1. 1. According to Nature, where should a person go to be alone?
a.To his chamber, his private room in the house
b.To the city’s streets
c.To a house of worship
d.Outside to look at the stars

2. 2. What does Emerson mean by “nature”?
a.People who have not been corrupted or disappointed
b.The impressions we get from different natural objects
c.Outer space
d.Flowers, animals, and mountains

3. The third paragraph of the excerpt ends with this sentence: “This is the best part of these men’s farms, yet to this their warranty deeds give no title.” In the context of the paragraph, this sentence means —
a.the most valuable quality of the land is something that cannot be owned
b.the deeds to the majority of the farms do not list the owners’ names
c.the work the farmers perform does not entitle them to own the land
d.poets should be given all the land because only they can understand its worth

4. According to Emerson, the person who can truly see nature is like a child because he or she —
a.is free from the burden of thought
b.perceives nature as being a kind of toy
c.sees with the heart as well as the eye
d.no longer needs to rely on either reason or faith

5. When Emerson crosses the “bare common,” he is —
a.sad at considering his mortality
b.completely happy
c.upset when he realizes his unimportance
d.lonely

6. In the woods, Emerson finds —
a.abundant fish and game
b.trees one can talk to
c.a peaceful place to write
d.love and the joy of youth

7. Emerson describes himself as a “transparent eyeball” because he —
a.feels that he sees everything
b.is young again and totally virtuous
c.regrets his past mistakes and petty cruel acts
d.feels complete communion with nature

8. According to Emerson, nature wears the colors of —
a.autumn
b.man’s spirit
c.childhood
d.vegetables

9. Which of the following statements best describes Emerson’s attitude toward society?
a.He believes that society always has humanity’s best interests at heart
.b.He thinks that societies are becoming increasingly civilized.
c.He values nature highly and has some contempt for society.
d.He hopes that nature will someday destroy all societies.

10. Emerson’s purpose in this essay is to —
a.express his disappointment in the society of his time
b.explain and analyze how nature works
c.describe a profound way of seeing nature
d.argue that everyone should leave the cities and live in nature

11. From Nature Imagery can be described as — a.word pictures
b.sensory naturalism
c.words that have a pleasing sound
d.the tone of a literary work

12. Which of the following quotations from the selection does not contain an example of imagery?
a.“The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are always inaccessible. . .
”b.“The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child.”
c.“Standing on the bare ground—my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space—all mean egotism vanishes.”
d.“the same scene which yesterday breathed perfume and glittered as for the frolic of the nymphs . . .”

13. Emerson says, “For, nature is not always tricked in holiday attire, but the same scene which yesterday breathed perfume and glittered as for the frolic of the nymphs, is overspread with melancholy today.” To what senses does this imagery appeal?
a.touch and taste
b.sight and taste
c.sight and smell
d.smell and sound

14. Which item contains the best paraphrase of the following statement?
“The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child.”
a.The sun favors children over adults.
b.Adults have developed an immunity to the rays of the sun.
c.Children are better able to see the sun than adults are.
d.Adults can see nature, but they don’t truly appreciate it the way children do.

15. From Self-Reliance
What is the point of the comparison Emerson makes between the kernel of corn and human effort?
a.You must work hard to grow corn just as you must work hard to achieve your potential.
b.People cannot survive without food, so we must all work very hard.
c.As corn grows slowly, so it takes a long time for people to realize their potential.
d.A kernel of corn is small and hard to see. In a similar way, our potential is often hidden and hard to see.

16. According to Emerson, how do we feel after we have worked hard for a goal?
a.Angry and cheated
b.Relieved and happy
c.Annoyed and tired
d.Despairing and gloomy

17. What truth must we all accept?
a.We all need friends.
b.We must stay childlike to appreciate the world.
c.We must accept the place that providence has found for us.
d.It is acceptable to be a coward.

18. What is Emerson’s opinion of society?
a.Society helps people achieve their potential.
b.We must accept society’s rules.
c.Society is all that stands between us and the forces of chaos.
d.Society conspires to deny people their freedom.

19. Emerson states that the most sacred part of a person is —
a.the work that they accomplish
b.their courage to be a nonconformist
c.the shadow that they cast on the world
d.the integrity of their individual mind

20. What does Emerson call “the hobgoblin of little minds”?
a.Consistency
b.Society
c.Cowardice
d.Conspiracy

21. According to Emerson, what makes someone a fully realized person?
a.Fitting in with others
b.Achieving their potential
c.Following their own conscience
d.Staying pure and wise in spirit

22. Emerson says we are “ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.” Which of the following items best describes what he means by “that divine idea”?
a.An image of the world
b.God
c.Each person’s unique character, as conceived by God
d.A wonderful and exciting plan of action

23. The tone of Emerson’s essay is best described as —
a.neutral
b.uplifting
c.despairing
d.gloomy

24. Which of the following statements best states one of Emerson’s philosophies?
a.Turnabout is fair play.
b.Keep your head in the clouds.
c.Misery loves company.
d.Be true to yourself.

