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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 29, Buffooneries, Chapter 30, Sententiae, Chapter 31, Appendix.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What kind of men does a democracy produce?
(a) Stupid men who can barely master the multiplication tables.
(b) Noble, confident men who do not envy others.
(c) Depressing men full of nostalgia.
(d) Energetic men with too much time on their hands.

2. Who does Mencken call "the national ideal of a literary character"?
(a) William Dean Howells.
(b) Ring Lardner.
(c) Joseph Conrad.
(d) Ambrose Bierce.

3. What is the contemporary invention that Mencken likes most?
(a) Telephone.
(b) Radio.
(c) Thermostat.
(d) Elevator.

4. Mencken sees authors as divided into which two classes?
(a) American and Foreign.
(b) Sly and Overt.
(c) Dramatic and Comedic.
(d) English and Continental.

5. Why does the topic of "disease" give pathologists pause?
(a) Medicine largely does not know how to combat disease.
(b) Pathologists are extremely underfunded.
(c) It is difficult to deal with terminal cases.
(d) It is very hard to define.

Short Answer Questions

1. What unusual stance does Mencken take in regards to disease?

2. What does Mencken believe about physical punishment in education?

3. What quality makes for the best literary critic, according to Chapter 24?

4. According to Chapter 16, which political system is responsible for the majority of civilization as we know it?

5. What comparison does Mencken make between man and animal in Chapter 1?

(see the answer key)

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