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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who did the governor of Massachusetts back in the issue of Burns?

2. Why does Thoreau blame the citizens of his state for slavery?

3. Where was Edward Loring from?

4. Who is Thoreau condemning in 'Slavery in Massachusetts'?

5. How does Thoreau describe slavery in 'Civil Disobedience'?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Thoreau feel about the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

2. Who did Thoreau say the government saw as their authority, and how did he feel about this?

3. What did Thoreau claim not to be in 'Civil Disobedience' and what was his support for this?

4. What did Thoreau say was the responsibility of a just man when it came to slavery?

5. How did Thoreau suggest men should withdraw their support of an unjust government?

6. What happened to Thoreau when he withdrew his support from the unjust government?

7. What did Thoreau say gave the government their power, and what did Thoreau suggest men should do in response to this?

8. What did Thoreau accuse the newspapers of in 'Slavery in Massachusetts'?

9. What did Thoreau say government got involved in, and what did he think was the result of this?

10. How did Thoreau describe his punishment for his own act of 'Civil Disobedience'?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What was the main message of 'Life Without Principle', and how did Thoreau go about presenting this message?

Essay Topic 2

What was the significance of the title of the first essay, and what role did it play in the meaning of the essay?

Essay Topic 3

How did nature affect Thoreau, and how did Thoreau display his emphasis on the importance of nature in these essays?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 658 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample