Puritan society
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Puritan society
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[post_date] => 2025-01-02 12:13:44
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[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-6)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments, and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, was assembled in front of a wooden prison.
The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as the site of a prison. Before this ugly edifice was a grass-plot, much overgrown with burdock, pig-weed, apple-peru, and such unsightly vegetation which evidently found something congenial in the soil that had so early borne the black flower of civilized society, a prison. But, on one side of the portal was a wild rose-bush, covered with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom.
This rose-bush, by a strange chance, has been kept alive in history. It may serve to symbolize some sweet moral blossom that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow.
The door of the jail being opened from within, there appeared, like a black shadow emerging into sunshine, the grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle. He laid his right hand upon the shoulder of a young woman; until, on the threshold of the prison-door, she repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air, as if by her own free will. Hester Prynne bore in her arms an infant, who winked and turned aside its little face from the too vivid light of day.
When the young woman- the mother of this child- stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress. In moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around her townspeople and neighbors. On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy; and which was of a splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.
The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. Those who had before known her and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped. But the point which drew all eyes, so that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time- was that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself.
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[questions] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 578908434
[question] => Information in the passage tells the reader that which of the following are Hester Prynne’s two tokens of shame?
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
Hester tries to use her baby to hide the scarlet letter sewn on her chest “which was wrought or fastened into her dress” but then realizes that “her shame would but poorly serve to hide another.” Thus, the author refers to the baby as one source of her shame, and the letter sewn to her chest as a second source of shame (option 1). The passage does not directly reference her public humiliation (option 2), her criminal record (option 3), or her dress as sources of shame for Hester (option 4).
Option 1 is correct.
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[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. The letter “A” on her chest and her baby.
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. Her public humiliation and her baby.
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. The letter “A” on her chest and her criminal record.
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. Her ostentatious dress and her baby.
)
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[1] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3873426850
[question] => Which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
The author does not present Hester Prynne as an anarchist just because she seems insufficiently ashamed at breaking one specific law (option 1). The author uses darkness and dreariness when characterizing the town and townspeople to emphasize the austere customs of the community, not its destitution or poverty (option 2). The typical vegetation around the prison was “unsightly”,” while the “wild rose-bush” offers its “fragrance and beauty” to prisoners. It symbolizes “some sweet moral blossom” brought forth by nature in contrast to the Puritan justice system and their prison portrayed as “a black flower of civilized society” (option 4). Finally, the rose-bush is “wild” and outside Puritan control and thus not a token of their mercy (option 3).
Option 4 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Hester’s rejection of the grim and grisly town beadle underscores the danger of anarchy in small communities.
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. The sad-colored garments worn in the community are meant to portray the destitution of early Puritan society.
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. The rose-bush among the unsightly vegetation in front of the prison represents the merciful tendencies of Puritan society.
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[each_answer] => D. The rosebush symbolizes that there is a natural moral sense that transcends the strict and less understanding moral order of the Puritans.
)
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[2] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 83407773
[question] => Which of the following assertions best captures an idea from the passage?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
The passage opens with the line, “A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments, and gray, steeple-crowned hats…” In contrast Hester Prynne’s mark of shame, the letter A sewn on her chest, is “in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread.” The author continues, “It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy…but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.” This suggests that bright colors are not generally worn in this society, and there is no suggestion that this custom was applied differently to men at certain times of the year (option 1). When Hester emerges from the prison, the baby is presented as “a token of her shame”, rather than the mark of her being valued as a mother. There is no language to suggest that she is valued as a mother by the townspeople (option 3). The author provides no evidence that others in the community also wear emblems (option 4). The author writes that the scarlet letter had the effect of “taking [Hester] out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” which suggests she might be the only one to wear such an emblem. Finally, the passage suggests that the townspeople are surprised by Hester’s demeanor as she emerges from the prison. The author writes, “Those who had before known her and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped” which shows that their expectations of negative effects were violated (option 2).
Option 2 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Puritan society allowed only men to adorn bright colors during certain times of the year.
