Chapter VII: The Bean-Field Quiz — Walden Pond

by Henry David Thoreau

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter VII: The Bean-Field

How many miles of bean rows has Thoreau planted by the start of the chapter?

  • Three miles of rows on one acre of land
  • Seven miles of rows on two and a half acres
  • Five miles of rows on three acres of woodland
  • Ten miles of rows on four acres of meadow

To what mythological figure does Thoreau compare himself when describing the strength he gains from working the soil?

  • Hercules, the hero who performed twelve impossible labors
  • Antaeus, the giant who drew strength from contact with the earth
  • Prometheus, the titan who stole fire for humanity
  • Sisyphus, the king condemned to push a boulder eternally

What is Thoreau's greatest enemy in the bean-field?

  • Drought and extreme heat that scorched the thin soil
  • Woodchucks, which nibbled a quarter of an acre clean
  • Crows and blackbirds that ate newly planted seeds
  • Neighboring farmers who encroached on his property

What artifacts does Thoreau unearth while hoeing his field?

  • Colonial-era coins and fragments of old farm equipment
  • Native American arrowheads, tools, pottery, and fire-marked stones
  • Fossilized shells and prehistoric plant remains
  • Old boundary stones marking original Puritan land grants

Why does Thoreau not eat the beans he grows?

  • The beans are blighted by disease and unsafe to consume
  • He is "by nature a Pythagorean" regarding beans, so he trades them for rice
  • He grows them solely to sell at market for maximum profit
  • He donates all his harvest to the poor families of Concord

What does Thoreau say he would like to plant instead of beans in future summers?

  • Wheat, barley, and other more profitable grain crops
  • Sincerity, truth, simplicity, faith, and innocence
  • Fruit trees and flowering shrubs to beautify the landscape
  • Medicinal herbs and rare botanical specimens

To whom does Thoreau say modern farmers sacrifice, instead of Ceres and the Terrestrial Jove?

  • To Mammon, the demon of material wealth and greed
  • To the infernal Plutus, the god of underground riches
  • To Bacchus, the god of wine and earthly pleasures
  • To Mercury, the god of commerce and profitable trade

What is Thoreau's total pecuniary profit from his farming experiment?

  • $3.25, barely enough to cover the cost of his hoe
  • $8.71, from income of $23.44 against expenses of $14.72
  • $16.94, the full amount received from selling beans
  • $23.44, his total income before any expenses are deducted

Which of the following events actually happens in "The Bean-Field"?

  • Thoreau hires a boy with a horse cultivator for three hours of work
  • A neighbor gives Thoreau manure and plaster for his depleted soil
  • Thoreau discovers gold nuggets mixed with the arrowheads in the soil
  • A wildfire destroys half of Thoreau's bean crop late in the season

Which of these does Thoreau describe observing while working in the bean-field?

  • A black bear wandering through the rows of beans at dawn
  • A pair of hen-hawks circling high in the sky, soaring and descending
  • An eagle catching a fish from the surface of Walden Pond
  • A fox stalking woodchucks at the edge of the clearing

What does "effete" mean when Thoreau describes his soil as "lean and effete"?

  • Extremely fertile and rich with nutrients and organic matter
  • Exhausted of vitality or productivity; worn out and barren
  • Damp and waterlogged from the proximity of the pond
  • Rocky and difficult to plow due to glacial deposits

What does Thoreau mean by "pulse" when he writes about making the land "produce instead this pulse"?

  • The rhythmic beating of life that he feels in the living soil
  • The edible seeds of leguminous plants such as beans and peas
  • A sudden burst of energy and productivity from the exhausted land
  • The vibration of his hoe striking against buried stones and roots

In the passage about town celebrations, what does "tintinnabulum" refer to?

  • A military trumpet used to announce official ceremonies
  • A small tinkling bell or the faint ringing sound it produces
  • A type of firework popular at New England civic events
  • A ceremonial drum beaten during patriotic marching parades

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