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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 25, Literature, Chapter 26, Literati.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. In "female novels," how are males portrayed according to Mencken?
(a) As "he-men."
(b) As "charlatans."
(c) As "heartthrobs."
(d) As "boobs."

3. What comparison does Mencken make between man and animal in Chapter 1?
(a) Man in every way has faculties that are superior to animals.
(b) The only thing man cannot do that animal can is fly.
(c) The faculties of animal and man precisely balance when taken as a whole.
(d) Many animals have superior faculties to man.

4. Why did England experience particular difficulties in World War I according to Mencken?
(a) It made secret pacts it could not honor.
(b) It ran out of money.
(c) It ignored the psychological aspect of warfare.
(d) It took the wrong side.

5. What was Roosevelt's team of political advisers popularly called?
(a) The Brooklyn Thirteen.
(b) Roosevelt's Riveters.
(c) The Washington Eggheads.
(d) The Brain Trust.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which is NOT one of Mencken's view of humankind as expressed in Chapter 1?

2. What group of people has been "overestimated" throughout the course of human history?

3. Why might "reflective and skeptical men" refrain from suicide?

4. Before democracy came to be, what did people believe this system of government to be?

5. How does Mencken characterize a woman's level of civility?

(see the answer key)

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