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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was Mencken referring to with the title, "A Good Man in a Bad Trade"?

2. Which was one of the architectural styles Mencken mentioned as part of the "new architecture"?

3. How did Mencken describe the music of Chopin?

4. How was plutocracy created, according to Mencken?

5. What happened when Mencken sent a junior reporter to get him liquor during the Republican National Convention?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to "The Wallace Paranoia," what did candidate Henry Wallace do during the convention of the Progressive Party?

2. Did Mencken's aesthetics conform to the ideals of the "new architecture"? Explain.

3. Describe the religious service Mencken witnessed in "The Hills of Zion."

4. What were the general features of Anglo-Saxons, according to Mencken in "The Anglo-Saxon"?

5. What did Mencken conclude about his research into the court cases of Oliver Wendell Holmes?

6. What was Mencken's opinion of chiropractic?

7. What was Mencken's opinion of stage acting?

8. What was the nature of film actor Valentino's problem, as related in "Valentino"?

9. How was FDR able to win the Democratic National Convention of 1932?

10. What type of people attended the Progressive Party convention of 1948?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mencken often commented on political figures, such as in "Pater Patriae" and "Lodge."

A) Discuss two articles in which Mencken seems to have a positive opinion of the political figure. What does Mencken's admiration tell us about Mencken?

B) Discuss two articles in which Mencken displays a negative opinion of the political figure. Similar to A), what does Mencken's criticisms tell us about Mencken?

Essay Topic 2

Beauty and ugliness were topics of the articles "The Lure of Beauty" and "The Libido of the Ugly."

A) How does Mencken define beauty? How is beauty related to art criticism?

B) Is beauty objective or subjective? Cite examples in the text of how Mencken might answer this question.

C) How is beauty related to physical attraction?

Essay Topic 3

Mencken was interested in reviving an American intellectual movement.

A) Who were the forefathers of this movement? What texts are important?

B) What does Mencken feel is the current state of the American intellectual movement?

C) What can be done to further the movement?

(see the answer keys)

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