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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 23, Souvenirs of a Journalist, Chapter 24, Criticism.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who did the Black Plague mostly kill off, according to Mencken?
(a) Proletarians of high intelligence.
(b) Monarchs of low intelligence.
(c) Monarchs of high intelligence.
(d) Proletarians of low intelligence.

2. Who does Mencken dub "The Lady of Joy"?
(a) The Virgin Mary.
(b) His wife.
(c) A prostitute.
(d) The happily married woman.

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

4. Punishment for crime is too often what, according to Mencken?
(a) Effective, which results in the murder of the human spirit.
(b) Hypocritical and dishonest.
(c) Cruel and unusual.
(d) The product of poor people exerting influence over the rich.

5. How intelligent are women according to Mencken?
(a) They are usually much more intelligent than men.
(b) They are completely stupid in thought and deed.
(c) They pretend to be intelligent, but deep down are quite stupid.
(d) They pretend to be dumb, but are in fact quite intelligent.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mencken believe about contemporary understanding of alcoholism?

2. What does the "metaphysical" type of person inevitably do?

3. What point does Mencken make by bringing up an 84-year-old man he knew in Chapter 21?

4. What was Roosevelt's team of political advisers popularly called?

5. What kind of promises do politicians make?

(see the answer key)

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