Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________ Period: ______
Study Guide for Ch. 1-7 (Test #1)
The Custom House
1. What is the purpose of “The Custom House” chapter?
2. What happened when the narrator found the “A”?
Chapter 1
3. Why is there a throng of people in front of the jail?
4. Why is there a rosebush by the steps of the jail entrance?
5. What did the early settlers first build?
Chapter 2
6. Why did the women of the town complain about Hester's punishment?
7. Why were the women also complaining about her letter “A”?
8. Where was Hester standing, to be ridiculed?
Chapter 3
9. Who does Hester see in the throng?
10. Describe Chillingworth. (physically)
11. Who are the three men in charge of making Hester talk?
12. Does Hester confess who her lover is? Why?
Chapter 4
13. Why do they bring a physician for Hester?
14. Who comes to give her medicine?
15. Why is she reluctant to take it at first?
16. How does Chillingworth respond when he notices she does not want to take the medicine?
17. What does the Black Man symbolize?
18. What does Chillingworth make Hester promise?
Chapter 5
19. Hester is taken out of ___________.
20. Why doesn't Hester go back to England and forget about Massachusetts?
21. Where type of housing unit does she live in?
22. What is she good at?
23. What is ironic about governors and children wearing Hester's embroidered clothes?
24. Why isn't she allowed to embroider clothing for brides?
25. Hester searches for ____________.
26. Why is charity work a punishment to her?
27. How is her work affected when she does embroidery work for the poor?
Chapter 6
28. Why does Hawthorne choose the name Pearl for Hester's daughter?
29. Describe Pearl.
30. How does Pearl feel about the scarlet letter?
Chapter 7
31. What does Hester overhear at the Governor's mansion?
32. What is symbolic about the way Pearl is dressed to go to the Governor's mansion?
33. How does the bond servant misinterpret Hester's scarlet letter?
34. How does the Governor treat his servants?
35. Who once wore the armor?
36. What do Hester and Pearl see in the suit of armor?
37. What is Pearl's reaction when a rose is not given to her?
38. What does the broken glass at the Governor's mansion symbolize?
Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________ Period: ______
Study Guide for Ch. 8-14 (Test #2)
Chapter 8
39. Which two characters became good friends in chapter 8?
40. What does Pearl's bright clothing remind Bellingham and Wilson of ?
41. What is Pearl's response when Wilson asks her who made her? What happens next?
42. How does Hester react when they take Pearl from her?
43. Who convinces Bellingham to leave Pearl with her mother?
44. Why does Chillingworth want to make a scientific study of Pearl?
45. Who is Mistress Hibbins? Describe her.
46. What does Mistress Hibbins ask Hester?
Chapter 9
47. Chillingworth is a man of _____________________.
48. Dimmesdale is a man of ______________________.
49. Why does Chillingworth want to get close to Dimmesdale?
50. What is an apothecary?
51. Why is Chillingworth considered a leech?
52. How is Arthur Dimmesdale changing?
53. Why is the congregation grateful that Chillingworth has come to town?
54. Where do Chillingworth and Dimmesdale live?
55. What is symbolic about the location of the widow’s house?
56. What is ironic about the tapestry in Dimmesdale’s room?
57. What does Chillingworth believe is the cause of Dimmesdale’s sickness?
58. What rumors are spreading around the town?
59. What does the town come to realize about Chillingworth’s closeness to Reverend Dimmesdale?
Chapter 10
60. Give an example of how Chillingworth torments Dimmesdale.
61. What is the difference in belief between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale regarding sin?
62. What does Dimmesdale answer when Chillingworth asks him why sinners do not confess their sins
many times?
63. Where do Dimmesdale and Chillingworth see Hester and Pearl?
64. Who does Pearl call “the old Black Man”?
65. Why does Dimmesdale get mad at Chillingworth?
66. What does Chillingworth see when he looks into Dimmesdale’s chest?
67. What is Chillingworth’s tone at the end of this chapter?
Chapter 11
Why are Dimmesdale's sermons so touching?
What does dim mean? What does dale mean? So why is Dimmesdale's name meaningful?
The main idea of this chapter is to ______________________.
Dimmesdale confesses he's a sinner in front of the congregation but they think he is _____________.
How does Dimmesdale punish himself?
________ destroys Dimmesdale, but _______________ eats Chillingworth alive.
Why do Hester and Pearl appear in Dimmesdale's hallucinations?
Chapter 12
What is the main idea in this chapter?
Why does Dimmesdale leave his house late at night? Where does he go?
Why were Hester and Pearl outside so late?
What does Pearl ask Dimmesdale to do? Why?
What do the three of them see in the sky?
Why would the author include this detail in the book?
Who sees them standing, holding hands?
What does Dimmesdale ask Hester?
Why does Pearl whisper in Dimmesdale's ear?
