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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Thoreau reject the suggestion of owning a visitor's book?

2. "I believe that men are generally still a little afraid of..."

3. What item does Thoreau discover missing?

4. What does Thoreau claim is the cure for his ailments?

5. What happened to Walden Pond between his childhood and the time he moved there?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Thoreau despise the railway?

2. What effect does Thoreau claim nature has on man?

3. How does Thoreau explain his relationship with his beans?

4. Why does Thoreau admire the French Canadian woodchopper?

5. What effect did Thoreau's isolation have on his social life?

6. Why does Thoreau think that there would be no stealing if everyone lived the same way he did?

7. Why does Thoreau believe that people should read the classics?

8. What reaction do the people of Concord have to Thoreau's lifestyle?

9. What does it mean to "live deliberately"?

10. What does Thoreau mean when he says "The whole body is one sense"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay explaining the impact Walden had on one of the following: Literature, art, psychology and philosophy.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay explaining the opportunities and hardships immigrants faced in the United States in the 19th century. Do present-day immigrants have better opportunities now? What is the American dream, and is it possible to achieve it?

Essay Topic 3

If you tried to carry out Thoreau's experiment today, would it be possible? Why or why not? Write an essay explaining how our modern society can prevent us from living such a simplified lifestyle. Be sure to include any modern inventions that would actually assist a minimalist lifestyle.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 830 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample