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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What is the purpose of monogamy, according to Mencken?
(a) Marriage serves to protect society from itself.
(b) Marriage serves to enhance and legitimize passion.
(c) Marriage serves to kill and restrain passion.
(d) Marriage serves to emphasize romantic love.

3. What aspect of Lincoln's historical persona does Mencken doubt, or at least question?
(a) His reputation for being a great orator.
(b) His adherence to Christianity.
(c) His status as an outsider and a "dark horse."
(d) His pragmatic, practical approach to political problems.

4. Which is NOT one of the reasons Mencken praises George Washington?
(a) He scorned foreign entanglements.
(b) He was a pious man.
(c) He ignored the private morals of his neighbors.
(d) He enjoyed whiskey.

5. What does Mencken NOT believe about the possibility for morality to change over time?
(a) Different subsections of morality can grow over time.
(b) Morality was determined in ancient times, and has not changed.
(c) Morality evolves and grows over time.
(d) Morality can adopt new ideas, like Christian beliefs.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the relationship between free will and morality?

2. How did morality come to be, according to Mencken?

3. What is the consequence of someone believing in God, according to Mencken in Chapter 1?

4. Why does Mencken admire John D. Rockefeller?

5. How would George Washington fare in today's political climate?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Mencken's thought experiment, in which he imagines if the Confederacy had won the Civil War.

2. What does Mencken feel about the relationship between science and religion?

3. What is Mencken's view of punishment for crime? What is the function of punishment?

4. Describe Mencken's opinion of George Washington. Why does Mencken admire him? Why doesn't Mencken believe Washington would do well in a contemporary political climate?

5. In Chapter 1, how does Mencken's view of humanity coincide with that of the modern scientist?

6. What is Mencken's view of romantic love?

7. What effect did the Civil War have on the American South, and why was this conflict so disastrous to Mencken from a cultural standpoint?

8. What does Mencken have to say about politicians? What kind of people are they? How do they operate?

9. What is Mencken's view of monogamy/marriage?

10. What is the degree of women's "civility" according to Mencken? How does emotion factor in to civility?

(see the answer keys)

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