TSL Test

Question 1

something that is taught; lesson

Answer 1

lore

Question 2

something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects

Answer 2

tailsman

Question 3

to drink

Answer 3

quaff

Question 4

to take place afterward

Answer 4

ensue

Question 5

safe distance

Answer 5

berth

Question 6

the heraldic color red

Answer 6

gules

Question 7

an emotion of sympathetic pity

Answer 7

pathos

Question 8

building

Answer 8

edifice

Question 9

to pretend

Answer 9

feign

Question 10

full suit of armor; impressive array

Answer 10

panoply

Question 11

exceedingly talkative

Answer 11

loquacity

Question 12

to alienate the affections of

Answer 12

estranged

Question 13

expressive gesture

Answer 13

gesticulation

Question 14

the color black; dark

Answer 14

sable

Question 15

a medieval trumpet with clear shrill tones

Answer 15

clarion

Question 16

court of meeting at which a trial is carried out

Answer 16

tribunal

Question 17

The novel begins where? What is the significance of this place?

Answer 17

outside the prison door. symbolic of puritanical severity of law, the strict enforcement of laws, the inability to break free of these laws, and authority (one that doesn’t tolerate deviance).

Question 18

What is the symbol of the rosebush related to?

Answer 18

it’s a symbol of passion (Hester’s sin is one of passion) it is linked to the wilderness, where Puritan laws cannot reach. The rose is in full bloom when Hester is at the peak of passion (birth of Pearl)

Question 19

What are the women in the courtyard upset about?

Answer 19

they point out that she has taken her “A” of shame and decorated it with her knitting skills.

Question 20

What is Hester’s punishment to be?

Answer 20

she is to stand upon the scaffold in town along with her child while wearing the scarlet letter upon her bosom.

Question 21

Hester is shocked to discover who in town her first day on the scaffold?

Answer 21

Her husband

Question 22

What does he vow to do? How does he plan to do this?

Answer 22

He says that he will find the father of the baby by looking into his heart.

Question 23

What is Pearl’s function in the novel? How does Hawthorne reveal this?

Answer 23

She is an extension of the scarlet letter. (has no social skills, referred to as a witch, demands to know the name of the father) Hester dresses Pearl like the scarlet letter (she dresses in red) The governor and Wilson call her Red Rose, Scarlet, and Coral. Pearl tells the men she was plucked from a rose bush.
Her role to push the guilty parties to come foward, Hester and Dimmesdale. She began this by demanding that Dimmesdale hold her hand on the scaffold and continues throughout the novel.

Question 24

What are the many symbols of the scarlet letter?

Answer 24

Adulterer, Angel, Able. symbolic nature of things, symbol of the hidden shame of the community (the little sins and crime of everyone) Pearl and the scarlet letter are the same.

Question 25

Why is Hester's house choice symbolic?

Answer 25

Her cottage is on the edge of town right next to the woods. She is in a place of limbo. She is on the border of the moral world of puritan society and of the wilderness.

Question 26

Explain the significance of Pearl's name

Answer 26

A pearl is something that is paid for at a high price. Hester paid a huge price for Pearl.

Question 27

What point does Hawthorne try to make with Pearl's name?

Answer 27

He is pointing out that appearances can be misleading. The name "Pearl" is misleading. She is anything but a beautiful person.

Question 28

How does the trip to the governor's mansion further the idea of Pearl as the scarlet letter?

Answer 28

Pearl is dressed like the letter, the men call her Red Rose, Scarlet, Coral. She tells Reverend Wilson she was plucked from a red rose bush.

Question 29

Why does Hester appeal to Dimmesdale? What are some things this encounter causes?

Answer 29

Dimmesdale knows Hester more personally than the other men (he's her preacher, they sinned together). She asks that he speak on her behalf. This make the men realize that he knows Hester more personally than was first thought. He places his hand on his heart. Chillingworth becomes suspicious bc he says he will find the father by looking at his heart. Dimmesdale makes the connection between Pearl and the scarlet letter. She appeals to him.

Question 30

Why is Chillingworth referred to as the leech? 2 reasons.

Answer 30

he is a physician who at the time were still known to use leeches for medical purposes. he is living off of Dimmesdale and will eventually suck the life out of him.

Question 31

What is the turning point for Chillingworth? How does he change? Give some evidence of this.

Answer 31

his turning point is when he becomes Dimmesdale's personal doctor and moves in with him. He is no longer said to be evil, he is referred to as the devil. He moves from human to inhuman. Pearl strengthens this link by calling him the Black Man and by pointing out that Chillingworth has a hold of Dimmesdale's soul. He relentlessly questions the minister about his secret. Chillingworth looks at the minister's chest while he is sleeping and reacts the way Satan would.

Question 32

How does Pearl connect her parents while playing in the graveyard?

Answer 32

By throwing the burrs at them. She throws them at Hester, visualizing the pain she causes her mother. Then she throws them at Dimmesdale and that shows the connection between them. She causes pain to him as well and all of this reflects back to the idea that Pearl is the Scarlet Letter.

