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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What limitation does Emerson describe in Christianity in his Divinity School Address?
(a) That historical Christianity is founded on the Bible, not human nature.
(b) That the church was corrupt.
(c) That no institution can interpose between man and God.
(d) That priests were frequently hypocritical.

2. What influence does Richardson say has helped Emerson's writing?
(a) His loss of Ellen Tucker.
(b) His public speaking.
(c) His travels.
(d) His reading.

3. What does Richardson say his book illustrates in Emerson's life?
(a) His genius and his flaws.
(b) His emotional life.
(c) His literary development.
(d) His life as opposed to his reputation.

4. When did Emerson meet Lydia Jackson?
(a) 1834.
(b) 1832.
(c) 1829.
(d) 1836.

5. What 1837 event related to slavery does Richardson say affected Emerson's emotional state?
(a) The removal of the Cherokee.
(b) The passage of the Fugitive Slave Law.
(c) The murder of an abolitionist.
(d) The Missouri compromise.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old was Emerson when he met Thoreau?

2. In what movement does Richardson say was Lidian ahead of Emerson?

3. What was the Transcendental Club founded to discuss?

4. Where was Emerson going on Christmas Day, 1832?

5. The Mind on Fire is the story of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What turning point did Emerson reach in his junior year of college?

2. How did travel change Emerson's intellectual interests?

3. What was Emerson's relationship with Bronson Alcott?

4. How does Richardson describe Emerson as a student?

5. What was the 'immovable anchor' in Emerson's thinking, according to Richardson?

6. Describe Emerson's relationship with Thoreau.

7. What was Emerson's relationship with tuberculosis?

8. What is Emerson doing when Richardson introduces us to him?

9. What Quaker belief of Mary Rotch's did Emerson find compelling?

10. What was Emerson's view of American literature?

(see the answer keys)

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