Chapter 9-11 Reading Check Quiz

Why doesn’t Chillingworth assert his rights as Hester’s husband?

• He still loves her and wants to protect her.

• He is more interested in seeking revenge on Hester’s lover.

• He has already remarried and moved on.

• He is afraid of being punished by the Puritan authorities.

Why does Dimmesdale initially reject Chillingworth’s offer of help?

• He doesn’t trust doctors and prefers prayer.

• He believes his suffering is a divine punishment.

• He fears Chillingworth knows his secret.

• He suspects Chillingworth is working with Hester.

What is ironic about the chapter’s title, “The Leech”?

• A) It refers to both a healer and a parasite.

• B) It symbolizes Dimmesdale’s ability to heal others but not himself.

• C) It refers to Hester’s influence on the town.

• D) It suggests that Chillingworth is being drained of his own health.

What is the primary difference between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale?

• Chillingworth is cold and calculated, while Dimmesdale is passionate but weak.

• Chillingworth is respected by the town, while Dimmesdale is despised.

• Dimmesdale is seeking revenge, while Chillingworth is seeking redemption.

• Chillingworth is deeply religious, while Dimmesdale is losing his faith.

How do some townspeople view Chillingworth’s presence in Dimmesdale’s life?

• As divine intervention to save their minister.

• As an unwanted distraction from church duties.

• As a sign of Dimmesdale’s growing weakness.

• As a punishment for Hester’s sin.

What makes Dimmesdale’s argument about hidden sin suspicious?

• A) He insists that unconfessed sin is worse than public sin.

• B) He argues that hidden sins should remain secret.

• C) He claims that ministers are incapable of sin.

• D) He refuses to discuss his own moral struggles.

How do the black flowers initiate a discussion about hidden sins?

• Chillingworth claims they grew from a sinner’s grave, symbolizing unconfessed sins.

• Dimmesdale picks them as a reminder of his past mistakes.

• Hester brings them as a gift, showing her acceptance of sin.

• Pearl plants them near the scaffold to taunt Dimmesdale.

What metaphor does Hawthorne use for Chillingworth’s investigation of Dimmesdale?

• A miner searching for gold.

• A leech sucking the life out of its host.

• A doctor dissecting a corpse.

• A gardener pruning a dying plant.

What does Chillingworth mean when he says, “A strange sympathy betwixt soul and body!”?

• He believes Dimmesdale’s physical illness is connected to his hidden guilt.

• He thinks Dimmesdale’s prayers will heal his body.

• He worries that his own body is growing weak with age.

• He believes that sin has no effect on a person’s health.

What does Chillingworth discover while Dimmesdale is sleeping?

• A secret letter from Hester.

• A mark on Dimmesdale’s chest.

• A confession written in Dimmesdale’s journal.

• A scar in the shape of the letter "A."