XVIII. A Flood of Sunshine Quiz — The Scarlet Letter

How does Dimmesdale initially react to Hester's proposal to flee Boston?

• He immediately agrees with enthusiasm
• He shows hope and joy mixed with fear and horror at her boldness
• He rejects the idea completely and walks away
• He suggests they confess publicly instead

According to Hawthorne, what has the scarlet letter served as for Hester?

• A constant reminder of divine punishment
• A barrier preventing her from leaving Boston
• Her passport into regions where other women dared not tread
• A bond connecting her permanently to Dimmesdale

How does Hawthorne characterize Dimmesdale's original sin with Hester?

• A deliberate rebellion against Puritan authority
• A sin of passion, not of principle, nor even purpose
• An act of moral courage that he should repeat
• A calculated decision driven by theological doubt

Hester throws the scarlet letter into the brook.

What reasoning does Dimmesdale give for agreeing to flee?

• He believes God has given him explicit permission to leave
• He wants to escape Chillingworth's influence over his career
• He cannot recall a single moment of peace in seven years and feels irrevocably doomed
• He has received a better position at a church in England

What does "colloquy" mean as used in the phrase "holding a colloquy that was to decide their fate"?

• A physical confrontation
• A formal conversation or dialogue
• A religious ceremony
• A secret conspiracy

Sunshine floods the forest immediately after Hester removes the scarlet letter.

What does Hawthorne mean by the metaphor of the "ruined wall" in the soul?

• That guilt creates permanent moral vulnerability that can be guarded but never fully repaired
• That Puritan society's rigid walls are crumbling under hypocrisy
• That the forest represents a boundary between civilization and chaos
• That Hester's beauty has been permanently damaged by years of suffering

What does "trammelled" mean in the context of Dimmesdale being "trammelled by its regulations"?

• Inspired and motivated
• Restricted or constrained
• Educated and informed
• Protected and sheltered

How do the forest animals respond to Pearl?

• They flee from her in terror
• They ignore her completely
• They approach her without fear, recognizing a kindred wildness
• They attack her to protect their territory

Pearl eagerly runs to meet Dimmesdale when Hester calls her.

How does Pearl decorate herself in the forest?

• With jewels she finds near the brook
• With violets, anemones, columbines, and green twigs
• With feathers from the partridge she encounters
• With strips of bark from the old trees

What does "effluence" mean in the phrase "the gloom of the earth and sky had been but the effluence of these two mortal hearts"?

• A solid barrier or wall
• Something that flows out; an emanation
• A loud sound or echo
• A dark stain or mark

What does Dimmesdale admit about his relationship with children?

• He loves teaching them in his church
• He has long shrunk from them because they often show distrust toward him
• He has secretly been visiting Pearl for years
• He finds them too noisy and distracting