Transcendentalism Quiz MC

Which of the following sentences best represents the author's main point

"A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best.."

Which does Thoreau say is more important: the need to be an honest individual or the need to be a responsible citizen?

A person should be an individual first and a citizen second; "The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right"

Which of the following best describes the function of the first paragraph?

It establishes the main idea, which is developed throughout the passage; "That envy is ignorance, that invitation is suicide, that he must .."

What are a person's duties regarding injustice, according to Thoreau?

One must refuse to support something that is wrong; "Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine"

What kind of a state does Thoreau imagine at the end of his essay?

One that respects the individual and will even allow people to live independently of the state; "If a plant cannot live according to its nature, then it dies"

What was Thoreau's primary act of civil disobedience in his own life?

Refusal to pay taxes; "Why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them?"

What are Thoreaus three different levels of obedience?

The boys (militia), The heads (politicians, legislators, judges), the consciences (reformers/heroes)

What was Thoreau's opinion on the "right" to rebel against one's government?

There is a right to revolution against injustice, and this revolution would be acceptable against the contemporary US; "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly the true place for a just man is also a prison.."

In lines 24-27, the writer indicates that individuals find happiness when

They pursue their creative and intellectual impulses with enthusiasm; "What I must do is all that concerns me."

What does Thoreau use as a metaphor for the government?

a machine; " That government is best which governs least" or "I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government"

The Heads

do not make moral distinctions

The purpose of the second paragraph (lines 6-11) is to do all of the following EXCEPT

explore the negative consequences of pursuing nonconformity; "Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries"

The effect of the repetition in lines 42-44 is to stress that

great thinkers are willing to revisit and re-evaluate their position; "Though it contradict everything you said today"

The Boys

militia, no judgement

The Consciences

often resist the state

Which best describes the syntax of line 6

one independent clause that elaborates upon another; "Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that iron string."

The extended metaphor in lines 3-5 BEST serves to

reinforce the idea that individuality must be nurtured and tended; "imitation is suicide"

The stylistic feature most evident in the first paragraph is the use of

repeated syntactical patterns

The effectiveness of the final paragraph is primarily a result of its use of

specific examples; "The sky is less grand as it shuts down over less worth in the population."

In the passage, the writer's overall attitude toward the concept of nonconformity can be described as..

supportive and enthusiastic; "who so would be a man, must not be a non-conformist"