View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was man born to be, according to "Conduct of Life"?
(a) Rich.
(b) Poetic.
(c) Married.
(d) Educated.

2. What was the main argument in favor of the Fugitive Slave Law?
(a) Slavery is an accepted practice in America.
(b) It is easier to protect slaves than to give blacks equal rights.
(c) Families should not be punished for the situation slaves are in.
(d) It is an accepted practice in the British West Indies.

3. Where was Carlyle respected, according to "Carlyle"?
(a) British society.
(b) Scottish society.
(c) Welsh society.
(d) Irish society.

4. Why was Carlyle respected, according to "Carlyle"?
(a) For his intellect.
(b) For his political views.
(c) For his philosophies.
(d) For his ability to teach people about nature.

5. What does Emerson say is difficult because "solitude is impracticable, and society fatal"?
(a) Functioning in society as a genius.
(b) Creating an effective society.
(c) Finding a balance between society and solitude.
(d) Living in solitude.

6. What is the title of Thoreau's best known work?
(a) "Leaves of Grass".
(b) "Walden".
(c) "The Aeneid".
(d) "The Waste Land".

7. What is the first poem in the collection "Poetry"?
(a) "Threnody".
(b) "Goodbye".
(c) "The Problem".
(d) "Lines to Ellen".

8. What is the subject of "The Problem"?
(a) Emerson's desire to be a true poet.
(b) Emerson's split with the church.
(c) Emerson's fear of dying alone.
(d) Emerson's biography.

9. Where did Ripley graduate college?
(a) New York University.
(b) Harvard.
(c) Boston College.
(d) Princeton.

10. What does Emerson say threatens culture?
(a) Lack of education.
(b) A totalitarian government.
(c) Censorship.
(d) An excess of egotism.

11. What is the "ill-fated, much-injured race," according to "The Emancipation Proclamation"?
(a) Whites.
(b) African-Americans.
(c) Jews.
(d) Romans.

12. In what year was the Emancipation Proclamation signed?
(a) 1863.
(b) 1862.
(c) 1861.
(d) 1860.

13. In what state did John Brown lead a revolt?
(a) Massachusetts.
(b) New York.
(c) Pennsylvania.
(d) Virginia.

14. What denomination did Ripley come from?
(a) Puritanism.
(b) Quaker.
(c) Anglican.
(d) Catholic.

15. What does history favor in regard to the issue of slavery?
(a) Human rights and abolition.
(b) The wealthy.
(c) Political discourse.
(d) Popular practice.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the celebration in "Lines to Ellen"?

2. What did Napoleon call himself?

3. What did Emerson think of slavery?

4. What contemporary of Emerson's can be seen in his poem "Uriel"?

5. What was Carlyle's career?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 410 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample