Select the correct answer.
According to this excerpt from Walden, in which subject area did the transcendentalist thinker Thoreau most likely find his inspiration?
This small lake was of most value as a neighbor in the intervals of a gentle rain-storm in August, when, both air and water being perfectly still, but the sky overcast, mid-afternoon had all the serenity of evening, and the wood thrush sang around, and was heard from shore to shore. A lake like this is never smoother than at such a time; and the clear portion of the air above it being, shallow and darkened by clouds, the water, full of light and reflections, becomes a lower heaven itself so much the more important. From a hill-top near by, where the wood had been recently cut off, there was a pleasing vista southward across the pond, through a wide indentation in the hills which form the shore there, where their opposite sides sloping toward each other suggested a stream flowing out in that direction through a wooded valley, but stream there was none. That way I looked between and over the near green hills to some distant and higher ones in the horizon, tinged with blue.
A.
human behavior
B.
nature
C.
civil war
D.
history
E.
nonconformity
B. nature
The correct answer is B. nature.
To arrive at this answer, we can analyze the excerpt from Walden and consider the themes and ideas expressed in it. In the passage, Thoreau describes the beauty and tranquility of a small lake during a rainstorm in August. He describes the stillness of the air and water, the overcast sky, and the peacefulness of the scene.
Thoreau's admiration for the natural world is evident in his descriptions of the lake and its surroundings. He highlights the harmony and serenity of the environment, mentioning the singing of wood thrushes and the reflections of light on the water. He also mentions his observations from a hilltop, where he looks out at the green hills and distant ones in the horizon.
This focus on the beauty and tranquility of nature suggests that Thoreau found his inspiration in the subject area of nature. As a transcendentalist thinker, Thoreau believed in the inherent goodness and spiritual significance of the natural world. He sought to connect with nature and find meaning and inspiration in its simplicity and harmony.
Therefore, the most likely subject area from which Thoreau found his inspiration in this excerpt is B. nature.