1: Thoreau wrote Walden
a. because he lost a wager with Ralph Waldo Emerson
b. as his senior thesis at Harvard
c. to explain the spiritual richness he experienced
d. to secure a job as a Unitarian minister
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2: Thoreau’s stay at Walden taught him
a. that he could make a good deal of money from farming
b. that he was alienated from his Harvard classmates
c. that there is hope for everyone
d. that he was not fit for rugged life
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3: The beginning of true reform, Thoreau says,
a. is an informed electorate
b. comes from sharing the wealth
c. rests in the perfection of the individual
d. depends on the wealthy classes understanding the working classes
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4: Thoreau’s symbol for the spiritually perfected person is
a. the wolf
b. the butterfly
c. the migrating bird
d. the wild horse
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5: Which part of the day did Thoreau particularly enjoy at Walden
a. the morning
b. dusk
c. noon
d. the stroke of midnight
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6: When Thoreau wrote, “Wherever I sat, there might I live, and the landscape radiated from me accordingly,” he meant
a. he could do the Walden experiment anywhere
b. he would be equally content indoors or outdoors
c. he was giving up on his desire to purchase the Hollowell farm
d. he was reversing the commonly held view of finding his “proper” place in the world
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7: What was Thoreau’s warning about literature?
a. It will lull the reader into complacency.
b. It encourages unrealistic expectations in young women.
c. It should not be considered a substitute for reality.
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8: One of Thoreau’s favorite Walden visitors was
a. Ralph Waldo Emerson
b. Nathaniel Hawthorne
c. Margaret Fuller
d. a Canadian woodchopper
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9: Thoreau believed that transcendence depends on
a. meditating on Nature
b. taking enormous risks
c. ignoring everyday reality
d. creating a new personal vision of reality
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10: “The Ponds” near Concord are best described as
a. valuable land for exemplifying Nature
b. a series of good fishing sites
c. good places to find complete solitude
d. a series of metaphors that illustrate Thoreau’s concept of the soul
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11: Thoreau disagreed with the laborer, John Field, on which important issue?
a. Luxuries
b. Literature
c. Nature
d. Education
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12: In the conversation between the Hermit and the Poet, the Poet invites the Hermit to
a. dinner
b. arm wrestle
c. meditate
d. go fishing
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13: Which part of his cabin does Thoreau refer to as “the most vital part of the house”?
a. The storeroom
b. The sleeping area
c. The chimney
d. The front porch
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14: What was the significance of the spring thaw to Thoreau after the long, snowy winter?
a. It signified his own spiritual resurrection.
b. It meant he had to chop less wood for warmth.
c. It meant he could expect more visitors.
d. It meant he could go fishing again.
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