Henry David Thoreau was an American Author, Poet, Philosopher, Abolitionist, Naturalist, and Leading Transcendentalist.

Reading Passage Question

Question: Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, and leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Resistance to Civil Government (also known as Civil Disobedience), an argument for disobedience in an unjust state.

Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience is considered by many to be the most important political document of the 19th century. Thoreau's philosophy of civil disobedience later influenced the political thoughts and actions of such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Thoreau is even sometimes cited as an anarchist. Though Civil Disobedience seems to call for improving rather than abolishing government —"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government"— the direction of this improvement points toward anarchism: "That government is best which governs not at all; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have."

In one analysis of Civil Disobedience, Richard Drinnon partly blames Thoreau for the ambiguity, noting that Thoreau's "sly satire, his liking for wide margins for his writing, and his fondness for paradox provided ammunition for widely divergent interpretations of Civil Disobedience.” Regardless of whether Thoreau intended to create this ambiguity, it cannot be denied that this work has influenced the political thoughts of both anarchists and those committed to improving and changing government through civil disobedience.

“Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, and leading transcendentalist.”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 4 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. The author uses the bolded quotation in order to:

1. contradict the notion that he is an anarchist.
2. highlight one interpretation of Thoreau's essay.
3. support the quotation that follows.
4. suggest that Thoreau was purposefully vague.
5. suggest that Henry David was an anarchist.

2. The view that Thoreau may have indeed been an anarchist depends on which of the following assumptions?

1. No other texts of Thoreau directly contradict this view.
2. Not all of Thoreau’s texts support this view
3. Other analyses of Civil Disobedience support this view.
4. All of Thoreau’s texts support this view.
5. Thoreau was not involved in some local politics.

3. The primary purpose of this passage is to:

1. suggest that Henry David Thoreau was an anarchist.
2. discuss two important works of Henry David Thoreau.
3. highlight the importance of a particular essay.
4. question the current analysis of Thoreau’s work.
5. discuss Thoreau’s importance as a political philosopher.

4. Which of the following statements would the author of the passage most likely agree with?

1. Civil Disobedience is a more important work than Walden.
2. Civil Disobedience lends itself to a variety of interpretations.
3. Civil Disobedience is a text worthy of more attention than it receives.
4. Thoreau intended for Civil Disobedience to be ambiguous.
5. Civil Disobedience has influenced more positive political change than negative political change.

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