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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 introvert to extrovert.
(c) From calm to paranoid.
(d) From cold to romantic.

2. What device does Mencken call a "boon to bores"?
(a) Radio.
(b) Thermostat.
(c) Elevator.
(d) Telephone.

3. Mencken reports on a boxing with which famed boxer?
(a) Jack Dempsey.
(b) Gene Tunney.
(c) Fireman Jim Flynn.
(d) Gunboat Smith.

4. 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.

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

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

7. 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.

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

9. A man's taste in poetry is a reflection of what?
(a) His intelligence.
(b) His love of life.
(c) His inner cravings.
(d) His sense of romance.

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

11. Mencken has what criticism for "new poets"?
(a) They are too romantic and instinctive.
(b) They are too musical.
(c) They are too clever for their own good.
(d) They are too cerebral and scientific.

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

13. Sister Aimee was an evangelist in what branch of Christian religion?
(a) Baptist.
(b) Catholic.
(c) Scientologist.
(d) Methodist.

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

15. What does Mencken believe about physical punishment in education?
(a) He believes physical punishment should be an option given to teachers.
(b) He believes there is no place for physical punishment in school.
(c) He believes physical punishment should have a regular place in the schedule of a school day.
(d) He believes only parents should be called upon to physically discipline their children.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mencken believe about Freudianism?

2. Who was the attorney on the side of the prosecution in the Scopes Monkey Trial?

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

4. Writers "who cannot write" write in what style?

5. What American book does Mencken call one of history's great masterpieces?

(see the answer keys)

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