Question 33

How does Dimmesdale attempt to cope with his guilty conscious?

Answer 33

He attempts to tell the congregation but fails. He whips himself, fasts, and holds vigils.

Question 34

When does the reader become aware that Chillingworth is powerless as to the outcome of the novel?

Answer 34

When Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl at night, divine intervention steps in with the presence of the meteor in the sky that leaves behind an "A". Chillingworth is in this scene, but his role has changed. He is no longer the greatest threat to Dimmesdale. He is doomed to his fate which is represented by the large "A" in the sky. Chillingworth can no longer affect the outcome of Dimmesdale's fate. He does not know.

Question 35

What are some of the changes that occur in Hester as she moves from passionate to logical thinker?

Answer 35

Her "A" has now come to mean "able". Hawthorne says that it is similar to the cross worn on the chest of a nun. Hester is a sinner but is comparable to a nun in her virtue. Hester starts to move from passion to intellectual thoughts. Rather than acting on her feelings, she depends on logic. Hester becomes willing to challenge Chillingworth . Previously, she was terrified as to what he might do to her. She has now become upset by Chillingworth leading Dimmesdale into poor health. she realizes she needs to try to help Dimmesdale by revealing to him who Chillingworth is.

Question 36

When confronted by Pearl about the scarlet letter what transpires? Why is it significant?

Answer 36

Hester is confronted by Pearl about the meaning of the scarlet letter when Pearl makes her own out of seaweed. Hester asks the child what the letter means. The child is unable to answer, but demands her mother tells her what it means and why the minister places his hand over his heart. This is significant because Pearl is connecting her parents and their guilt through her. She is fulfilling her role by pushing for the guilty parties to be revealed to the world. Also, Hester lies to Pearl when asked of the letter saying it has to do with gold thread. Hester's lie will have to be resolved at the end of the novel.

Question 37

What is important about the sunshine that Pearl plays in, in the forest?

Answer 37

Hester could not touch the sunshine. It is because she has no passion. Hester couldn't touch the sunshine before meeting Dimmesdale because she had no passion. However, her affirmation of love for Dimmesdale allows her once again be taken over by passion and capture the sunshine. The sunlight also points out that where Hester goes, trouble follows. Therefore, her meeting with Dimmesdale can only cause him more pain.

Question 38

What does Pearl point out about the suffering of Hester and Dimmesdale?

Answer 38

In the woods, Pearl asks Hester about the Black Man who haunts the forest and carries a large book and a pen that he has people write their name in blood with.. Then the black man puts his mark on that person. Hester tells Pearl that her "A" is the black man's mark. Pearl asks if Dimmesdale has the mark and if that's why he holds his hand over his heart. The Black Man story is meant to compare the nature of Hester and Dimmesdale's suffering. Pearl understands and points out that hester's is external while his is internal.

Question 39

What changes follow the meeting of Hester and Dimmesdale in the woods for Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl?

Answer 39

Hester: Dimmesdale's decision to leave with her revives her passion and causes her to feel free to remove her letter and let her hair down. Dimmesdale: is confused and has a change of spirit after meeting with Hester. He has evil thoughts. He has to contain himself from blasphemy. He is changed by Hester's passion to the point that he is willing to break away from Puritan laws. Pearl: has a fit when she sees Hester without the scarlet letter because if her mom throws the scarlet letter away, she is practically throwing Pearl away. Pearl assumes she's been rejected. She washes off Dimmesdale's kiss in the brook. Pearl's refusal to her parents makes a moral statement. She is meant to teach that Hester and Dimmesdale must not let their passion overcome them and that they should take responsibility for what they've done. After this, she is less ill-behaved

Question 40

What is the plan for escaping from New England? How is it foiled?

Answer 40

A group of sailors from Spanish Main are in town and are planning on sailing to Bristol. Hester and Dimmesdale are planning to leave on their ship. Chillingworth manages to get a spot in the crew.

Question 41

What is the importance of Mistress Hibbins in the final few chapters of the novel.

Answer 41

She tells Hester that she knows that Hester and Dimmesdale met in the woods. She is foreshadowing that she would eventually meet with Hester and Dimmesdale in the woods if time allowed. The foreshadowing shows that they will all be together in the after-life since they are all sinners.

Question 42

What causes the death of Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Hester?

Answer 42

Dimmesdale: He dies when he finally reveals his sin and Pearl's role of revealing her parent's sin is over after she kisses him. Chillingworth: When Dimmesdale dies so does Chillingworth because he no longer has a reason to live. Hester: dies of old age after serving those who have sinned in the community.

Question 43

What are the circumstances surrounding Dimmesdale's death?

Answer 43

After his sermon, the minister goes to Pearl and Hester at the scaffold. He reveals his sin and the physical mark of the scarlet letter on his chest. Chillingworth is defeated by the minister. Pearl's role is over and Hester and Dimmesdale have taken responsibility of their sin. This culminates in his death.

Question 44

What becomes of Pearl?

Answer 44

She inherits Chillingworth's fortune, moves to England, gets married, and has children.