Self Reliance

What is the point of the comparison Emerson makes between the kernel of corn and human effort?

• You must work hard to nurture vegetable crops, just as you must work hard to achieve your potential.
• People cannot survive without food, so we must all work very hard. 
• As corn grows slowly, so it takes a long time for people to realize their potential. 
• A kernel of corn is very small and hard to see. In a similar way, our potential is often hidden and hard to see.

According to Emerson, how should we feel after we have worked hard to achieve a goal?

• Angry and cheated
• Annoyed and tired 
• Relieved and happy
• Despairing and gloomy

What is Emerson’s opinion of society?

• Society helps people achieve their potential.
• We must accept society’s rules.
• Society is all that stands between us and the forces of chaos. 
• Society conspires to deny people their individual freedoms.

Emerson states that the most sacred part of a person is —

• the work that they accomplish
• the integrity of their individual mind
• their courage to be a nonconformist
• the shadow that they cast on the world

According to Emerson, what makes someone a fully realized individual?
 

• Fitting in with others
• Following their own conscience
• Achieving their potential
• Staying pure and wise in spirit

Emerson says we are “ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.” Which of the following items best describes what he means by “that divine idea”?

• An image of the world 
• God
• Each person’s unique character, as conceived by God 
• A wonderful and exciting plan of action

The tone of Emerson’s essay is best described as —

• neutral
• despairing
• uplifting
• gloomy

Identify the statement that offers the best paraphrase of this aphorism: “Trust thyself: Every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

• If you trust yourself, you will come up against a steel wall. 
• If you trust yourself, you will be broken as easily as a string. 
• Trust yourself, and you will be strong.
• Trust yourself, and you will become a musician.

If you were a Transcendentalist, which of the following would be MOST appealing?

• an unpublished book
• material wealth

If you were a Transcendentalist, which of the following would be MOST appealing?

• the city
• the country