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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Whose minds are formed in a certain direction, according to "Spiritual Laws"?
(a) Animals.
(b) Philosophers.
(c) The unenlightened.
(d) Warriors.

2. How is the soul different from the physical body, according to Emerson?
(a) It is not bounded by time or space.
(b) It is lighter than the physical body.
(c) It must conform to the laws of God.
(d) It can fall prey to temptations of the heart, while the human heart can be steeled against pain.

3. What are "apologies for gifts," according to Emerson?
(a) Flowers.
(b) Store-bought gifts.
(c) Books.
(d) Fancy jewelry.

4. What philosopher did Emerson say was the beginning and end of all philosophy?
(a) Confucius.
(b) Socrates.
(c) Immanuel Kant.
(d) Plato.

5. How was "The Transcendentalist" originally delivered?
(a) As a letter to Henry David Thoreau.
(b) As a lecture.
(c) As a eulogy.
(d) As a commencement address.

6. The power of ______ lies in their ability to awaken us to the universal and timeless laws of man and nature.
(a) Philosophers.
(b) The arts.
(c) Historians.
(d) Scholars.

7. According to "Self-Reliance", the important thing is to be one's ______.
(a) Authentic self.
(b) Inner self.
(c) Natural self.
(d) Spiritual self.

8. What is the mentality of 1844 based on, according to Emerson?
(a) The blind loyalty to government officials.
(b) The desire to be included in popular culture.
(c) Capitalism.
(d) The worth of the individual.

9. According to Emerson, every man is both ______ and partialist.
(a) Spiritualist.
(b) Universalist.
(c) Pantheist.
(d) Humanist.

10. What view does Emerson take of human love in "Love"?
(a) Spiritual.
(b) Physical.
(c) Logical.
(d) Emotional.

11. According to "Compensation", by what is mankind defined?
(a) Spirituality.
(b) Pluralism.
(c) Dualism.
(d) Singularity.

12. Why does Emerson say every man is not duplicitous for not only being partialist?
(a) It is simply the way the human mind works.
(b) Emerson says men are duplicitous.
(c) He really is only a partialist, except when in conversation with other philosophers.
(d) He can move between viewpoints, but is not both simultaneously.

13. In what year was "Nature" published?
(a) 1834.
(b) 1836.
(c) 1837.
(d) 1835.

14. How do people try to change old patterns in their lives?
(a) Rebelling against the way they were raised.
(b) Drugs and alcohol.
(c) Art and music.
(d) Education and philosophy.

15. What is the function of art, according to Emerson?
(a) To raise controversies.
(b) To prompt discussions about art.
(c) To reveal inner thoughts of the artist.
(d) To open our eyes.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the purpose of manners, according to Emerson's "Manners"?

2. What does Plato's concept of the dichotomy of the body and soul provide the foundation for, according to Emerson?

3. What is the direction of nature and human consciousness?

4. What word or phrase means a belief that God's grace allows an individual to ignore all laws, divine and terrestrial?

5. What is the only permanent thing in the universe, according to Emerson?

(see the answer keys)

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