.

9. When Wilson asks Pearl who made her, what does she answer?
(a) That her mother had picked her off a rose bush.
(b) That a stork had delivered her.
(c) That Dimmesdale is her father.
(d) That Hester had made her alone.

10. What is Hester delivering to the governor's house when she goes there in Chapter 7?
(a) A scarf.
(b) Lace.
(c) Bonnets.
(d) Gloves.

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

12. Chose which of the following best describes the tone in the last sentence of Chapter 1?
(a) Bright.
(b) Somber.
(c) Ambivalent.
(d) Sunny.

13. What is the title of the first chapter?
(a) The Prison-Door.
(b) The Prison Rose.
(c) TheJail-Door.
(d) Gaol-Door Rock.

14. Who was the father of the Custom-House?
(a) General Miller.
(b) The permanent Inspector.
(c) Uncle Sam.
(d) Hawthorne's grandfather.

15. The "public disapprobation" refers to...?
(a) Celebration.
(b) Praise.
(c) Criticism.
(d) Approval.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the patient referred to in the title of Chapter 10?

2. What prominent wild plant grows just outside the door to the jail?

3. Where has Chillingworth been gathering herbs, when he is asked by the minister in Chapter 10?

4. Who is described as a/an "intolerant brood?"

5. According to Hawthorne, the reaction could not have been more violent if...?

(see the answer keys)

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