Question

Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter.

A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.

Which best describes the effect of the words “sad-colored,” steeple-crowned,” and “iron spikes”?

A. They establish the mournful mood.
B. They establish the hostile mood.
C. They establish the austere Puritan setting.
D. They establish the spiritual Puritan setting.

Answer 1

C- they establish the austere Puritan setting

Answer 2

Answer: C. They establish the austere Puritan setting.

Step-by-step explanation: In the given excerpt from "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we can see the description of a place, with women and men dressed in certain way (with sad-colored clothes, steeple-crowned hats, and the women with hoods or bareheaded), all this description corresponds to an austere Puritan setting. The Puritans are people who have an strict moral, usually very religious, and austere means that it is not welcoming, it is severe and simple.