Self-Reliance

What is the point of the comparison Emerson makes between the kernel of corn and human effort?

• You must work hard to nurture vegetable crops, just as you must work hard to achieve your potential.
• People cannot survive without food, so we must all work very hard. 
• As corn grows slowly, so it takes a long time for people to realize their potential. 
• A kernel of corn is very small and hard to see. In a similar way, our potential is often hidden and hard to see.

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

According to Emerson, how should we feel after we have worked hard to achieve a goal?

• Angry and cheated
• Annoyed and tired 
• Relieved and happy
• Despairing and gloomy

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What is Emerson’s opinion of society?

• Society helps people achieve their potential.
• We must accept society’s rules.
• Society is all that stands between us and the forces of chaos. 
• Society conspires to deny people their individual freedoms.

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CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

Emerson states that the most sacred part of a person is —

• the work that they accomplish
• the integrity of their individual mind
• their courage to be a nonconformist
• the shadow that they cast on the world

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

According to Emerson, what makes someone a fully realized individual?
 

• Fitting in with others
• Following their own conscience
• Achieving their potential
• Staying pure and wise in spirit

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CCSS.RL.11-12.2

Emerson says we are “ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.” Which of the following items best describes what he means by “that divine idea”?

• An image of the world 
• God
• Each person’s unique character, as conceived by God 
• A wonderful and exciting plan of action

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The tone of Emerson’s essay is best described as —

• neutral
• despairing
• uplifting
• gloomy

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CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Identify the statement that offers the best paraphrase of this aphorism: “Trust thyself: Every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

• If you trust yourself, you will come up against a steel wall. 
• If you trust yourself, you will be broken as easily as a string. 
• Trust yourself, and you will be strong.
• Trust yourself, and you will become a musician.

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CCSS.L.11-12.5

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

If you were a Transcendentalist, which of the following would be MOST appealing?

• an unpublished book
• material wealth

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CCSS.RL.11-12.2

If you were a Transcendentalist, which of the following would be MOST appealing?

• the city
• the country

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CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.9