)
[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. The townspeople were expecting Hester Prynne’s imprisonment to have more of a negative impact on her than it did.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. Hester Prynne’s birth of a baby girl marked her formal incorporation into society as a valued mother.
)
[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. The Scarlet Letter worn on Hester’ Prynne’s chest is an emblem worn by many of the women in the community.
)
)
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[3] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 872728905
[question] => The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements about the prison system in modern-day society:
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Beyond the Text” question, which means that it wants you to either apply or extrapolate the ideas in the passage to new situations or to assess how new information would impact the ideas presented in the passage. It is important to understand the assumptions underlying the article, and how new information may or may not shift the central thesis.
In the passage, while the author is describing an experience of persecution and marginalization, there is never any mention of the cost of having a prison (option 3) or about the plausibility of eliminating all crime with a strong system of incarceration (option 1). The author does not argue in favor of forbidding incarceration (option 4), in fact, the author describes prison as a social necessity when he writes, “The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as the site of a prison.” The author thus recognizes that prisons are a necessary part of human society, regardless of the utopian ideas that might motivate a community’s social system (option 2).
Option 2 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[each_answer] => A. Eliminating most crime from society is possible with a strong prison system in place.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. Creating a perfect society completely free of crime is unrealistic.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. Prisons are unnecessarily expensive and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
)
[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. Incarceration is inhumane and should be forbidden by governments internationally.
)
)
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[4] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => All of the following examples of imagery are mentioned, but which one is NOT used by the author to support the theme of dignity?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Within the Text” question. These items generally ask you to think about the author’s reasoning, such as what claim an author is trying to support with a piece of evidence, what assumption underlies a specific statement, or whether an argument is flawed.
Dignity is the state or quality of being worthy of respect. You must ask yourself whether the selected imagery conveys the fact that Hester’s persecution is accompanied by a sense of self-respect. A “halo” is something that surrounds the head of a saint or holy person, and is meant to indicate their worthiness and grace. Hester’s “halo of the misfortune” is an image that portrays how she bears her misfortune with saintly grace, a quality worthy of respect (option 1). The author describes Hester’s rejection of the beadle as “an action marked with natural dignity and force of character” (option 2). Finally, the author writes, “she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, , looked around her townspeople and neighbors. ” Thus, her “blush” which reflects her embarrassment (option 4) is contrasted by the word “yet” against her “haughty smile”. The burning blush denotes (option 3) a sense of shame contrasted against a sense of pride in the face of persecution.
Option 4 is correct.
)
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. “halo of the misfortune”
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. “she repelled him…and stepped into the open air”
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. “haughty smile”
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. “burning blush”
)
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[5] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => Suppose there is a newcomer to the community in which Hester Prynne was imprisoned. The newcomer dresses lavishly, eats voraciously, and spends excessively. It is MOST LIKELY that the newcomer:
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Beyond the Text” question, which means that it wants you to either apply or extrapolate the ideas in the passage to new situations or to assess how new information would impact the ideas presented in the passage. It is important to understand the assumptions underlying the article, and how new information may or may not shift the central thesis.
There are several descriptions in the passage that suggest self-indulgence is frowned upon in the community. The gold-threaded scarlet letter’s “gorgeous luxuriance of fancy” is what marginalizes Hester from the rest of society, who wear gray, “sad-colored garments.” The author also refers to the “sumptuary regulations of the colony,” indicating that excessive spending on food and personal items is not acceptable and would not be embraced (option 1), and thus this person would not seem to share those values of the community (option 3). However, there is no mention in the passage that such behavior would be met with more extreme measures such as execution (option 2). All we know is that such behavior is unacceptable and contrary to the laws and customs of the Puritan colony, so it is reasonable to assume the newcomer’s ways would be disapproved of (option 4).
Option 4 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. would be embraced as a new member of the community.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. would be swiftly tried, convicted, and executed.
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. would be someone who shares and respects Puritan values.
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. would be met with disapproval by the community.
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[559766|5] => D
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