Practice Text: "American Scholar"

1. Read the sentence from Passage 2. "By and by, it finds how to join two things, and see in them one nature; then three, then three thousand; and so, tyrannized over by its own unifying instinct, it goes on tying things together, diminishing anomalies discovering roots running under ground, whereby contrary and remote things cohere, and flower out from one stem.” (paragraph 3) What is the meaning of cohere in the sentence?

• separate
• unite
• grow
• excel

2. Part A: What is a main idea conveyed in this passage?

• The importance of the study of history and accumulated knowledge.

• Humans need to understand the connection between nature and the human mind.

• The need for humans to classify and categorize objects in nature.

• The beauty and splendor of the natural world.

3. Part 2: What details from the passage help develop the main idea?

• using metaphors connecting nature and humans
• discussing the young mind's instinct to be with nature
• explaining how the beauty of nature and how it is the opposite of the soul.
• sharing real-lie examples of the benefits of studying nature

4. In paragraph 1, Emerson states, "system on system shooting like rays, upward, downward, without center, without circumference." Which of the following statements best explains the figurative language used in this quote?

• Emerson predicts the chaotic and disorganized nature of the natural world, emphasizing its lack of structure.
• Emerson explains the movement of celestial bodies to the system of rays shooting out in all directions, emphasizing the beauty of the universe.
• Emerson describes the natural world as a living organism, suggesting the connecting of all things in nature
• Emerson compares nature to a system of rays shooting in all directions, suggesting the vastness of the natural world is.

5. Read the lines from the passage: "Every day, the sun; and, after sunset, night and her stars. Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows. Every day, men and women, conversing, beholding and beholden." What is the impact of repeating the words "ever day"?

• It highlights humans are insignificant in the face of nature.
• It creates a frequency of human interaction with nature.
• It emphasizes constant presence of nature and human interaction with it.
• It suggest the rarity of natural occurrences.

6. Which of the following best describes the author's view of nature in the passage?

• Nature is chaotic and foreign, lacking any discernible law or order.
• Nature is only valuable insofar as it can be harnessed for human use and benefit.
• Nature is a source of wonder and inspiration that engages the minds of scholars.
• Nature is a mystery that can never be fully understood or explained.

7. Which of the following best describes the relationship between nature and the human mind, as discussed in the passage?

• Nature is completely separate from the human mind and has no influence on it.
• Nature and the human mind are entirely the same thing, with no distinction between them.
• Nature and the human mind are separate but interrelated, with the study of nature leading to greater understanding of the human mind.
• The human mind has no impact on nature, but nature can greatly affect the human mind.

8. Which statement best connects the two passages?

• Thoreau's philosophy of living deliberately is opposed to the idea of studying nature as suggested by Emerson.
• Emerson and Thoreau share a belief that understanding nature is essential to understanding oneself.
• Emerson and Thoreau are both critical of the idea of classifying and categorizing natural phenomena.
• Thoreau's philosophy of living simply is based on the belief that the natural world is chaotic and unpredictable, as opposed to Emerson who seeks to understand natural laws.