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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 aspect of human nature fuels the democratic system of government?

2. How does Mencken define government?

3. What is the "average man's" opinion of government?

4. How has Mencken organized his book?

5. Which is NOT one of the qualities of Anglo-Saxons Mencken points to in Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What is Mencken's opinion of the contemporary American South? What are its features? What rules the South?

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

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

8. What is the origin of morality according to Mencken?

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

10. Is morality necessary in Mencken's view? How many people are moral people? Is there a good and evil, or is that a human-created concept?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Discuss Mencken's thoughts on death and suicide. What is the popular misconception of death? What is the use of suicide, and why might people refrain from committing it?

2) Discuss Mencken's thoughts on death and suicide in the context of a) his view of human nature in general, and b) his view on religion. How do these viewpoints inform one another?

Essay Topic 2

Describe in-depth Mencken's views of the following people:

1) William Jennings Bryan

2) Woodrow Wilson

3) Warren G. Harding

4) Thorstein Veblen

5) Calvin Coolidge

6) Oliver Wendell Holmes

Essay Topic 3

Chapter 22 is dedicated to "Utopian Flights."

1) What is a "Utopian Flight" as Mencken has described it? How does the notion of the Utopian flight relate to Mencken's view of human nature? How does the notion relate to Mencken's view of government?

2) Summarize Mencken's suggestion for choosing legislators. Discuss the mechanics of this system, and its supposed benefits.

3) Summarize Mencken's suggestion for "special laws" to be applied to government officials. Discuss the mechanics of this system, and its supposed benefits.

(see the answer keys)

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