Question

Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter.

Before this ugly edifice, and between it and the wheel-track of the street, 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.

Which best describes the effect of the words “ugly,” “overgrown,” “pig-weed,” and “unsightly vegetation”?
They impart an angry mood.
They impart a mysterious mood.
They establish a rural, agricultural setting.
They establish a rough, untamed setting.

Answer 1

The best answer is:
They establish a rough, untamed setting.
The words “ugly,” “overgrown,” “pig-weed,” and “unsightly vegetation” are all negative and descriptive terms that suggest a lack of care, order, and beauty in the setting. They contrast with the idea of a civilized society that the prison represents, and imply that the environment is harsh, wild, and unwelcoming. These words help to create a mood of gloom, oppression, and conflict in the story.