Practice Passage Test - 10 | Practice Passages for MCAT PDF Download

In front of a wooden prison, there was a gathering of bearded men wearing sad-colored clothes and gray hats with pointed crowns, along with women. The founders of a new colony, despite their initial intentions of creating a perfect society, always found it necessary to designate a portion of land as a prison site. In front of this unattractive building, there was an overgrown grassy area with unsightly plants, which seemed to thrive in the same soil that had given birth to the prison. However, next to the prison's entrance, there was a wild rose bush adorned with delicate flowers, as if offering its fragrance and beauty to the prisoners entering and the condemned criminals leaving. Interestingly, this rose bush has managed to survive in history, symbolizing a sweet moral blossom that may be found amidst tales of human frailty and sorrow. 

The door of the jail opened, and a stern town-beadle emerged, placing his hand on the shoulder of a young woman. She rejected his touch with dignity and stepped outside, seemingly of her own free will. The woman, Hester Prynne, carried a baby in her arms, shielding it from the harsh sunlight. When she fully revealed herself to the crowd, her immediate instinct was to hold the infant tightly to her chest, not only out of motherly affection but also to conceal a certain mark affixed to her clothing. Eventually, realizing that one symbol of her shame would not effectively hide another, she displayed the baby on her arm. 

With a blushing yet proud smile and an unashamed gaze, she looked at the townspeople and neighbors. Embroidered on her gown in fine red cloth, surrounded by intricate gold thread patterns, was the letter "A." The craftsmanship and lavishness of the embroidery far exceeded the colony's sumptuary regulations, reflecting the artistic taste of the time. Despite her tall and elegantly proportioned figure, those who had known Hester Prynne before expected her to be diminished and obscured by a dark cloud of misfortune and disgrace. 

However, they were astonished to see her beauty radiate and transform her unfortunate circumstances into a halo around her. The focal point that captured everyone's attention, even those familiar with Hester, was the scarlet letter, elaborately embroidered and illuminated on her bosom. It seemed to possess a spellbinding effect, setting her apart from ordinary human relations and enclosing her in a sphere of her own.