Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter . Finding it so directly on the threshold of our narrative, which is now about to issue from that inauspicious portal, we could hardly do otherwise than pluck one of its flowers and present it to the reader. What is the meaning of the word “inauspicious”?

“Inauspicious” means suggesting that something bad or unlucky is likely to happen. In the excerpt, the portal is described as the beginning of a narrative, so calling it inauspicious gives it an ominous, unfavorable tone. Therefore, the correct choice is “unfavorable, boding ill.”

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