Henry David Thoreau - Walden — Quiz

Question 5 • English III

How does the progress of the last paragraph of “Where I Lived and What I Lived For” communicate the main idea of Walden ?

Answer

The progress of the paragraph reinforces the increasing comfort Thoreau felt in the natural world.

Just as the paragraph moves from images of the water to those of the earth, Thoreau moves from emotional subjects to more practical subjects.

Thoreau moves from gazing at the water to burrowing into the earth, just as the excerpt shows a progress from observation to contemplation.

Just as the paragraph moves from gazing at water to digging in the earth, the excerpt moves from minimal knowledge of nature to more in-depth knowledge.

Explanation

The paragraph begins with Thoreau observing the stream and its sandy bottom, then turns to his thoughts about eternity and the limits of his knowledge. It ends with the image of using his intellect to burrow into the earth in search of deeper truths. This progression from looking at nature to contemplating what lies beneath it supports choice C: the excerpt moves from observation to contemplation.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

More from this Course

Quiz

Quiz

Quiz