Name: __________________________________________ Date: _______________

Quiz name: The Scarlet Letter, Chapters 1-6 (a)

What two necessities, according to Hawthorne must the founders of a new colony immediately
1. provide?
A A church and a pub
B A school and a church
C A prison and a cemetary
D A prison and a church

2. Under whose footsteps was the rosebush outside the prison supposed to have sprung up?
A Hester Prynne
B Anne Hutchinson
C Roger Chillingworth
D Elizabeth Proctor

What kind of spectacle have the townspeople of Boston gathered to witness at the beginning of the
3. novel?
A The public humiliation of Hester Prynne
B The public execution of Hester Prynne
C The birth of Pearl
D The confession of Arthur Dimmesdale

4. What is the significance of the scarlet letter "A" which is embroidered on Hester's gown?
A Angel
B Adulteress
C Apathetic
D Abolitionist

The stranger who appears at the outskirts of the crowd while Hester stands on the scaffold is slightly
5. deformed in what way?
A His eyes seem too big for his head
B He has six fingers on his left hand
C His nose is growing out of his cheek
D HIs shoulders are uneven

What explanation does the stranger make to the townsman he speaks with that accounts for his
6. combination of "civilized and savage" costume?
A He is an actor
B He was kidnapped by Native Americans
C He likes to look unusual
D He is a diplomat for the Native Americans

Page 1 of 3
 The townsman tells the stranger that the judge has been lenient with Hester because of her youth
and because she is probably a widow. What was the severest possible punishment for adultery in the
7. Massachusetts colony?
A Capital Punishment
B Branding the letter on the body
C Deportation
D Public Humiliation

8. How long does Hester have to stand on the scaffold?

A Twelve hours
B Three hours
C Two days
D Two hours every day for two weeks

9. How long must Hester wear the scarlet letter?

A The rest of her life
B Until she reveals the name of her lover
C Until she moves away
D All of the above

What seems to particularly disturb the stranger after he has learned of the sentence imposed on
10. Hester?
A That she get to stand on the scaffold fully clothed
B That her baby was not executed at birth
C That she is standing on the scaffold without her lover
D That he was too late to save her

Where is Roger Chillingworth, the "Stranger" of chapter 3, to lodge while the authorities work out his
11. ransom?
A In the prison
B With Arthur Dimmesdale
C With the Governor
D With the Native Americans

12. Why does Hester at first resist Chillingworth's attempts to give her child medicine?
A She fears he will try to kill the baby
B She believes God will heal the baby
C Her baby has terrible allergies
D His hands are unclean

13. What promise does Chillingworth exact from Hester?

A That she will not have a physical relationship with another person for the rest of her life
B That she will reveal the name of her lover and the father of her child within one year
C That she will not tell anyone of their prior relationship and that he is her husband
D That she will not remain silent and not reveal the name of her lover

Page 2 of 3
14. What reasons does Hawthorne give for Hester remaining in Boston where she is an outcast?
A She desires to remain close to her lover
B The place of her sin should be the place of her punishment
C A and B
D Neither A nor B

Hawthorne mentions three main occasions for which the people of Boston made use of Hester's
15. sewing skills. What are they?
A Births, Deaths, Resurrections
B Births, Deaths, Public Ceremonies
C Births, Deaths, Weddings
D Deaths, Public Ceremonies, Weddings

16. What was the first object Pearl seemed to be aware of as an infant?
A Her mother's hair
B Her father's glasses
C Her mother's scarlet letter
D Her mother's smile

17. How does Hester account for Pearl's unruly behavior?

A Pearl is an imp of evil
B Pearl is an emblem and product of sin
C Pearl imbibed Hester's impassioned state as an infant
D All of the above

18. What does Pearl throw at her mother's scarlet letter?

A Rocks
B Flowers
C Food
D Dirt

Page 3 of 3