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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why was the centenary of the Viennese Waltz not celebrated in America, according to Mencken?
(a) It is too slow for Americans with short attention spans.
(b) No one dances the waltz in America.
(c) Its melody is too sophisticated for Americans.
(d) It is a joyous waltz, and joy was banned with Prohibition.

2. Why does Mencken believe life on other planets is highly unlikely?
(a) God only created life on Earth.
(b) There is too much methane on most planets.
(c) There is a lack of carbon on most planets.
(d) Temperatures elsewhere than earth cannot sustain life.

3. What quality makes for the best literary critic, according to Chapter 24?
(a) Accuracy and a need to refute error.
(b) Adhering to a specific philosophical system.
(c) The goal to create a work of art.
(d) Advancing a personal agenda or doctrine.

4. What is Mencken's view of contemporary psychological science?
(a) The field is in chaos, with widely conflicting views.
(b) The field is poorly funded, and suffers because of it.
(c) The field is surprisingly neat and orderly, with little disagreement between schools..
(d) The field is complete quackery.

5. Which is NOT one of the negative effects Mencken mentions in regards to Prohibition?
(a) Proliferation of bootleggers.
(b) Undermining of state revenues.
(c) More expensive alcohol.
(d) Only the poor have access to alcohol.

6. What unusual stance does Mencken take in regards to disease?
(a) All diseases are beneficial, as they help to thin human populations.
(b) Diseases should not be treated with medicine.
(c) Some diseases actually improve lives.
(d) Religion is sufficient to address disease.

7. Why is music difficult as a trade?
(a) The expensive costs of instruments, etc.
(b) No one appreciates music.
(c) Its strong unions.
(d) Its high level of technique and master required.

8. What central critique does Mencken have for teachers of his day?
(a) They simply teach, and leave it to students to figure out the lesson.
(b) They too often making learning an automatic process.
(c) They are overpaid and underworked.
(d) They are given entirely too much respect in society.

9. How do rich people "buy public esteem" according to Mencken?
(a) They buy newspaper ads praising themselves.
(b) They donate to charities and to the arts.
(c) They make generous contributions to political campaigns.
(d) They are especially generous to panhandlers.

10. Who was the attorney on the side of the defense in the Scopes Monkey Trial?
(a) Anthony Still.
(b) Theodore Veblen.
(c) Clarence Darrow.
(d) William Jennings Bryan.

11. What is the worst job in the world, according to Chapter 17?
(a) Chiropractor.
(b) Teacher.
(c) Plumber.
(d) Writer.

12. What event does Mencken believe led to the European Renaissance?
(a) The Black Plague.
(b) The invention of the printing press.
(c) The Fall of Rome.
(d) The Rise of Charlemagne.

13. What do men become once they accumulate wealth?
(a) Nicer.
(b) Stingier.
(c) Stupider.
(d) More amorous.

14. What is the crux of Mr. Ayres' philosophical argument that Mencken criticizes?
(a) Evolution is a hoax.
(b) Language determines behavior and thought patterns.
(c) Causality is an illusion.
(d) Science cannot account for morality.

15. Which contemporary author does Mencken compare to Edgar Allan Poe because of his taste for the macabre?
(a) Hamlin Garland.
(b) Ambrose Bierce.
(c) Ring Lardner.
(d) James Huneker.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mencken believe about Freudianism?

2. What year did the New Deal programs begin?

3. How does Mencken characterize the emotional state of most schoolboys?

4. What was "unusual" about Mr. Gray?

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

(see the answer keys)

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