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Worksheets

The Scarlet Letter Review

Total questions: 70

Worksheet time: 36mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Who is often described as “elf-like”?

a)

Pearl

b)

Hester

c)

Dr. Chillingworth

d)

Rev. Dimmesdale

e)

Mistress Hibbins

2.

Who is publicly shamed for being a sinner?

a)

Pearl

b)

Hester

c)

Rev. Dimmesdale

d)

Dr. Chillingworth

e)

Mistress Hibbins

3.

Who questions whether Hester is fit to be a parent?

a)

Dr. Chillingworth

b)

Rev. Dimmesdale

c)

Mistress Hibbins

d)

Governor Billingham

4.

Who takes on a false identity to exact revenge?

a)

Hester

b)

Rev. Dimmesdale

c)

Dr. Chillingworth

d)

Mistress Hibbins

e)

Governor Billingham

5.

Who is Pearl's father?

a)

Dr. Chillingworth

b)

Rev. Dimmesdale

c)

Governor Billingham

d)

No one knows

6.

Who is represented by a snake?

a)

Dr. Chillingworth

b)

Rev. Dimmesdale

c)

Pearl

d)

Hester

7.

Which word means very bad or unpleasant?

a)

haste

b)

abominable

c)

peril

d)

portent

8.

Which word means a grave risk of danger?

a)

peril

b)

consecrate

c)

kin

d)

solemnity

9.

Which word means a state of seriousness?

a)

Abominable

b)

Portent

c)

Peril

d)

Solemnity

10.

Which word means a sign or warning of something likely to happen?

a)

portent

b)

consecration

c)

sanctity

d)

haste

11.

Which word means speed or swiftness?

a)

haste

b)

kin

c)

solemnity

d)

portent

12.

Which word means holiness or godliness?

a)

Sanctity

b)

abominable

c)

consecration

d)

haste

13.

Who wrote The Scarlet Letter?

a)

William Shakespeare

b)

Arthur Miller

c)

Nathaniel Hawthorne

d)

Harper Lee

14.

Where is Dimmesdale's scarlet letter?

a)

On his robes

b)

On his Bible

c)

On his hat

d)

Over his heart

15.

What does the scarlet letter look like?

a)

Very plain and severe, like most Puritan decorations

b)

Artistically done, with elaborate embroidery and flourishes of gold thread

c)

A plain "A" twined with a thorny rosebush

d)

Small and understated, so that it blends into Hester's dress

16.

Hester's husband, Roger, is

a)

Much younger than she

b)

Her soul mate

c)

Much older than she

d)

The minister of the town of Salem

17.

By punishing Hester with the scarlet letter, the Puritan community is

a)

Being reasonable about their justice

b)

Following the principles of religious forgiveness

c)

Proclaiming its own smug self-righteousness

d)

Promising redemption at her death

18.

"He was small in stature, with a furrowed visage which, as yet, could hardly be termed aged." Here the word visage means

a)

Mind

b)

Visor

c)

Face

d)

Hood

19.

"Yet these thoughts affected Hester Prynne less with hope than apprehension." Here the word apprehension means

a)

Faith

b)

Understanding

c)

Anxiety

d)

Surrender

20.

"After a brief space, the convulsion grew almost imperceptible, and finally subsided . . ." Here the word impreceptible means

a)

Unmanageable

b)

Violent

c)

Senseless

d)

Unnoticeable

21.

Who is the narrator of this story?

a)

Hester Prynne

b)

P.P. Clerk, Surveyor

c)

An anonymous Custom-House officer

d)

Surveyor Pue

22.

What is located next to the prison door?

a)

A) A tree

b)

B) A well

c)

C) A garden

d)

D) A rose bush

23.

What does the rose bush outside the prison symbolize according to the narrator?

a)

A) The fragility of life

b)

B) Nature's indifference to human affairs

c)

C) The possibility of redemption and moral beauty

d)

D) The harshness of Puritan society

24.

What does the rose bush outside the prison symbolize according to the narrator?

a)

A) The fragility of life

b)

B) Nature's indifference to human affairs

c)

C) The possibility of redemption and moral beauty

d)

D) The harshness of Puritan society

25.

