III. The Recognition Quiz — The Scarlet Letter

What physical feature distinguishes the stranger whom Hester recognizes in the crowd?

• A large scar across his face
• One shoulder is higher than the other
• He is missing his left hand
• He walks with a pronounced limp

What does the stranger do when he realizes Hester has recognized him?

• He pushes through the crowd toward the scaffold
• He turns away and disappears into the forest
• He raises his finger to his lips, signaling silence
• He calls out her name from the crowd

According to the townsman, what was the original penalty for Hester's crime?

• Permanent exile from the colony
• Life imprisonment
• Death
• Public flogging

Why is Dimmesdale specifically chosen to address Hester on the scaffold?

• He is the governor's personal chaplain
• He volunteered for the task
• Hester sits under his preaching and he is thought to know her temperament
• He is the most senior clergyman in Boston

What argument does Dimmesdale make to urge Hester to reveal her lover's name?

• That her punishment will be reduced if she cooperates
• That the man's silence forces him to add hypocrisy to sin
• That her child will be taken from her if she refuses
• That the stranger in the crowd is watching them

How does baby Pearl react during Dimmesdale's speech to Hester?

• She falls asleep in Hester's arms
• She cries uncontrollably throughout
• She directs her gaze toward Dimmesdale and reaches out her arms
• She grabs at the scarlet letter on Hester's breast

What does Hester say about the scarlet letter when urged to confess?

• She vows to tear it from her breast
• She says it is too deeply branded and cannot be taken off
• She says she wears it willingly as penance
• She says only God can remove it

What simile does Hawthorne use to describe the emotion that crosses the stranger's face?

• Like a shadow passing over the sun
• Like a snake gliding swiftly over his features
• Like a storm cloud gathering on the horizon
• Like a flame flickering in the wind

Which of the following events actually occur in Chapter 3?

Determine whether each statement about the characters in Chapter 3 is true or false.

What does "ignominious" mean as used in: "until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone"?

• Beautiful or ornamental
• Deserving public disgrace or shame
• Sacred or holy
• Faded or worn

What does "peradventure" mean as used in: "Peradventure the guilty one stands looking on at this sad spectacle"?

• Certainly or without doubt
• Unfortunately or regrettably
• Perhaps or possibly
• Dangerously or recklessly

What does "heterogeneous" mean as used in: "a seemingly careless arrangement of his heterogeneous garb"?

• Elegant and well-tailored
• Composed of diverse or dissimilar elements
• Torn and threadbare
• Dark-colored and somber