Henry David Thoreau Quiz

Where did Henry David Thoreau build a small cabin in 1845?

• In the city

• In the woods near Walden Pond

• On a mountain top

• By the river

What did Thoreau believe was the purpose of his escape to Walden Pond?

• To live deliberately and confront the essential facts of life

• To relax and take a break from society

• To avoid paying taxes

• To find a new career path

What did Thoreau conclude about the amount of things we actually need?

• We need to accumulate as many possessions as possible

• We need to constantly buy new things

• We need very few things

• We need as much as we can get

What did Thoreau deeply value, similar to his friend Emerson?

• Following the rules of society

• Social status

• Self-reliance

• Material possessions

What did Thoreau view as an often unnecessary distraction?

• Technological progress

• Nature

• Money

• Other people's opinions

What did Thoreau believe we should look to for spiritual significance?

• Nature

• Other people's opinions

• Material possessions

• Money and technology

What did Thoreau argue people are morally obliged to challenge?

• The importance of technology

• The need for taxes

• The government's good intentions

• Unfair laws

What did Thoreau's essay 'Civil Disobedience' become influential in inspiring?

• The French Revolution

• Peaceful resistance movements

• The American Revolution

• The Mexican-American War

What did Thoreau challenge us to be authentic in?

• By following the rules of society

• By accumulating as many possessions as possible

• By engaging with the world and withdrawing support for the government when it's acting unjustly

• Our choice of careers

What do Thoreau's works ask us to consider?

• The need to remove the distractions of modern society in order to live according to our best and truest nature

• The significance of following the rules of society

• The value of material possessions

• The importance of money, technology, and other people's views