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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who was the attorney on the side of the defense in the Scopes Monkey Trial?
(a) Clarence Darrow.
(b) Anthony Still.
(c) William Jennings Bryan.
(d) Theodore Veblen.

2. Mencken has what criticism for "new poets"?
(a) They are too romantic and instinctive.
(b) They are too clever for their own good.
(c) They are too musical.
(d) They are too cerebral and scientific.

3. Why was the centenary of the Viennese Waltz not celebrated in America, according to Mencken?
(a) It is too slow for Americans with short attention spans.
(b) No one dances the waltz in America.
(c) It is a joyous waltz, and joy was banned with Prohibition.
(d) Its melody is too sophisticated for Americans.

4. What was Mencken's opinion of New Deal programs?
(a) They were great boons to mankind.
(b) They imbued average Americans with a rugged individual spirit.
(c) They were theoretically dubious, but worked okay in practice.
(d) They were disastrous in practice.

5. What is the second-worst job in the world, according to Chapter 17?
(a) Policeman.
(b) Market vendor.
(c) Writer.
(d) Priest.

6. What is "one of the most valuable human possessions" according to Mencken in Chapter 16?
(a) Dignity.
(b) Spatial awareness.
(c) The ability to do simple math.
(d) The reputation of being rich.

7. Who did the Black Plague mostly kill off, according to Mencken?
(a) Proletarians of low intelligence.
(b) Proletarians of high intelligence.
(c) Monarchs of low intelligence.
(d) Monarchs of high intelligence.

8. Which is NOT one of the benefits Mencken sees should America put into place his ideas in "Utopian Flights"?
(a) Reduction of election costs.
(b) The election of people who actually want to be legislators.
(c) Elimination of political campaigns.
(d) Insertion of people who believe public service is a chore.

9. What quality makes for the best literary critic, according to Chapter 24?
(a) Adhering to a specific philosophical system.
(b) Advancing a personal agenda or doctrine.
(c) Accuracy and a need to refute error.
(d) The goal to create a work of art.

10. Who was the attorney on the side of the prosecution in the Scopes Monkey Trial?
(a) Andrew Still.
(b) Clarence Darrow.
(c) William Jennings Bryan.
(d) Theodore Veblen.

11. What is the contemporary invention that Mencken likes most?
(a) Elevator.
(b) Telephone.
(c) Radio.
(d) Thermostat.

12. Why does Mencken criticize the American Medical Association?
(a) For making it too difficult to become a doctor.
(b) For turning down his membership application.
(c) For making it too easy to become a doctor.
(d) For supporting a bunch of quack science.

13. Who does Mencken consider the greatest classical composer?
(a) Schubert.
(b) Brahms.
(c) Beethoven.
(d) Mozart.

14. Which is the "most democratic" of art forms according to Mencken?
(a) Drama.
(b) Poetry.
(c) Sculpture.
(d) Music.

15. Mencken begins Chapter 25 with a philosophical discussion of what phenomenon?
(a) Inspiration.
(b) Genius.
(c) Indecision.
(d) Worry.

Short Answer Questions

1. What event does Mencken believe led to the European Renaissance?

2. Who wrote the Viennese Waltz?

3. According to Mencken, how will "anyone who appreciates aural beauty" regard opera?

4. What two types of poetry does Mencken believe are the only viable ones?

5. Who does Mencken call "the national ideal of a literary character"?

(see the answer keys)

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