R.W. Emerson’s essay The American Scholar, Exam Based Questions

R.W. Emerson’s

The American Scholar

1. Who delivered the famous oration “The American Scholar”? (UPSC, PGTRB, NET)

a) Henry David Thoreau

b) Ralph Waldo Emerson

c) Walt Whitman

d) Washington Irving

Answer: b) Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. In which year was “The American Scholar” delivered? (PGTRB, TNPSC, NET 2018)

a) 1821

b) 1837

c) 1841

d) 1850

Answer: b) 1837

3. At which institution did Emerson deliver “The American Scholar”? (NET 2017, CUET)

a) Harvard University

b) Yale University

c) Columbia University

d) Princeton University

Answer: a) Harvard University

4. To which society was Emerson’s “The American Scholar” address delivered? (TNPSC, PGTRB, NET 2016)

a) Phi Beta Kappa Society

b) Transcendental Club

c) American Antiquarian Society

d) Concord Lyceum

Answer: a) Phi Beta Kappa Society

5. Who called Emerson’s “The American Scholar” the “Intellectual Declaration of Independence” of America? (NET 2015, UPSC)

a) Walt Whitman

b) Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

c) Margaret Fuller

d) William Ellery Channing

Answer: b) Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

6. Which of the following is not identified by Emerson as an influence on the American Scholar? (CUET, PGTRB)

a) Nature

b) Books

c) Action

d) Religion

Answer: d) Religion

7. In “The American Scholar,” Emerson divides the influences on the scholar into three categories. Which are they? (NET 2018, TNPSC)

a) Books, Action, Society

b) Nature, Books, Action

c) Nature, History, Action

d) Nature, Religion, Intellect

Answer: b) Nature, Books, Action

8. What is the central theme of Emerson’s “The American Scholar”? (UPSC, CUET, PGTRB)

a) The importance of political activism

b) The call for American intellectual independence

c) The rejection of literature

d) The superiority of European thought

Answer: b) The call for American intellectual independence

9. According to Emerson in “The American Scholar,” what should books primarily serve as? (NET, SET, PGTRB)

a) Final authorities

b) Tools for creative thinking

c) Religious scriptures

d) Historical records only

Answer: b) Tools for creative thinking

10. Which American transcendentalist ideas are reflected in “The American Scholar”? (CUET, TNPSC, NET)

a) Dependence on European tradition

b) Emphasis on self-reliance and originality

c) Strict adherence to religious dogma

d) Political revolution through violence

Answer: b) Emphasis on self-reliance and originality