XIII. Another View of Hester Quiz — The Scarlet Letter

How old is Pearl at the beginning of Chapter 13?

• Five years old
• Six years old
• Seven years old
• Nine years old

What new meaning do some townspeople assign to the scarlet letter?

• Angel
• Able
• Absolved
• Accepted

To which historical figure does Hawthorne compare Hester in this chapter?

• Abigail Williams
• Anne Bradstreet
• Anne Hutchinson
• Mary Rowlandson

What does Hawthorne compare the scarlet letter to in describing its effect on people's perception of Hester?

• A crown on a queen's head
• A cross on a nun's bosom
• A medal on a soldier's chest
• A brand on a prisoner's skin

Which of these statements about Hester's situation in Chapter 13 are accurate?

What has Hester's inner life shifted from, according to the narrator?

• From religion to science
• From passion and feeling to thought
• From obedience to open rebellion
• From solitude to social engagement

What does "ignominy" mean as used in: "Hester Prynne did not now occupy precisely the same position in which we beheld her during the earlier periods of her ignominy"?

• Illness or physical suffering
• Public disgrace or dishonor
• Religious devotion or piety
• Financial hardship or poverty

What pivotal sentence summarizes the failure of Hester's punishment?

• "She was self-ordained a Sister of Mercy."
• "The scarlet letter had not done its office."
• "The world's law was no law for her mind."
• "They said that it meant Able."

Which of these statements about Hester's intellectual development are accurate?

Why does Hester resolve to confront Chillingworth?

• She wants to reveal his identity to the magistrates.
• She realizes he has been systematically destroying Dimmesdale.
• Pearl asks her to seek revenge against her father's tormentor.
• Chillingworth has threatened to expose her secret.

What does "acquiescing" mean as used in: "except by acquiescing in Roger Chillingworth's scheme of disguise"?

• Actively participating in a conspiracy
• Accepting reluctantly but without protest
• Loudly objecting to an arrangement
• Secretly undermining a plan

How does the power dynamic between Hester and Chillingworth shift in this chapter?

• Chillingworth has grown more powerful while Hester has weakened.
• Both have been equally diminished by their shared secret.
• Hester has been strengthened by endurance while Chillingworth has degraded himself through revenge.
• The magistrates have intervened to give Hester authority over Chillingworth.

What metaphor does Hawthorne use to describe Hester's intellectual wandering?

• A ship lost at sea without a compass
• A pilgrim searching for a holy city
• A wanderer without a clew in the dark labyrinth of mind
• A bird trapped in a cage of iron bars

What does "obviated" mean as used in: "all other difficulties being obviated, woman cannot take advantage of these preliminary reforms"?

• Made more complicated or severe
• Removed or prevented, making unnecessary
• Carefully examined or studied
• Deliberately ignored or overlooked