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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the purpose of monogamy, according to Mencken?

2. How does Mencken characterize a woman's level of civility?

3. What kind of men does a democracy produce?

4. Who is the "ideal citizen of Christendom" according to Chapter 3?

5. What is Man's one unique characteristic, per Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Mencken's take on the universality of morality? Can morality grow and change, or is it static?

3. Describe Mencken's contention that democracy is a "self-limiting disease." What does he mean by that? Is there any good aspects to democracy?

4. Who is Professor Thorstein Veblen, and what is Mencken's opinion of him and his work?

5. What is democracy's fundamental flaw? What aspect of human nature motivates democracy?

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

7. Summarize Mencken's appraisal of William Jennings Bryan. How is Mencken's opinion related to the Scopes Monkey Trial?

8. Describe Mencken's conception of the Anglo-Saxon American. What are this person's flaws?

9. Discuss Mencken's history of democracy. Before it arrived, what did people think of democracy? How was it conceived? How did it evolve?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Summarize Mencken's views on women. Discuss each of the following topics:

a) Women's level of intelligence

b) Women's level of civility

c) The institution of marriage, and how it affects men and women

d) The role of beauty in man-woman relationships

e) The role of romantic love in man-woman relationships

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the Chapter 29 "buffoonery" in which Mencken portrays a dialogue involving Pharoah Cheops.

1) Summarize the "plot" and premise of the story.

2) Discuss how the story relates to contemporary concerns.

3) Speculate as to why Mencken may have used Pharaoh Cheops and his world to comment on contemporary issues. What does Mencken accomplish by commentary designed in this fashion?

Essay Topic 3

Describe in-depth Mencken's views of the following people (and specific works, if applicable):

1) Ludwig van Beethoven

2) Richard Strauss

3) Johann Strauss

4) Johannes Brahms

5) Richard Wagner

6) Franz Schubert

(see the answer keys)

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