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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What two types of poetry does Mencken believe are the only viable ones?
(a) Musical poetry and poetry of false ideas.
(b) Poetry that tells a story and poetry that reveals essential truths.
(c) Poetry of false ideas and poetry that tells a story.
(d) Musical poetry and poetry that rhymes.

2. Who does Mencken identify as the father of chiropractic?
(a) Andrew Still.
(b) William Carlos Williams.
(c) Charles Joseph Bonaparte.
(d) John Ayres.

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

4. In Chapter 15, Mencken expresses surprise that no one has violated the tomb of which man?
(a) George Washington.
(b) Grover Cleveland.
(c) Charles Joseph Bonaparte.
(d) Oliver Wendell Holmes.

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

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

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

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

9. Mencken begins Chapter 25 with a philosophical discussion of what phenomenon?
(a) Worry.
(b) Indecision.
(c) Genius.
(d) Inspiration.

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

11. Why does Mencken praise doctors in Chapter 16?
(a) A professional class like doctors can create a new American aristocracy.
(b) They do a great deal of good for poor people.
(c) They have wonderful gadgets that are endlessly fascinating.
(d) They are charlatans, but they know how to play the game.

12. Writers "who cannot write" write in what style?
(a) Poetry.
(b) Prose.
(c) Song lyrics.
(d) Dialogues.

13. For Mencken, what is the nature of the range of the central psychological spectrum upon which all humans reside?
(a) From slave mentality to free mentality.
(b) From calm to paranoid.
(c) From introvert to extrovert.
(d) From cold to romantic.

14. What is the second-worst job in the world, according to Chapter 17?
(a) Priest.
(b) Market vendor.
(c) Policeman.
(d) Writer.

15. What year did the New Deal programs begin?
(a) 1939.
(b) 1919.
(c) 1945.
(d) 1933.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. What is the worst job in the world, according to Chapter 17?

4. Who was the attorney on the side of the defense in the Scopes Monkey Trial?

5. Which is NOT one of the features of the typical school day, as envisioned by Mencken?

(see the answer keys)

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