The Vintage Mencken Short Question Test Answer Key

Short Answer Key

Introduction, 1-4

1. Who is the editor of this volume?

Alistair Cooke.

2. Which is one of the stated reasons the editor put the volume together?

To introduce the works of H. L. Mencken to a new generation.

3. Which decade, according to the author, was Mencken at his best?

The 1920s.

4. Which book was Mencken's touchstone into literature?

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

5. What part of Mencken's work is NOT included in the volume?

Mencken's work on language and grammar.

6. Which was described as Mencken's earliest memory?

Watching a carnival of the Order of Orioles.

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

The hardships in the country changed popular sentiment.

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

A journalist and friend.

9. What was Mencken's nickname for Chesapeake Bay?

The protein factory.

10. In which city did Mencken...
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