Transcendentalism Test

1. Which statements about Transcendentalism are accurate? I. Transcendentalism was an intellectual movement. II. Transcendentalism was a largely European movement. III. Transcendentalists were interested in the human spirit. IV. Transcendentalists thought that an exploration of nature helped people understand universal truths.

• I and II only
• II and III only
• I, II, III, and IV
• I, III, and IV only

Which of the following was NOT a characteristic Transcendentalism had in common with Romanticism?

• glories of nature
• the concept of the Oversoul
• goodness of humanity
• importance of free individual expression

PART A: Which statements best summarize the TWO main claims of the Common Lit excerpt of "Civil Disobedience"?

• Citizens must challenge and attempt to change the wrongs of the state; it is not enough to work within the system.
• Individuals have a responsibility to disobey laws that are inherently unjust and in conflict with their morals.
• Although some laws are unjust, it is the duty of citizens to follow all laws created by the state.
• Everyone who funds a government through taxes shares equal responsibility for the mistakes of that government.
• Patriotism is a fine quality but it can sometimes blind people to the flaws of their country’s government.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

PART B: Which TWO phrases from the text best support the answers to Part A?

• “…but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.” (paragraph 6)
• “Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine… As for adopting the ways which the State has provided for remedying the evil, I know not of such ways.” (paragraphs 6-7)
• A. “…and yet these very men have each, directly by their allegiance, and so indirectly, at least, by their money, furnished a substitute.” (paragraph 1)
• “The slight reproach to which the virtue of patriotism is commonly liable, the noble are most likely to incur.” (paragraph 2)
• “Men generally, under such a government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them.” (paragraph 4)

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

PART A: Which statement best describes Thoreau’s views (from "Civil Disobedience" excerpt via Common Lit) on petitioning the government to effect change?

• Individuals must petition the government if they want their voices to be heard.
• Patriotism requires citizens to follow all laws, even if unjust.
• Petitioning the government is useless because it does not always result in action.
• Individuals should wait until the majority of people agree on an idea before petitioning the government.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

PART B: Which quote best supports the answer in Part A?

• “Those who, while they disapprove of the character and measures of a government, yield to it their allegiance and support are undoubtedly its most conscientious supporters… (Paragraph 2)
• “Men generally, under such a government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them.” (Paragraph 4)
• “As for adopting the ways which the State has provided for remedying this evil, I know not of such ways.” (Paragraph 7)
• “It is not my business to be petitioning the Governor or the Legislature any more than it is theirs to petition me; and if they should not bear my petition, what should I do then?” (Paragraph 7)

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

How does Civil Disobedience reflect ideas of Transcendentalism?

• It stresses the individual’s ability to judge the actions of government.
• It proposes looking at nature as a way to govern harmoniously.
• It implies that democratic governments, too, have an oversoul and are more spiritually attuned to people’s needs than any one individual can ever be.
• It stresses that warfare is sometimes the only means by which oppression can be cast off and society changed.

PART A: Which of the following best explains the simile Thoreau uses in the "Economy" section from "Walden" to critique the Maine- Texas cable? "Either is in such a predicament as the man who was earnest to be introduced to a distinguished deaf woman, but when he was presented, and one end of her ear trumpet was put into his hand, had nothing to say. "

• A. Thoreau compares Maine to a foolish man attempting to talk to a deaf woman, mocking the design of new technology and revealing his own doubts about whether it will really work.
• B. Thoreau compares Texas to a deaf woman, commenting on the fairly recent proclamation of Texas as a state; he is essentially calling the cable useless, as the new state will be unlikely to listen anyway.
• C. Thoreau compares the cable to the ear trumpet because while he thinks the cable is useful, it does not close the distance between the two states, just as the instrument does not change the woman’s natural state of hearing.
• D. Thoreau compares the cable to a man with nothing to say to a deaf woman, supporting his idea that technology may make communication easier but not necessarily meaningful.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

PART B: Which of the following best supports the answer to Part A?

• A. “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things.” (Paragraph 1)
• B. “As if the main object were to talk fast and not to talk sensibly.” (Paragraph 1)
• C. “...he is not an evangelist, nor does he come round eating locusts and wild honey” (Paragraph 1)
• D. “I doubt if Flying Childers ever carried a peck of corn to mill.” (Paragraph 1)

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

In paragraph 2, Thoreau states, “We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us.” Which of the following statements best explains the figurative language used in this quote?

• A. Thoreau grieves for those whom the railroad industry has taken advantage of, specifically those who died while building it.
• B. Thoreau predicts the end of small business craftsmanship in the face of an increasingly industrialized world represented by the train.
• C. Thoreau comments on how aspects of modern life, such as the train, control the lives of the people who use them, rather than the other way around.
• D. Thoreau denounces the use of public transportation, arguing that is pointless if it cannot take one exactly where one chooses.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3