A contraction is a shortened form of a word. Only one of the words you’ve underlined is a contraction (haven’t). Contractions are words like: didn’t, couldn’t, hadn’t, I’m, I’ve, etc.
A verb phrase consists of a ‘helping’ verb which comes before the main verb. Helping verbs include words like is, are, were, was, be, been, have, had, do, did, can, could, will, would, etc.
So the verb phrase for question 4 would be ‘They had feared’ or ‘They’d feared’ - ‘had’ is the helping verb, which comes before ‘feared’, the main verb.
The transcendental belief that this excerpt by Ralph Waldo Emerson illustrates is that society and government corrupt the individual.
The voices here refers to the voice of individuality, which we hear in solitude. Hence, as we enter the world the voices blend. Against the individuality, Emerson believes society to be "in a conspiracy." To make this more clear, Emerson makes an analogy with "Joint stock" of a company. He further refers, rather secure "liberty" it's better to eat. In additions refers that names and customs are its friends, not realities and creators.