Some people of the community believe that Dimmesdale's declining health is attributable to his dedication to his work.

a)

True

b)

False

26.
Which character said, "Mine was the first wrong..."?
a)
Chillingworth
b)
Dimmesdale
c)
Hester
d)
Governor Bellingham
27.
Who does the term Leech refer to in Chapter 9? 
a)
Chillingworth
b)
Dimmesdale
28.
Some people of the community believe that Dimmesdale is Satan. 
a)
True
b)
False
29.
How does Chillingworth end up becoming Dimmesdale's physician?
a)
The townspeople pressured Dimmesdale.
b)
Dimmesdale asked Chillingworth about his heart pain.
c)
Hester begs Chillingworth to help Dimmesdale.
d)
Governor Bellingham orders Chillingworth.
30.
Chillingworth argues that a person's body can't heal without...
a)
a physician's help.
b)
confessing his/her sins.
c)
plenty of bedrest.
d)
praying to God.
31.
Pearl refers to Chillingworth as...
a)
that creepy man.
b)
the Leech.
c)
Grandpa.
d)
the Black Man.
32.

Which change has Dimmesdale NOT undergone?

a)

Grown skinnier (more emaciated)

b)

Grown paler

c)

Grown more unhealthy

d)

Grown fatter

33.

In the extended metaphor in Chapter 10, to what is Chillingworth compared?

a)

A farmer

b)

A miner

c)

A preacher

d)

A leech

34.

When Chillingworth sees Pearl, what is she doing?

a)

Gathering seashells with her mother

b)

Skipping from one grave to another, before dancing on one

c)

Throwing a tantrum and making her mom carry her

d)

Throwing rocks at the village children

35.

How does Hester earn a living after her release?

a)

By teaching school

b)

By working as a maid

c)

By sewing and embroidery

d)

By farming

36.

What type of clothing does Hester make?

a)

Everyday work clothes

b)

Plain, simple dresses

c)

Luxurious and elaborate garments

d)

Uniforms for the town's officials

37.

What is the significance of the scarlet letter, A, that Hester wears?

a)

It stands for "Able"

b)

It stands for "Adulteress"

c)

It stands for "Affection"

d)

It stands for "Artist"

38.

What feeling does Hester experience regarding her position in the community?

a)

A sense of pride and accomplishment

b)

A feeling of acceptance and belonging

c)

A sense of isolation and alienation

d)

A feeling of excitement and adventure

39.

How does Hester respond to her treatment by the townspeople?

a)

She confronts them openly

b)

She withdraws completely from society

c)

She endures it with quiet dignity

d)

She seeks revenge on those who scorn her

40.

What effect does Hester’s charitable deeds have on the perception of her by some of the townspeople?

a)

They begin to see her as a saint

b)

They remain indifferent to her

c)

They start to forgive her, but still view her with suspicion

d)

They become more hostile towards her

41.

What decoration does Pearl create for her mermaid costume?

a)

A red letter A

b)

A blue star

c)

A green decoration like Hester's scarlet letter

d)

A seashell

42.

How does Pearl respond when Hester asks if she knows why Hester wears the scarlet letter?

a)

She says she has no idea

b)

She guesses it's because of the gold thread

43.

What does Hester think about Pearl's character?

a)

She believes Pearl is mischievous and careless

b)

She sees courage and determination in Pearl

c)

She thinks Pearl is too young to understand anything

d)

She feels disappointed in Pearl's behavior

44.

What does Pearl keep asking her mother during their time together?

a)

Questions about the weather

b)

Questions about the scarlet letter

c)

Questions about their dinner

d)

Questions about her toys

45.

How does Hester react when Pearl keeps asking questions?

a)

She answers all of them

b)

She becomes angry and stern

c)

She ignores Pearl completely

d)

She laughs and plays along

46.

What is the setting of The Scarlet Letter?

a)

Salem, Massachusetts

b)

New York, New York

c)

London, England

d)

Boston, Massachusetts

47.

When John Wilson asks Pearl who her maker is in chapter 10, Pearl replies:

a)

That she was plucked off a rose bush

b)

that sin hath made her

c)

That Hester and Dimmesdale made her

d)

That God hath made her

48.

Hester's shifting public identity is symbolized by the public's various ideas about the letter. Which of the following is NOT among them?

a)

It is a badge of worth.

b)

It stands for “assistance.”

c)

It protected her from Indian arrows.

d)

It stands for “able.”

49.

What does Rev. Dimmesdale do after he makes his confession?

a)

Announce that they are abandoning the Puritan faith

b)

Rip the shirt from his chest and reveal his own scarlet letter

c)

Challenge Chillingworth to a “duel of faith”

d)

Identify Chillingworth as a “monstrous fiend”

50.

