Who wrote 'The Minister's Black Veil'?

• A. Burns
• B. Holmes
• C. Lowell
• D. Hawthorne

Answer: (D)

The question hinges on recognizing the author who crafted a story set in a Puritan New England world and famed for turning a single, striking symbol into a meditation on guilt and secrecy. The minister who appears behind a black veil is a hallmark Hawthorne device—the veil embodies hidden sin and the tension between outward appearances and inner life. Hawthorne’s writing style often centers on moral ambiguity, the consequences of secret transgressions, and the way communities react to those who seem to hide something beneath the surface. That focus, along with his reputation for stories about early American society and its moral complexities, points to Nathaniel Hawthorne as the author. Burns, Holmes, and Lowell are known for poetry and essays with different themes and settings, not this particular tale.