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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 is the subtitle of "The Custom-House"?

2. How many years after the founding of Boston does Chapter 1 take place?

3. When the doctor gives Hester something to drink, what does she think is in the cup?

4. Hawthorne surmises that if there were a Papist in the crowd, whom would Hester remind him of?

5. Hester's work is seen everywhere with the exception of:

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does the governor think about Hester as a mother?

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

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

6. Of all the finery in the governor's mansion, what does Pearl cry for most of all?

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

8. What does Chillingworth implore Hester to do when they meet in the jail?

9. Describe the clothing worn by the "throng of bearded men" at the beginning of Chapter 1.

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

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 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Hester Prynne is a single mother in Puritan New England. Explain and analyze the way Hawthorne characterizes her, using specific examples of his technique, as well as the way he dramatizes her psychology. Be sure to consider the choices Hester makes/is forced to make throughout the novel. Is Hester a strong character or a weak one? What do you think of the way she has conducted herself? Back up your arguments with specific textual examples.

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