As the story draws to a close, Hawthorne tells us that Pearl has fulfilled her mission as...

a)

A wild child

b)

A secret well-kept

c)

A messenger of anguish to her mother

d)

The personification of the letter

51.

When Hester tries to persuade Dimmesdale that he has repented, Arthur reveals that he longs for...

a)

Hester

b)

Death

c)

Public Punishment

d)

Salvation

52.

Hester makes two token gestures that symbolize their newly found freedom.

a)

Dances in the sunlight with Pearl

b)

Places her hand over her heart

c)

Lets her hair down

d)

Removes the A

53.
The fear that Dimmesdale expresses about Pearl (not that she won't like him):
a)
That Pearl will be taken from Hester
b)
That Pearl will deny him as her Father
c)
That Pearl will reveal his true identity
d)
That Pearl's looks will mirror his own, revealing his sin 
54.

In Chapter 21, what is "The New England Holiday" that is being celebrated?

a)

Thanksgiving

b)

the election of a new governor of the colony

c)

the election of a new minister of the town

d)

the end of the Salem Witchcraft Trials

55.

What spoils Hester's plans to leave Massachusetts aboard ship?

a)

Pearl gets ill.

b)

Dimmesdale dies.

c)

Chillingworth is going, too.

d)

The ship sinks before docking.

56.

As Dimmesdale makes his decision to end Chillingworth's revenge, which 2 of the following are true?

a)

No one else in the town is present.

b)

Dimmesdale is on the scaffold.

c)

Dimmesdale does not speak to Pearl.

d)

Hester and Pearl are with Dimmesdale.

57.

Which of the following does NOT happen during the final scaffold scene?

a)

Pearl kisses Dimmesdale.

b)

Dimmesdale reveals the stigma (A) on his chest.

c)

Pearl rejects Dimmesdale.

d)

Dimmesdale dies.

e)

Hester supports Dimmesdale as he confesses.

58.

What becomes of Roger Chillingworth?

a)

He mysteriously disappears.

b)

He returns to Europe alone.

c)

He returns to Europe with Hester and Pearl.

d)

He withers and dies within a year.

59.

Which of the following does NOT happen?

a)

Hester and Pearl return to their cottage years later.

b)

Hester returns alone years later.

c)

Hester dies at a very old age.

d)

Pearl marries, has a child, and lives in Europe.

60.

Which of the following does NOT describe Hester's grave?

a)

It is next to Dimmesdale's sunken grave with a space separating them.

b)

There is only 1 slate tombstone for Hester and Dimmesdale.

c)

There is an inscription on the tombstone referring to the red "A."

d)

There is no tombstone marking either Hester's or Dimmesdale's grave.

61.

How does Hester react when she unclasps the scarlet letter?

a)

She feels more ashamed.

b)

She feels relief and freedom.

c)

She becomes angry.

d)

She forgets about it entirely.

62.

What does the forest symbolize for Dimmesdale and Hester?

a)

A dangerous place to avoid.

b)

A setting for their sorrow.

c)

A place of joy and freedom.

d)

A reminder of their past mistakes.

63.

What does Hester hope for Arthur when she says, "You need to meet Pearl!"?

a)

That he will ignore her.

b)

That he will love her like Hester does.

c)

That he will leave them forever.

d)

That he will find a new life without them.

64.

How does Pearl interact with the forest?

a)

She is scared and wants to leave.

b)

She plays with the forest creatures and feels connected.

c)

She tries to hide from the animals.

d)

She ignores everything around her.

65.

How does the forest change when Hester and Dimmesdale feel happy?

a)

It becomes darker and more forbidding.

b)

It reflects their joy with light and brightness.

c)

It remains unchanged.

d)

It becomes more chaotic and wild.

66.

What does Hester warn Pearl about the Black Man?

a)

He is friendly and helpful

b)

He will take her away

c)

He is dangerous and should be avoided

d)

He is just a story

67.

Why does Hester want Pearl to stay close to her?

a)

She is afraid of the dark forest

b)

She wants to keep Pearl safe

c)

She doesn’t want Pearl to get lost

d)

All of the above

68.

Chillingworth’s appearance has become softer and more handsome over the course of the novel.

a)

true

b)

false

69.

"Pearl" has a meaning that comes at a

a)

sympathetic heart

b)

virtue in life

c)

great price

d)

cheap like a Dollar Store toy

70.

The scaffold symbolizes

a)

equality

b)

a concert

c)

being above others

d)

punishment and penance