Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter . Certain it is, that, some fifteen or twenty years after the settlement of the town, the wooden jail was already marked with weather-stains and other indications of age, which gave a yet darker aspect to its beetle-browed and gloomy front. The rust on the ponderous iron-work of its oaken door looked more antique than any thing else in the new world. The author most likely includes the words “darker aspect,” “beetle-browed,” “gloomy,” and “ponderous” in order to
Answer
A
establish a formal, civilized setting.
B
establish an old-fashioned setting.
C
impart a mysterious mood.
D
impart a melancholy mood.
Explanation
Words such as “darker,” “gloomy,” and “ponderous” emphasize the jail’s heaviness and gloom, creating a melancholy mood. The details about weather-stains and rust do show that the jail is old, but the descriptive words mainly shape the reader’s emotional response rather than establish the setting as old-fashioned.
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