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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. How should history be understood, according to Emerson's essay "History"?

2. What does Emerson say people hope to have happen to old patterns?

3. How does Emerson say one should keep a healthy balance on earth, according to "Compensation"?

4. How does the love between a man and woman usually begin?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. According to "Nature", what is the role of nature?

2. What rights does every individual in a free society have, according to "Politics"?

3. What are the differences between materialism and idealism, according to "The Transcendentalist"?

4. How was Plato's dichotomy of the body and soul relevant to Emerson's time?

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

6. How does Emerson define character? What analogy does he use in his definition?

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

8. According to "New England Reformers", what does a reformist attitude challenge?

9. What is the benefit of friendship, according to "Friendship"? What is the irony in Emerson's essay?

10. What two problems with communion does Emerson explain at the end of "The Lord's Supper"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the role of solitude and society in the lives of thinkers.

Essay Topic 2

Explain Emerson's view of love, focusing on the spiritual love he describes in his essay, "Love".

Essay Topic 3

What is the purpose of "Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson"? What do you learn about Emerson by reading it?

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