Final Exam in American Literature ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND WELL
ELABORATED ANSWERS (MOST TESTED QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS)
What does the sea probably symbolize in this final sentence from the
selection? "Then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled
on as it had rolled five thousand years ago." - CORRECT ANSWER
nature's power over humanity
Which of these professions most requires a person to be 'prescient'? -
CORRECT ANSWER fortuneteller
Which word has a meaning most nearly opposite that of
'maledictions'? - CORRECT ANSWER blessings
From "Bartleby, the Scrivener," what was Turkey's weakness? -
CORRECT ANSWER beer
Give an example of foreshadowing that occurred in "Bartleby the
Scrivener." - CORRECT ANSWER All of the other workers had some
kind of quirk that made the quality of their writing decrease, so of
course Bartleby was going to have a downfall too.
What was Bartleby's favorite quote? - CORRECT ANSWER I'd prefer
not to
From "Bartleby, the Scrivener," what two things did Nippers suffer
from? - CORRECT ANSWER Both a and c
What one word describes the narrator's age in "Bartleby, the
Scrivener?" - CORRECT ANSWER elderly
What is a scrivener? - CORRECT ANSWER copier
Choose the word that BEST describes the narrator in Bartleby -
CORRECT ANSWER safe
,How long did Bartleby work with the narrator when he had his first
refusal? - CORRECT ANSWER 3 days
Who DID NOT work in the law office? - CORRECT ANSWER Melville
How many times did Bartleby leave during the day? - CORRECT
ANSWER 0
How old was Nippers? - CORRECT ANSWER 25
ow old was the narrator in Bartleby? - CORRECT ANSWER 60
Where did Bartleby previously work? - CORRECT ANSWER dead letter
office
After noon, Turkey's copies always had what? - CORRECT ANSWER
blots
Which character was NOT in Bartleby? - CORRECT ANSWER Ahab
How did Hester Prynne avoid the death penalty at the beginning of the
novel? - CORRECT ANSWER she had no husband
Where did Hester grow up? - CORRECT ANSWER England
Who wrote The Scarlet Letter? - CORRECT ANSWER Nathaniel
Hawthorne
Which is NOT a synonym for Pearl? - CORRECT ANSWER Prince of Air
What does the author infer about Pearl in the final chapter? - CORRECT
ANSWER both b and c
Who said the following quote? "Thou tellest of running a race to a man
whose knees are tottering beneath him!" In the scarlet letter -
CORRECT ANSWER Dimesdale
,Where was Dimmesdale when he admitted the deed? - CORRECT
ANSWER the scaffold
What did Hester promise Chillingworth at the beginning of the novel? -
CORRECT ANSWER to keep their secret
Who did Chillingworth come to Boston with? - CORRECT ANSWER an
indian
Where is Hester buried? - CORRECT ANSWER Kings chapel
What does Chapter 18 "A Flood of Sunshine" in the scarlet letter
symbolize? - CORRECT ANSWER passion revitalized
Dimmesdale is a masochist. What does this mean? - CORRECT
ANSWER he harms himself
Dimmesdale tries to tell the congregation of his sin. What happens? -
CORRECT ANSWER the congregation thinks he is lying
Scarlet is a form of what color? - CORRECT ANSWER red
The rosebush outside the prison door is a symbol of all the following
except: - CORRECT ANSWER Ann Hutchinson's tolerance of other
religions
Hester has embroidered what symbol onto her dress? - CORRECT
ANSWER a scarlet letter A
After she is released from prison, Hester goes to live where? -
CORRECT ANSWER on the outskirts of Boston
Pearl's role changes towards the end of the novel. She starts to
"punish" which character? - CORRECT ANSWER Dimmesdale
Hester's husband is: - CORRECT ANSWER Chillingworth
, Hawthorne completed The Scarlet Letter in what year? - CORRECT
ANSWER 1850
Hawthorne draws strong parallels between what three images? -
CORRECT ANSWER Pearl, the red rose, the scarlet letter
Hester tries to convince Dimmesdale to do what during their walks in
the woods? - CORRECT ANSWER to run away and live elsewhere
When John Wilson asks Pearl who her maker is, Pearl replies: -
CORRECT ANSWER that she was plucked off of a rose bush
How does Chillingworth figure out who Pearl's father really is? -
CORRECT ANSWER Chillingworth becomes Dimmesdale's doctor and
guesses the secret
The prison door best represents which of the following? - CORRECT
ANSWER Puritanical severity of law and the authority of the regime
All of the following ironies occur in the first scaffold scene except...? -
CORRECT ANSWER the irony that Pearl will bring Hester and
Dimmesdale back together
How does Hester earn a living? - CORRECT ANSWER by her
needlework
What does Pearl best represent throughout the novel? - CORRECT
ANSWER The living embodiment of Hester's sin
To whom does Hawthorne apply the term "The Leech"? - CORRECT
ANSWER chillingworth
What does Pearl do when she first sees her mother without the scarlet
letter? - CORRECT ANSWER She convulses and screams
What does Pearl do right before Dimmesdale dies? - CORRECT
ANSWER She kisses Dimmesdale
ELABORATED ANSWERS (MOST TESTED QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS)
What does the sea probably symbolize in this final sentence from the
selection? "Then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled
on as it had rolled five thousand years ago." - CORRECT ANSWER
nature's power over humanity
Which of these professions most requires a person to be 'prescient'? -
CORRECT ANSWER fortuneteller
Which word has a meaning most nearly opposite that of
'maledictions'? - CORRECT ANSWER blessings
From "Bartleby, the Scrivener," what was Turkey's weakness? -
CORRECT ANSWER beer
Give an example of foreshadowing that occurred in "Bartleby the
Scrivener." - CORRECT ANSWER All of the other workers had some
kind of quirk that made the quality of their writing decrease, so of
course Bartleby was going to have a downfall too.
What was Bartleby's favorite quote? - CORRECT ANSWER I'd prefer
not to
From "Bartleby, the Scrivener," what two things did Nippers suffer
from? - CORRECT ANSWER Both a and c
What one word describes the narrator's age in "Bartleby, the
Scrivener?" - CORRECT ANSWER elderly
What is a scrivener? - CORRECT ANSWER copier
Choose the word that BEST describes the narrator in Bartleby -
CORRECT ANSWER safe
,How long did Bartleby work with the narrator when he had his first
refusal? - CORRECT ANSWER 3 days
Who DID NOT work in the law office? - CORRECT ANSWER Melville
How many times did Bartleby leave during the day? - CORRECT
ANSWER 0
How old was Nippers? - CORRECT ANSWER 25
ow old was the narrator in Bartleby? - CORRECT ANSWER 60
Where did Bartleby previously work? - CORRECT ANSWER dead letter
office
After noon, Turkey's copies always had what? - CORRECT ANSWER
blots
Which character was NOT in Bartleby? - CORRECT ANSWER Ahab
How did Hester Prynne avoid the death penalty at the beginning of the
novel? - CORRECT ANSWER she had no husband
Where did Hester grow up? - CORRECT ANSWER England
Who wrote The Scarlet Letter? - CORRECT ANSWER Nathaniel
Hawthorne
Which is NOT a synonym for Pearl? - CORRECT ANSWER Prince of Air
What does the author infer about Pearl in the final chapter? - CORRECT
ANSWER both b and c
Who said the following quote? "Thou tellest of running a race to a man
whose knees are tottering beneath him!" In the scarlet letter -
CORRECT ANSWER Dimesdale
,Where was Dimmesdale when he admitted the deed? - CORRECT
ANSWER the scaffold
What did Hester promise Chillingworth at the beginning of the novel? -
CORRECT ANSWER to keep their secret
Who did Chillingworth come to Boston with? - CORRECT ANSWER an
indian
Where is Hester buried? - CORRECT ANSWER Kings chapel
What does Chapter 18 "A Flood of Sunshine" in the scarlet letter
symbolize? - CORRECT ANSWER passion revitalized
Dimmesdale is a masochist. What does this mean? - CORRECT
ANSWER he harms himself
Dimmesdale tries to tell the congregation of his sin. What happens? -
CORRECT ANSWER the congregation thinks he is lying
Scarlet is a form of what color? - CORRECT ANSWER red
The rosebush outside the prison door is a symbol of all the following
except: - CORRECT ANSWER Ann Hutchinson's tolerance of other
religions
Hester has embroidered what symbol onto her dress? - CORRECT
ANSWER a scarlet letter A
After she is released from prison, Hester goes to live where? -
CORRECT ANSWER on the outskirts of Boston
Pearl's role changes towards the end of the novel. She starts to
"punish" which character? - CORRECT ANSWER Dimmesdale
Hester's husband is: - CORRECT ANSWER Chillingworth
, Hawthorne completed The Scarlet Letter in what year? - CORRECT
ANSWER 1850
Hawthorne draws strong parallels between what three images? -
CORRECT ANSWER Pearl, the red rose, the scarlet letter
Hester tries to convince Dimmesdale to do what during their walks in
the woods? - CORRECT ANSWER to run away and live elsewhere
When John Wilson asks Pearl who her maker is, Pearl replies: -
CORRECT ANSWER that she was plucked off of a rose bush
How does Chillingworth figure out who Pearl's father really is? -
CORRECT ANSWER Chillingworth becomes Dimmesdale's doctor and
guesses the secret
The prison door best represents which of the following? - CORRECT
ANSWER Puritanical severity of law and the authority of the regime
All of the following ironies occur in the first scaffold scene except...? -
CORRECT ANSWER the irony that Pearl will bring Hester and
Dimmesdale back together
How does Hester earn a living? - CORRECT ANSWER by her
needlework
What does Pearl best represent throughout the novel? - CORRECT
ANSWER The living embodiment of Hester's sin
To whom does Hawthorne apply the term "The Leech"? - CORRECT
ANSWER chillingworth
What does Pearl do when she first sees her mother without the scarlet
letter? - CORRECT ANSWER She convulses and screams
What does Pearl do right before Dimmesdale dies? - CORRECT
ANSWER She kisses Dimmesdale
