Answer: The replacement word that would best clarify the meaning of "self-respect" is <u>B. confidence</u>.
Explanation: The word "self-respect" is a noun used to refer to the feeling of pride that a person has in himself/herself. In that way, <u>"self-respect" is similar to the word "confidence", which can be defined as the feeling of trust in oneself's abilities or powers</u>. However,<u> "confidence" is more specific and adds clarity</u> to the meaning of "self-respect". In contrast, the words "anger", "honesty" and "passion" are not closely related to "self-respect".
In the excerpt the student wrote, the word "self-respect" refers to the pride or honor Hester has about herself to accept her situation and punishment, which is contrasted with Reverend Dimmesdale keeping the secret and living a double life. This implies, self-respect in this context refers to Hester's pride of herself and therefore this word can be replaced by the word confidence that also means to believe in oneself. Also, other words such as anger, passion or honesty are not appropriate because they would change the original meaning of the text. According to this, the word that would clarify the meaning fo "self-respect" by being more precise is confidence.
