American Renaissance and Transcendentalism Test

The first flowering of a uniquely American literature, sometimes referred to as the American Renaissance, was directly influenced by

• Intellectual and social movement in New England

• An American version of an old philosophy called Aphorism

• The inspiration and lectures of Nathaniel Hawthorne

• The politics of the European Renaissance

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville both

• Had published books of lyric poetry

• Were ex-sailors with little education

• Explored the dark side of human existence in their work

• Doubted that America would produce writers as good as Shakespeare

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The philosophy embraced by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Transcendentalists had its roots in all of the following except

• Puritan thought exemplified by William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, and Jonathan Edwards

• Nineteenth-century Romantic thought exemplified by William Cullen Bryant

• Classical Greek idealistic thought exemplified by Plato

• Eighteenth-century rational thought exemplified by Benjamin Franklin

In the Transcendentalist view of the world,

• Everything is a reflection of the Divine Soul

• Humanity’s task is to conquer and tame the natural world

• People must struggle against the evil side of their nature

• Human perfectibility is not an achievable goal

The Lyceum movement was an expression of New England’s interest in

• The philosophy of Immanuel Kant

• Self-improvement and intellectual inquiry

• The dark side of human nature

• Eighteenth-century religious revivals

Which of the following statements about Ralph Waldo Emerson is true?

• He wrote a novel about sin and hypocrisy in Puritan New England.

• He traveled around the country giving sermons.

• He helped inspire numerous reform movements.

• He criticized a utopian group called “The Transcendental Club.”

Utopian communities were founded with the intention of

• Teaching philosophy to Romantic poets

• Abolishing the institution of slavery

• Funding the Lyceum movement

• Creating a more perfect society

Reform movements during the first half of the nineteenth century included campaigns for

• Building more factories

• Improving public education

• Improving living conditions for slaves

• Limiting women’s rights

The source for Emerson’s optimism was

• His belief that we can directly find a benevolent God in nature

• The popularity of European writers in America

• The success of the Dark Romantic writers

• His belief that everyone would soon live in a utopian community

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Both the Dark Romantics and the Transcendentalists

• Saw signs and symbols in human events

• Saw culture as a constant reminder of spiritual goodness

• Valued logic and reason over intuition

• Had an optimistic world view