The Custom-House Quiz — The Scarlet Letter

What is the narrator's official title at the Salem Custom-House?

• Collector of Customs
• Surveyor of the Revenue
• Inspector of the Port
• Naval Officer

What object does the narrator discover wrapped in ancient parchment in the Custom-House attic?

• A Puritan Bible with annotations
• A scarlet cloth letter A with Surveyor Pue's manuscript
• A portrait of Hester Prynne
• A ship's log documenting Salem's early trade

According to Hawthorne, what is the "neutral territory" suitable for romance?

• The Custom-House attic filled with old documents
• A moonlit room where the Actual and the Imaginary meet
• The Salem wharf at twilight
• The border between Massachusetts and Maine

What is most notable about the permanent Inspector at the Custom-House?

• His deep knowledge of maritime law
• His perfect physical health at eighty years old and his obsession with food
• His extensive library and literary taste
• His quiet dignity and moral authority

What political event leads to the narrator's dismissal from the Custom-House?

• The impeachment of President Polk
• The election of General Zachary Taylor to the Presidency
• A congressional investigation into Custom-House corruption
• The outbreak of the Mexican-American War

How does Hawthorne describe the effect of government employment on personal character?

• It sharpens the mind through practical business experience
• It steals self-reliance and initiative, like the Devil's wages
• It provides the stability needed for creative work
• It builds moral character through public service

Why does Hawthorne feel a deep attachment to Salem despite finding it joyless?

• He owns valuable property in the town
• His family has been rooted there for over two centuries
• His closest literary friends all live in Salem
• He was born there and never lived anywhere else

What metaphor does Hawthorne use for his imagination during his Custom-House tenure?

• A raging fire that must be contained
• A tarnished mirror that would not reflect clearly
• A ship lost at sea without a compass
• A garden overrun with weeds

Which of the following events actually occur in "The Custom-House"?

Which of these details about the Custom-House officers are accurate?

What does "torpid" mean as used in: "after a torpid winter, would creep out into the warm sunshine of May or June"?

• Stormy and dangerous
• Mentally and physically inactive; sluggish
• Bitterly cold and harsh
• Brief and mild

What does "evanescent" mean as used in: "so evanescent are the fashions of the world in these particulars"?

• Ancient and revered
• Brightly colored and decorative
• Soon passing out of existence; quickly fading
• Universally recognized and admired

What does "enervating" mean as used in: "the enervating magic of place do not operate too long upon him"?

• Energizing and stimulating
• Causing one to feel drained of energy; weakening
• Mysterious and enchanting
• Morally improving and uplifting