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WorksheetsThoreau's Civil Disobedience
Total questions: 12
Worksheet time: 26mins
According to Thoreau, when people “are prepared for it,” they will require
a standing army
an expedient government
little government
no government
What does Thoreau see as the cause of the war with Mexico?
a few individuals manipulating government for their own purposes
the inability of the Mexican government to rule expediently
the existential threat Mexico poses to the majority of the people
Mexico’s refusal to cultivate a respect for freedom and justice
Which statement best explains Thoreau’s objections to a standing government?
A It has become a tool of the standing army
It places power in the hands of the majority
Like a standing army, it applies the rule of expediency through force.
Like a standing army, it can be abused and perverted.
Thoreau believes that most people serve the state “not as men mainly, but as”
monkeys
machines
legislators
posse comitatus.
. Who are “commonly treated as enemies by” the state?
heroes, patriots, and martyrs
maniacs and disturbers of the peace
lawyers, ministers, and office holders
slaves and Mexican prisoners on parole
Thoreau figuratively describes evil and injustice as parts of the
wood and earth and stones
engine of slavery.
ship of state
machine of government
What is “the only house in a slave State in which a free man can abide with honor”?
a cabin made of earth and wood
a moveable fort
a prison
the grave
Thoreau says that paying taxes is “a violent and bloody measure” because it
can “eloquently and effectively . . . combat injustice.”
is “the only mode which the people have . . . to execute their will.”
“enables the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood.”
D is “as likely to serve the Devil, without intending it, as God.”
Why did Thoreau pity the state after he was sent to jail?
He could “walk right out again without let or hindrance.”
Its stone walls “command no more respect than . . . a lump of dirt.”
It cost the state more money to keep him in jail than he owed in taxes
It could confine his harmless body but not his dangerous thoughts
According to Thoreau, to what does a person owe the strongest allegiance?
God’s moral authority
his or her conscience
his or her state government
“this American government”
According to Thoreau, how can people accomplish a “peaceable revolution”?
In lines 192–194, Thoreau explains what happens “when an acorn and chestnut fall side by side.” What is the meaning of his analogy?
