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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What is the BEST term to use for Mencken's characterization of American millionaires?
(a) Saints.
(b) Aristocrats.
(c) Exciting.
(d) Idiots.

3. What does Mencken say about the nature of scientific hypotheses?
(a) Hypotheses are almost always wrong, as men are poor at guesswork.
(b) He is highly skeptical of their value.
(c) We need more of them, and they are valuable.
(d) He believes they should be lesser in number, and less fanciful.

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

5. What is Mencken's central critique for socialism?
(a) The U.S. refuses to embrace Bolshevik-style socialism, which is the only socialism which has worked.
(b) It is a noble idea, but it has not been instituted correctly.
(c) It is incompatible with the facts of history.
(d) It does not go far enough to redistribute wealth.

6. What is Mencken's view of chiropractors?
(a) He must study the subject further to render an opinion.
(b) They are the newest members of a respected doctor aristocracy.
(c) He depends on them for his numerous back problems.
(d) They are quack doctors.

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

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

9. Which is NOT one of the qualities of rich people, as described by Mencken?
(a) They are largely swindlers.
(b) They buy boring, unoriginal assets.
(c) Many buy public esteem.
(d) They engage in exciting, risky ventures.

10. Which is the "most democratic" of art forms according to Mencken?
(a) Poetry.
(b) Sculpture.
(c) Music.
(d) Drama.

11. What does Mencken believe about contemporary understanding of alcoholism?
(a) Alcoholism is a blight on American society.
(b) Most claims about the deleterious effects of alcohol are exaggerated.
(c) Alcoholism is much more dangerous than even the doctors warn.
(d) Alcoholism is one of the rare instances in which doctors fully understand the disease.

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

13. Who wrote Parsifal?
(a) Strauss.
(b) Schubert.
(c) Beethoven.
(d) Wagner.

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

15. What point does Mencken make in his discussion of Darwinian evolution?
(a) Evolution is an unbelievably slow process.
(b) Progress among humans often moves too fast.
(c) Evolution is unable to explain most of human behavior.
(d) Evolution proves that religion is a farce.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Where did Mencken meet Sister Aimee?

3. Why does the topic of "disease" give pathologists pause?

4. What is the second-worst job in the world, according to Chapter 17?

5. What two types of poetry does Mencken believe are the only viable ones?

(see the answer keys)

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