Read the excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s "Self-Reliance." These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Which transcendental belief does this excerpt best illustrate?
Answer
A
Societal rules are less important than an individual’s conscience.
B
Society helps people express their individuality.
C
Society and government corrupt the individual.
D
Societal rules are necessary to maintain order among the people.
Explanation
Emerson suggests that people hear their own inner thoughts most clearly in solitude, but those thoughts are drowned out when they enter society. This illustrates the transcendental belief that an individual’s conscience and judgment matter more than society’s rules or expectations. Choice A, “Societal rules are less important than an individual’s conscience,” best matches the excerpt.
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