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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 does Chillingworth say in Chapter 14 the town council has been debating?

2. What is Dimmesdale's "own red stigma"?

3. What marks particular attendants of the holiday as members of their forest settlements?

4. Whom does Dimmesdale call up to join him in front of everyone?

5. What is the title of Chapter 18?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Pearl do with the seaweed she finds, and what does it show about her as a character?

2. Why does Hester say that Dimmesdale should travel somewhere, "whether in some remote village or in vast London, [...] in Germany, in France," etc?

3. How does Hawthorne describe Dimmesdale, either physically or emotionally, at the beginning of Chapter 13?

4. What kinds of thoughts occur to Dimmesdale when he sees a deacon on the way home in Chapter 20 and why?

5. Why will Hester and Dimmesdale have to head back to Europe, instead of moving somewhere more rural or remote?

6. In Chapter 15, when Pearl asks Hester what the letter stands for, what does Hester reply?

7. Why does Chillingworth attempt to stop Hester and Pearl from joining Dimmesdale on the scaffold?

8. Why does Hawthorne describe Pearl, in Chapter 19, as a "living hieroglyphic."

9. Why does Hester go to meet Dimmesdale in the woods?

10. Describe the three suspected causes of the "A" carved into Dimmesdale's chest.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hypocrisy emerges as a major theme of this book. Pick a set of examples (such as one or two of the major characters, or specific chapters/settings/events) that demonstrate the forms of hypocrisy Hawthorne saw in Puritan life, and write an essay that explains them in terms of Hawthorne's criticism of such hypocrisy.

Essay Topic 2

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.

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.

(see the answer keys)

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