Read this excerpt from chapter 2 of The Scarlet Letter The door of the jail being flung open from within, there appeared in the first place like a black shadow emerging into sunshine, the grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle with a sword by his side and his staff of office in his hand. Which best describes the purpose of the words "black shadow," "grim,""grisly," and "sword"? to impart a sorrowful mood to impart a solemn mood to establish the early morning setting to establish the militant jailhouse setting

## Step 1<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand the context of the excerpt. The excerpt describes a scene where a jail door is opened, revealing a grim and grisly presence of a town-beadle with a sword by his side. The words "black shadow," "grim," "grisly," and "sword" are used to describe this scene.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />Next, we need to analyze the connotations of these words. The words "black shadow," "grim," "grisly," and "sword" all have negative connotations. They evoke feelings of darkness, seriousness, and danger.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />Finally, we need to match these connotations to the options provided. The words do not establish a sorrowful mood, nor do they establish an early morning setting. They also do not establish a militant jailhouse setting. Instead, they create a solemn mood, which is characterized by seriousness and gravity.