Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Where have Hester and Dimmesdale decided would be the best place to escape to?
2. Which of the following creatures is not mentioned while Pearl plays on the shore?
3. Where is the ship the Spanish Main sailing?
4. Whom does Dimmesdale call up to join him in front of everyone?
5. Who is the "grim, ugly-eyed old man" who recognizes Pearl?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does the narrator describe the public officials in Chapter 22, many of whom were real historical figures (figures such as Bradstreet, Endicott, etc.)?
2. What, according to the narrator, enlivened the public holiday with "some diversity of hue?"
3. Many people pass Dimmesdale by in this chapter; why are so many people up so late and walking about?
4. Why does Hawthorne describe Pearl, in Chapter 19, as a "living hieroglyphic."
5. Why, in Chapter 18, does Hester remove the scarlet letter and fling it into a brook?
6. How does Hawthorne describe Dimmesdale, either physically or emotionally, at the beginning of Chapter 13?
7. Why will Hester and Dimmesdale have to head back to Europe, instead of moving somewhere more rural or remote?
8. In Chapter 16, Hester changes her story to Pearl about the significance of the scarlet letter. What does she say about the letter in Chapter 16?
9. Describe the three suspected causes of the "A" carved into Dimmesdale's chest.
10. Why does Chillingworth attempt to stop Hester and Pearl from joining Dimmesdale on the scaffold?
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
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
Much of the emotional struggle in this novel comes from a tension between public shame and private guilt. In an analytical essay, explain what each of these terms means in the scope of this novel, and how Hawthorne dramatizes each idea. Be sure to interpret them in terms of the fictional elements (characterization, setting, plot action, mood, etc.) Hawthorne uses to demonstrate them.
|
This section contains 1,120 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
