Question

Test: English 11A

22
Select the correct text in the passage.
Which two sentences in this excerpt from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau support the transcendentalist idea that the individual is more
important than government or society?
This American government what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant
losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun te
the people themselves....
But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it. Can there not be a
government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?- in which majorities decide only those questions to which the
rule of expediency is applicable? Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislation? Why has every
man a conscience, then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as
for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. It is truly enough said that a corporation has ne
conscience; but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience.
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Answer 1

Two sentences in this excerpt from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau support the transcendentalist idea that the individual is more important than government or society.

Step-by-step explanation:

Two sentences in this excerpt from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau support the transcendentalist idea that the individual is more important than government or society. First, Thoreau states, "It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right." This sentence emphasizes the importance of valuing individual rights and conscience over blind obedience to the law. Secondly, Thoreau questions a government based on majority rule and suggests that decisions should be made based on conscience rather than expediency. He argues, "Can there not be a government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?" These sentences highlight the notion that individuals should prioritize their own ethical beliefs over the dictates of government or society.

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