Question

Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter using comprehension strategies.

In accordance with this rule, it may safely be assumed that the forefathers of Boston had built the first prison-house, somewhere in the vicinity of Cornhill, almost as seasonably as they marked out the first burial-ground, on Isaac Johnson's lot, and round about his grave, which subsequently became the nucleus of all the congregated sepulchres in the old church-yard of King's Chapel.

What is the meaning of this excerpt?
The prison and cemetery were built early, with the cemetery expanding in size from its original plot.
The prison was built near Cornhill, and the cemetery was built on an important man’s property.
Just as Puritans gathered at the prison, they also gathered at the cemetery and the church.
The forefathers of Boston chose the two most famous landmarks: the prison and the cemetery.

Answer 1

Best choice: The prison and cemetery were built early, with the cemetery expanding in size from its original plot.

Why: The sentence says the town’s founders “had built the first prison-house … almost as seasonably as they marked out the first burial-ground,” so both were erected very early. It also says the burial-ground was “on Isaac Johnson’s lot, and round about his grave, which subsequently became the nucleus of all the congregated sepulchres,” meaning the cemetery began on his plot and grew outward from his grave.

Why the others are less accurate:
- Option 2 is partly true (prison near Cornhill; cemetery on Isaac Johnson’s property) but omits the timing and the growth/central role of the grave.
- Option 3 misreads “built” as “gathered” and implies social gatherings at the prison.
- Option 4 infers fame/choice, which the passage does not state.