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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 13, Statesmen, Chapter 14, American Immortals.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Mencken's opinion of the American South?
(a) He believes that southerners are intellectually superior to northerners, but rarely show it.
(b) He thinks highly of it because of its emphasis on grassroots values.
(c) He loathes it and believes it to be a crude and uncultured place.
(d) He thinks it is a spiritually enlightened place.

2. Mencken sees that too often any discussion of suicide is rooted in what incorrect notion?
(a) Death is painful.
(b) Killing oneself is an expensive proposition.
(c) Death is painless.
(d) The family would suffer in a suicide.

3. What aspect of President Grant does Mencken admire?
(a) His hard-living, genuine lifestyle.
(b) His military prowess.
(c) His reputation for a clean, corruption-free administration.
(d) His oratorical prowess.

4. Why is Mencken unable to embrace democratic political theory, as he himself states it in Chapter 9?
(a) He is morally superior to democrats.
(b) He is incapable of being envious of others.
(c) He is not poor, and so cannot see democracy's benefits.
(d) He is simply too cultured and sophisticated.

5. What does Mencken see as the problem with contemporary Protestantism?
(a) All modern Protestants are wishy-washy centrists.
(b) Protestants have forgotten the teachings of Jesus Christ.
(c) There are few, sensible, centrist Protestants left.
(d) Protestants suffer from a Jewish weakness for poetry.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Mencken define government?

2. How intelligent are women according to Mencken?

3. What is Mencken's opinion of original Christians?

4. What is the chief problem with political theorists?

5. What is Mencken's opinion of the belief that man has a soul, according to Chapter 1?

(see the answer key)

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