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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through 10-14.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What part of Mencken's work is NOT included in the volume?
(a) Mencken's esoteric views on art and art history.
(b) Mencken's political discourse of the 1920s.
(c) Mencken's nostalgic musings on Baltimore.
(d) Mencken's work on language and grammar.

2. According to Mencken, what kind of books did Theodore Dreiser produce?
(a) Breezy, summer-day reading.
(b) Wheezing, moralizing diatribes.
(c) Weighty, substantial tomes that one must concentrate on for a long time.
(d) Books more important as museum pieces than texts that should be read.

3. Which decade, according to the author, was Mencken at his best?
(a) The 1920s.
(b) The 1910s.
(c) The 1940s.
(d) The 1930s.

4. Why do the majority of people lie, according to Mencken?
(a) They are fearful of being arrested.
(b) They are unhappy with their lot in life.
(c) They lie for profit.
(d) They lie for fame.

5. What do saints have in common with scientists?
(a) Both simply seek the truth.
(b) Both unselfishly serve mankind.
(c) Both corrupt the truth to suit their best interests.
(d) Both manipulate public opinion to advance their own position.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Gore in the Caribees," what was Mencken's perspective on the revolution in Cuba?

2. According to the editor, why were the 1930s Mencken's "downfall"?

3. What one thing did Mencken feel was useful from the contributions of Sigmund Freud?

4. What was Alistair Cooke's relationship to H. L. Mencken?

5. What must modern religions do to "escape absurdity"?

(see the answer key)

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