Walden

What is Thoreau's purpose or central message?

• People can find satisfaction in living simply despite the contemporary influence of conformity and consumerism.

• People should conform to societal norms in order to live comfortably warm for the rest of their lives.

• People should be allowed to live above their means if they so choose to do so.

• American society in the 1840's valued taking care of the environment.

What does Thoreau assert is necessary for living?

• Thoreau suggests that fashionable clothing is a necessity.

• Thoreau states that high-end housing is a necessary for living.

• Thoreau suggests to only eat what you need, buy what you can afford, and live simply.

• Thoreau asserts that working for large corporations in order to make a sizable living is a necessity.

How does Thoreau prove his point that human beings can live comfortably with only the bare necessities?

• He works in a factory to provide for his family.

• He is an English professor at a university and he makes enough money for his family to live in a two-story home.

• He lives on the streets in Boston to prove that you do not need a home to live comfortably.

• He lived in a cabin in the woods that he built on a budget.

Why did the author go to the woods? 

• To see if he could survive

• To make friends

• To experience nature and life at its roots

• To observe birds

What does Thoreau describe in Walden?

• His experience of living at Walden Pond

• His philosophy of individualism

• His opinion on the ideal lifestyle

• His analysis of literary nonfiction

What does the word dissipating mean as it is used in this sentence?

• detesting

• diminishing

• oppressing

• pacifying

Thoreau's motivation for writing Walden was to

• account for his own life

• gain fame

• make a fortune

• satisfy the curiosity of others

What happens in spring at the Walden cabin? 

• The change is a surprise

• The change is a surprise that makes him happy 

• The change is a surprise that makes him feel lonely

• The change is a surprise that makes him feel at one with nature again

How does Thoreau feel about technological progress?

• He feels that railroads have positively impacted the culture in America.

• Thoreau distrusts technology and feels that it tends to control people rather than serve them.

• Thoreau enjoys tinkering with the inventions of his era.

• Thoreau is indifferent in concerns to technological progress of his time.

What is Thoreau's critique on the state of people and their place in the world?

• He is critiquing the world around him and humanity's over dependence and desire for progress.

• He feels that the wealthy are a model for growth in the U.S.

• He critiques the poor for not working hard enough to move up in the world.

• He critiques the middle class for supporting the poor in their efforts to achieve "comfortable warmth".