XI. The Interior of a Heart Quiz — The Scarlet Letter

What has changed about Chillingworth's relationship with Dimmesdale by the beginning of Chapter 11?

• Chillingworth has ended their friendship entirely
• Chillingworth now knows Dimmesdale's secret and uses it to torment him psychologically
• Dimmesdale has confronted Chillingworth about his true identity
• They have become genuine friends who share confidences openly

How does Hawthorne describe Chillingworth's ability to manipulate Dimmesdale?

• Like a doctor administering medicine
• Like a judge delivering a sentence
• Like a puppeteer who knows the spring that controls the engine
• Like a priest hearing confession

Why does Dimmesdale continue his friendship with Chillingworth despite sensing something wrong?

• He fears Chillingworth will reveal his secret if angered
• He believes Chillingworth can cure his illness
• He blames his distrust on his own sinful nature and maintains the relationship as a matter of principle
• He is too physically weak to resist Chillingworth's presence

What quality does Dimmesdale possess that other clergymen in the community lack?

• More years of scholarly theological study
• The "Tongue of Flame" — the ability to speak the heart's native language
• A sturdier mind and greater share of practical understanding
• A purer, more saintly life devoted to spiritual contemplation

What happens when Dimmesdale tells his congregation he is "utterly a pollution and a lie"?

• They demand he step down from the pulpit
• They are shocked into silence and begin to suspect him
• They revere him even more, believing his words show extraordinary humility
• They weep and beg him to reveal his specific sin

What does Hawthorne say Dimmesdale gains from his vague pulpit confessions?

• A measure of genuine peace and spiritual relief
• Only one more sin and self-acknowledged shame, without even self-deception
• The congregation's sympathy and a lighter conscience
• Enough courage to eventually make a full, specific confession

Which of the following is NOT a form of self-punishment Dimmesdale practices in Chapter 11?

• Scourging himself with a bloody whip
• Fasting until his knees tremble
• Wearing a hair shirt beneath his clerical robes
• Keeping all-night vigils in darkness

What appears at the climax of Dimmesdale's hallucinations during his vigils?

• A vision of the scarlet letter burning in the sky
• The ghost of Governor Bellingham pointing accusingly
• Hester leading Pearl, who points at the scarlet letter and then at Dimmesdale's breast
• An angel offering him a chance at redemption

Which of the following events actually occur in Chapter 11?

Which statements about Dimmesdale's self-punishment are accurate according to Chapter 11?

What does "preternatural" mean as used in: "kept in a state of preternatural activity by the prick and anguish of his daily life"?

• Predictable and routine
• Beyond what is normal or natural; extraordinary
• Sluggish and diminished
• Artificially induced or manufactured

What does "antipathy" mean as used in: "a token of a deeper antipathy in the breast of the latter"?

• A feeling of warm sympathy or affection
• A sense of intellectual curiosity
• A deep-seated feeling of dislike or aversion
• A state of complete indifference

What does "impalpable" mean as used in: "the whole universe is false,—it is impalpable,—it shrinks to nothing within his grasp"?

• Visually stunning or overwhelming
• Morally corrupt or tainted
• Unable to be felt by touch; intangible
• Logically impossible to understand