XIV. The Child at the Brook-Side Quiz — The Scarlet Letter

What are Hester and Dimmesdale watching as the chapter opens?

• A ship arriving in the harbor
• Pearl approaching from across a brook
• Roger Chillingworth walking through the forest
• A thunderstorm gathering over the town

What has Pearl used to decorate herself while playing in the forest?

• Ribbons stolen from a traveling merchant
• Shells and pebbles from the brook
• Wildflowers woven into her hair and foliage
• Berries she crushed to make dye

What fear does Dimmesdale confess to Hester regarding Pearl?

• That Pearl has been corrupted by Chillingworth
• That Pearl may reveal their secret in the town
• That his features are partly repeated in Pearl's face and might be recognized
• That Pearl has inherited his physical weakness

According to Hawthorne, what term describes Pearl as a representation of her parents' hidden secret?

• A living hieroglyphic
• A heavenly messenger
• A scarlet emblem
• A forest phantom

What does Dimmesdale say the brook represents?

• The tears of the Puritan community
• The passage of time that will heal all wounds
• The boundary between two worlds
• God's cleansing power over sin

Why does Pearl refuse to cross the brook?

• She is afraid of the deep water
• She senses Chillingworth hiding nearby
• Hester has removed the scarlet letter from her bosom
• Dimmesdale's presence frightens her

What does Hawthorne say happens to Hester's appearance when she refastens the scarlet letter?

• She looks younger and more vibrant than before
• Her beauty departs "like fading sunshine" and a gray shadow falls across her
• Her face flushes with a warm crimson glow
• She appears unchanged but walks with a heavier step

Pearl kisses both her mother's cheeks AND the scarlet letter after crossing the brook.

Dimmesdale eagerly picks Pearl up and carries her across the brook himself.

What perceptive question does Pearl ask about Dimmesdale?

• Why does the minister always look so pale and sickly?
• Will he go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into the town?
• Is the minister the same man who stood on the scaffold at midnight?
• Does the minister know about the scarlet letter's meaning?

How does Pearl respond after Dimmesdale kisses her forehead?

• She smiles and takes his hand
• She cries and clings to her mother
• She runs to the brook and washes the kiss off
• She returns the kiss on his cheek

In this chapter, what does the word "preternatural" mean as applied to Pearl's tantrum?

• Completely ordinary and expected
• Beyond what is normal or natural; suggesting supernatural influence
• Related to religious prayer or devotion
• Happening before the natural course of events

What does "wonted" mean in the sentence: "Pearl, the returning wanderer, could not find her wonted place"?

• Desired or wished for
• Accustomed or usual
• Distant or remote
• Forbidden or restricted

What does the word "imperious" describe about Pearl's behavior at the brook?

• She is fearful and trembling
• She is gentle and submissive
• She is commanding and domineering
• She is confused and disoriented