Question

Select the three American essayists named in the text:

a) Sinclair Lewis
b) James Thurber
c) Ralph Waldo Emerson
d) Emily Dickinson

Answer 1

The text clearly identifies Ralph Waldo Emerson as an American essayist and a prominent figure in the Transcendentalist movement. James Thurber is also an American essayist known for his work with The New Yorker. Sinclair Lewis, a novelist, and Emily Dickinson, a poet, are not primarily known as essayists. option c is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

To answer the question of selecting three American essayists named in the text, we look at the options provided:

• Sinclair Lewis
• James Thurber
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Emily Dickinson

According to the information provided, Ralph Waldo Emerson (c) is clearly identified as an American essayist. He was a prominent figure in the Transcendentalist movement, as indicated by his essays such as 'Nature' and his influence on ecocritical voices in American literature. Furthermore, the images in FIGURE 13.5 and the letter mentioned demonstrate his role as an essayist and a transcendentalist. On the other hand, while Emily Dickinson (d) was a noteworthy American poet, she is not primarily known as an essayist. Therefore, she is not the correct choice for this question.

For the remaining options, Sinclair Lewis (a) was a novelist rather than an essayist, best known for his works such as 'Main Street' and 'Babbitt'. James Thurber (b), however, was a cartoonist and an author of numerous essays, famously known for his contributions to The New Yorker. Thus, James Thurber is the second American essayist.

Based on this information, the three American essayists mentioned in the text are:

1. James Thurber
2. Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. The third essayist is not clearly identified in the provided excerpts and would require additional context from the text. As such, we can only identify two American essayists with the given information.