1. Who is the author of this novel?

a. Nathaniel Hawthorne
2. Setting of the story
a. Puritan, New England colony; 1600s
3. Definition of allusion
a. An implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or part of another text
4. Definition of characterization
a. Process of developing a 3-D and believable representation of a character in
fiction - making them ¨real¨
5. Definition of conflict
a. Opposition of persons or forces upon which the action depends
6. Definition of foreshadowing
a. When an event in a story is referred to before the event actually takes place
7. Definition of in media res
a. In or into the middle of the narrative plot with without the formality of an
introduction or lengthy exposition, the story starts in the middle of the action
8. Definition of motif
a. A recurring thematic element which has symbolic significance in the story
9. Definition of plot
a. The main story or plan of a literary work; the order of events
10. Definition of symbolism
a. A character or image that stands in the lace of something that is often abstract or
intangible
11. Definition of theme
a. the dominant message or idea in a work of literature
12. What does Hawthorne describe in detail in the first chapter?
a. The prison door
b. Rose bush in front of it
13. What were the first two things that the puritans built upon arriving to the new
colony? What does this reveal about the needs and views of Puratan culture?
a. A cemetery: people inevitably die
b. A prison: people will inevitably commit crimes and be punished
c. The prison is almost a reminder for people to stay in line
14. What is happening to Hester the first time we see her in the story? (Chapter 2)
a. The townspeople are gathered around to watch Hester accept her punishment
15. Occupation of Arthur Dimmesdale?
a. Minister
16. What is Hester's crime?
a. Adultery
17. What does the scarlet letter “A: stand for?
a. Adulteress at the beginning, later meant able or angel
18. Who is Roger Chillingworth?
a. Hester’s husband but he also worked for Dimmesdale as his physician
19. Why does Hester stay close to the Puritan town instead of moving back to
Europe?
a. She wants to face her punishment instead of run from it; The father of her child is
still here
20. Who is Hester’s daughter?
a. Pearl
21. What is Hester’s Talent?
a. She is super good at embroidery
22. Why does Hester name her child Pearl?
a. She is her mothers’s greatest and only treasure
23. How is Pearl dressed
a. She is dressed in beautiful clothes made out of the best embroidery
24. What is unique about Pearl’s behavior as a child? What thoughts does Hester
occasionally have about Pearl?
a. She doesn't get along with the other children, and she acts out a lot
b. Hester begins to wonder if Pearl is a normal child
c. She is violent with animals but is also comfortable with them
d. She is very smart and catches on to things very easily
25. Who is Mistress Hibbins?
a. The governor’s sister that people think is a witch and she asks Hester and
Dimmesdale to go into the forest and meet the Black Man
26. Effects of Dimmesdale’s guilt on his physical health and appearance
a. He is physically bent over and looks worn and old. His guilt wears on him and it
makes his heart hurt, which is why his hand is always over his heart. He is very
weak
27. Why does Chillingworth want to treat Dimmesdale?
a. He wants to figure out if he was who Hester committed adultery with and get his
revenge
28. What does Dimmesdale have on his chest?
a. The Scarlet Letter, but we don't know for sure what it looked like. Some say it
looked like Hester’s but others say it looked like a scar/wound
29. Significance of the setting of the scaffold
a. A place for public acknowledgement and repentance of sin
b. It is out in the open which pictures feeling freedom in confession
30. Different meanings of the letter “A” throughout the story
a. In the beginning it means adulterer/adulteress
b. Towards the end of the story, the people begin to accept Hester as part of their
community and the letter A starts to mean able.
31. How does the story end?
a. Dimmesdale confesses his sins on the scaffold after he preaches his “most
inspired” sermon
b. Dimmesdale and Chillingworth die after the confession
c. Hester goes back to her cottage in England but later returns to the Puritan
community and is an advisor for young women
 d. Pearl receives Chillingoworth’s inheritance and marries a noble. There is an
indication that she has a baby
32. Short answers that don't need study or memorization. They will be from class
discussions and book reading. You will be expected to provide specific textual
evidence.
33. Study helps:
a. Your notes
b. Comprehension question sheets from throughout the unit
c. Motif, theme, setting, etc. worksheets from throughout the unit
d. Preparation notes from the Socratic Seminar