
TPO39-L3
Thoreau’s Ideas About Train
- What does the professor mainly discuss?
- A. Thoreau’s use of train metaphors.
- B. Thoreau’s complex attitude toward trains.
- C. Events that inspired Thoreau to write his book Walden.
- D. Reasons that Thoreau’s book Walden was popular in the nineteenth century.
- In Walden, Thoreau describes some benefits of trains. What benefits does the professor mention? [CHOOSE 2 ANSWERS]
- A. Trains helped people feel more connected to their national culture.
- B. Trains made life more convenient for many people.
- C. Trains stimulated the imagination in new ways.
- D. Trains cost less to use than other modes of transportation.
- According to Thoreau, what is the relationship between trains and nature?
- A. Trains can distort passengers’ perceptions of nature.
- B. Trains make the landscape more visually interesting.
- C. Trains can transport people to natural settings.
- D. Trains cause damage to the environment.
- According to the lecture, what point does Thoreau emphasize about trains and the penny press?
- A. Penny-press publications were read by average citizens, but trains were used mainly by the wealthy
- B. Trains delivered penny-press publications to a broad national audience.
- C. Both trains and the penny press threatened people’s individualism.
- D. Both trains and the penny press enhanced people’s understanding of the world.
- What does the professor imply when he discusses modern technology?
- A. It is better to wait until a new technology is perfected before adopting it.
- B. A new technology that has more disadvantages than advantages is unlikely to succeed.
- C. People are more skeptical of new technology now than in Thoreau’s time.
- D. People should consider possible negative consequences of a new technology before adopting it.
- What is the professor’s opinion about Walden as it relates to the world today?
- A. Walden is of interest mainly for its descriptions of nineteenth-century life.
- B. The issues that Walden addresses remain relevant today.
- C. Mass transportation has changed too much for Walden to be relevant today.
- D. Walden correctly predicted that trains would be replaced by other technologies.

B BC A C D B