View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who said, "Do not flatter your benefactors"?
(a) Benjamin Franklin.
(b) Jesus Christ.
(c) An unnamed Indian guru.
(d) The Buddha.

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

3. How will society become better, according to Emerson?
(a) With more government.
(b) By giving the government control over personal freedoms.
(c) With grass-roots governments.
(d) With less government.

4. What does Emerson see evidence of everywhere he looks in society?
(a) Defiant reformist mentality.
(b) Lack of desire for independence.
(c) Decadence.
(d) Loyalty to European traditions.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to "Compensation", which of the following is NOT one of the realms mentioned that achieves a balance between positive and negative forces?

2. How does Emerson say we become aware of the changes in our lives brought on by experience?

3. According to Emerson, it is the challenge of American scholars to foster and support the development of truly American ______ and ______.

4. According to Emerson's "The Over-Soul", which of the following is NOT the essence of the over-soul?

5. Each person has his or her own vocation that can be discovered by ______.

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the categories Emerson divides the world into in his essay "Nature"?

2. According to "The Poet", what is the effect of poets speaking the truth? How do poets speak the truth?

3. According to "The Lord's Supper", what does Emerson say is the purpose of the Lord's Supper in Christian ritual? What does he say should be the focus?

4. What do the nominalists and realists each have on their sides, according to Emerson?

5. According to "Compensation", how does nature maintain balance? How can one maintain balance on earth?

6. What does Emerson think of Plato, according to "Plato; or, the Philosopher"? What indicates this?

7. According to "Self-Reliance", what is the relationship between conformity and being a man?

8. What three categories of people does prudence manifest itself into, according to "Prudence"?

9. According to "The Over-Soul", what is the over-soul? What happens when individuals come together for the purpose of spiritual growth?

10. What are the two qualifications for a good gift, according to "Gifts"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 839 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample