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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. Which plant is NOT mentioned in Chapter 1?

2. What is the "pedestal of infamy?"

3. What was the door to the jail made of?

4. Who, in Chapter 5, is referred to as "the figure, the body, the reality of sin?"

5. Where does Chillingworth take up residence?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Pearl react to other children?

3. In Chapter 2, why might it be Mistress Hibbins who would be in the jail?

4. Name one of the two reasons Hawthorne suspects that the plant standing outside the prison survived.

5. As the relationship between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale develops in Chapter 9, what do the townspeople begin to suspect about Dimmesdale and why?

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

7. Why does Hawthorne decide to republish the offending introduction?

8. What are some examples of Chillingworth's growing power over Dimmesdale?

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

10. Why is "The Leech" an appropriate and significant name for this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Offer a compare and contrast essay about the two major male characters in this book, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. Be sure to include analytical description of their looks and physical aspects, their emotional states, their motivations, and their conduct.

Essay Topic 2

A source of psychological conflict in this novel is the relationship between Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. Using textual examples, write an descriptive analysis of how Hawthorne 1) establishes this relationship, and 2) uses the relationship to develop conflict and drive the engine of the plot. You should be sure to include examples that demonstrate how this relationship intensifies conflict at various spots in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Hawthorne plays with the notion of a happy ending near the end of the novel, teasing the reader with the notion that Dimmesdale and Hester might indeed live out a happily-ever-after ending. Consider the fates of the three major characters (Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth) and argue whether they experienced a happy ending or not. Be sure to use comparative analysis and textual examples.

(see the answer keys)

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