25. Figures of speech are —
a.the beat, or set pattern of syllables, in a literary work
b.a pattern of internal rhyme
c.different ways that people speak to each other
d.not intended to be taken literally

26. Emerson uses the following metaphor: “
Emerson uses the following metaphor: “. . . no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.” Which of the following best describes what that “plot of ground” represents?
a.The land a person has been given
b.A person’s food
c.A person’s individual duties
d.The circumstances an individual is born into

27. “Trust thyself: Every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
a.If you trust yourself, you will come up against a steel wall.
b.Trust yourself, and you will be strong.
c.If you trust yourself, you will be broken as easily as a string.
d.Trust yourself, and you will become a musician.

28. Speak what you think now in hard words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again. . . .”
a.It is difficult to speak eloquently and correctly.
b.Telling the truth is dangerous, so don’t do it.
c.Say what’s on your mind in the strongest way you can.
d.Say what you want regardless of whether you have thought about it.

29. From Thanatopsis In the beginning of the poem, Nature speaks to —
a.the dead
b.infants and old people
c.wild animals in the forest
d.the person who thinks about Nature

30. According to the poem, what should people do when they feel afraid of death?
a.Keep very busy and think about life.
b.Spend plenty of time with their friends and family.
c.Go into Nature and listen to what Nature teaches.
d.Read poetry about Nature outdoors under the sky.

31. In this poem, Nature urges the poet to find comfort in the —
a.fact that he is young and death is far off
b.promise of an afterlife
c.knowledge that death joins us with all other people
d.idea that he will be famous after he dies

32. What does the poet mean in the following quotation
What does the poet mean in the following quotation? “The oak / Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mold.”
a.Oak trees will send roots through your corpse.
b.Oak trees will unite you with people in other countries.
c.Nature, represented by an oak tree, will change you.
d.Nature, represented by an oak tree, will preserve your corpse.

33. According to the last stanza, how should people regard death?
a.Calmly, with trust
b.Angrily, as though being betrayed by Nature
c.Fiercely, like a slave being forced to do something against his or her will
d.Nicely, with good manners

34. According to the poet, all humans come from —
a.hidden quarries
b.the sky
c.Nature
d.phantoms

35. Which image most strongly appeals to the sense of touch?
a.“she speaks / A various language . . .”
b.“and a smile / And eloquence of beauty . . .”
c.“The all-beholding sun shall see no more . . .
”d.“nor yet in the cold ground . . .”

36. Which of the following quotations from “Thanatopsis” could be considered a consolation?
a.“Yet a few days, and thee / The all-beholding sun shall see no more . . .”
b.“sad images / Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall . . .”
c.“Yet not to thine eternal resting place / Shalt thou retire alone . . .”
d.“And, lost each human trace, surrendering up / Thine individual being, shalt thou go . . .”

37. Which statement best summarizes the cycle described in this poem?
a.The dead are replaced by the living, who die in turn.
b.The natural world is destructive.
c.We move from cheerfulness to sorrow and back again.
d.Nature speaks to us gently, then harshly.

38. “Thanatopsis” is a good example of Romantic poetry because —
a.the poem is written in unrhymed lines and focuses on the supernatural
b.the poem is concerned with thoughts of dying
c.nature arouses emotions and insights in the speaker
d.the poet applies logic and rational thinking to human concerns about life and death

39. From Thanatopsis the first half of the poem, death is described as —
a.a great gift
b.a neutral event
c.a destructive force
d.something welcome

40. In the second half of the poem, death is described as a(n) —
a.artificial process that lacks reality
b.natural process for everyone who ever lived
c.brutal wrenching from loved ones
d.vicious betrayal of our expectations

41. The theme of “Thanatopsis” strongly suggests that human beings are —
a.the highest form of living things
b.an ongoing part of the earth itself
c.doomed to live in dread of death
d.not capable of improving their lives

42. Which of the following quotations is the best example of an inverted sentence?
a.“The oak / Shall send his roots abroad . . b.“the dead reign there alone . . .”
c.“All that breathe / Will share thy destiny . . .”
d.“and thee / The all-beholding sun shall see no more . . .”

43. True or False
While Thoreau was at Walden Pond, he was totally reclusive and did not converse with any other human being.
False

44. Thoreau felt that those who visited Walden left with the answers they had been searching for.
False

45. In “Solitude” Thoreau expresses that men are still generally afraid of the unknown.
True

46. Thoreau believes that physical closeness is preferable to spiritual closeness.
False

47. Thoreau Solitude is the most companionable companion.
True

48. According to Thoreau, Solitude can not be measured by the space that separates a man from his fellows.
True

49. At the time when Thoreau lived at Walden, he felt that he was the only person who had found “the truth”.
True

50. Thoreau believes in the higher powers of God.
True