What does Dimmesdale leave on the scaffold?
What does the town think about the letter “A” in the sky?
Chapter 13
What is the main idea in this chapter?
How old is Pearl?
What is Hester always ready for?
What do people believe the scarlet letter now stands for?
Has the Puritan ways of punishment taught Hester a lesson?
Who was Anne Hutchinson?
Why do you think that Hester feels stronger now after seven years, and is not scared to face Chillingworth?
Chapter 14
Where do Hester and Chillingworth meet?
How does Hester react when Chillingworth tells her that the magistrates have been thinking of removing the
scarlet letter from her bosom?
What change in Chillingworth has shocked Hester?
What does Hester tell Chillingworth?
What does she ask him to do?
Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________ Period: ______
Study Guide for Ch. 15-21 (Test #3)
Chapter 15
98. At first, Hester felt pity for Chillingworth; how have her feelings changed toward him?
99. Why does Hester say: “He has done me worse wrong than I did him.”?
100. Aside from making herself clothes out of seaweed, what else does Pearl make?
101. What does Hester respond when Pearl asks her what is the meaning of her scarlet letter A?
102. What does Pearl tell Hester about the scarlet letter?
103. How does Hester threaten Pearl?
104. So far, has the scarlet letter changed Hester for the good?
Chapter 16
105. Who does Hester want to speak to?
106. What is the setting of this chapter?
107. How is the forest symbolic?
108. What does Pearl learn about the Black Man?
109. Why does Hawthorne compare Pearl to the murmuring brook?
110. Who is the Black Man Hester refers to?
Chapter 17
111. At first, Dimmesdale does not recognize Hester, what shows her “identity”?
112. What does Hester reveal to Dimmesdale?
113. How does Dimmesdale react?
114. What are Dimmesdale’s two flaws?
Chapter 18
115. What suggestion does Hester give Dimmesdale?
116. What is Dimmesdale’s response?
117. What is her hair symbolic of?
118. What role does nature play in this chapter?
119. How does Dimmesdale feel toward Pearl?
Chapter 19
120. How do Hester and Dimmesdale view Pearl?
121. Why does Pearl refuse to come when Hester calls her?
122. What does Pearl ask Dimmesdale?
123. How does Pearl react to Dimmesdale’s kiss on the cheek?
124. What role does Pearl play in this scene?
125. What is the main theme in this chapter?
Chapter 20
126. Where are Hester and Dimmesdale planning to go?
127. What is Hawthorne trying to tell the reader through Dimmesdale’s decisions?
128. Is Hester helping Dimmesdale or destroying him?
129. What does Mistress Hibbins tell Dimmesdale when she sees him?
130. Why is Mistress Hibbins’ greeting important?
131. Why does Hawthorne refer to Dimmesdale as “the lost and desperate man”?
Chapter 21
132. What holiday is celebrated annually in this Puritan settlement?
133. Why is Election Day ironic?
134. Why does Pearl say Dimmesdale is a sad man?
135. Why has Hester always worn a mask?
136. What is the difference between Hester’s mask at the beginning of the story and the one she wears on Election
Day?
137. How do we see Hester’s nervous excitement through Pearl?
138. Who has bought a ticket for the same ship as Hester?
Test Date on chapters 15-21: December 3rd, 2009!!! Good Luck!
Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________ Period: ______
Study Guide for Ch. 22-24 (Final test on the novel)
Chapter 22
139. Who is supposed to give the Election Sermon?
140. Why does Hester hush Pearl?
141. Why does Hester become doubtful when Dimmesdale passes by her on his way to give his speech?
142. What is Mistress Hibbins’ response when Pearl asks her is she knows what the minister hides with his hand over
his heart?
Chapter 23
143. What does the town expect when they see that Dimmesdale is weaker than ever?
144. What does Dimmesdale ask Hester and Pearl to do?
145. What does Chillingworth whisper in Dimmesdale ear?
146. What does Dimmesdale say as he goes up the scaffold?
147. Hester is scared that the three of them would be killed, but why isn’t Dimmesdale scared?
148. What happens to Dimmesdale as he confesses and shows the town the scarlet letter on his chest?
149. What does Chillingworth tell Dimmesdale as he collapses?
150. What does Dimmesdale ask Pearl for?
151. What is Dimmesdale’s response when Hester asks him if they will ever be together in the afterlife?
152. What happens to Dimmesdale after he praises God and says good bye to Hester?
Chapter 24
153. The narrator says that there are several versions as how the town was able to see the letter A on Dimmesdale’s
chest, what were they?
154. What is the main theme in this chapter?
155. What happens to Chillingworth?
156. What happens to Hester and Pearl?
157. Why do you think Chillingworth left Pearl a large amount of property?
Test Date on the whole book: December 9th, 2009!!! Good Luck!
In order to receive extra points on the test you must turn the completed chart on the
day of the test.