Illustration of the silhouetted image of Hester Prynne with a letter "A" on her clothes

The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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The Scarlet Letter Chapter 1 Quiz

Set in Boston in the year 1642, the novel opens outside a prison house. A single rose is the only bright spot in the otherwise dreary surroundings. Be sure you understand the foundations of this novel that wrestles with the problems of defining and punishing "sin" by taking the quiz over Chapter 1 of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter from eNotes.

  1. Who was Ann Hutchison?

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  2. In what year does the novel begin?

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  3. What is the only beautiful thing described in the opening chapter?

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  4. What does the narrator suggest might be the only hopeful, bright spot of the story?

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  5. What is the focal point at the very beginning of Chapter 1?

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