Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Where is Walden Pond?

2. Whom does Thoreau particularly want to address in the pages of Walden? 

3. How does Thoreau secure shelter in the woods?

4. How does Thoreau earn money for his supplies?

5. What book does Thoreau keep on his table to read?

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following statements best explains why Thoreau decides to write about his experiences at Walden Pond?

A) He wants to respond to questions people are asking about his life there.

B) He wants to teach others how to live a simple, self-reliant lifestyle.

C) He believes writers should write about first-hand experiences.

D) all of the above

2. Which ingredient does Thoreau leave out from his breadmaking, at first by accident?

A) flour 

B) salt

C) yeast

D) water

3. Which statement best explains what Thoreau means when he claims, “We are determined to be starved before we are hungry”?

A) Many people cannot afford to eat wholesome food.

B) People are becoming too busy to reflect on the world around them.

C) People are selfish and do not want to help feed the poor.

D) Americans don’t know what it means to be hungry.