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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Emerson claims that there are "two confessionals, in one or the other of which we must be shriven." What are the confessionals he is referring to?

2. Emerson laments that strong intellects "dare not yet hear God himself, unless he speak the phraseology of..." whom?

3. What does Emerson say the man who is "really of their class" will be the founder of?

4. What does Emerson call history a parable of?

5. "The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost" what?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What was the Transcendentalist movement? How does the essay "Self-Reliance" relate to the movement?

Essay Topic 2

What is the relationship between art, literature and philosophy described by Emerson in "Self-Reliance"? Explain what Emerson says about the effects art and literature have on the way people form their own opinions and his opinion on the subject.

Essay Topic 3

In paragraph 15, Emerson writes: "Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment." Explain this idea, clarifying Emerson's views on overt actions and describing what his figurative language at the end of the sentence means.

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This section contains 269 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample