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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 Mencken's view of chiropractors?

2. What point does Mencken make by bringing up an 84-year-old man he knew in Chapter 21?

3. According to Chapter 16, which political system is responsible for the majority of civilization as we know it?

4. Mencken has what criticism for "new poets"?

5. Mencken sees authors as divided into which two classes?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Utopian Flights," how does Mencken suggest that legislators be chosen? What benefits would this method have, in his opinion?

2. Summarize Mencken's account of a Jack Dempsey boxing match.

3. What is Mencken's belief about American millionaires?

4. Summarize Mencken's views on William Dean Howells.

5. Summarize Mencken's view of Ludwig van Beethoven.

6. Describe the following under the category of what Mencken calls "'The Lesser Arts": a) oil painting, b) drama.

7. What opinion does Mencken render about a) Mary Baker G. Eddy and Christian Science, and b) the doctrine of theosophy?

8. What is Mencken's opinion of the teaching profession? How does he compare and contrast teaching styles of his schoolboy days to today?

9. Why does Mencken criticize the American Medical Association? What is his opinion of doctors as a professional class?

10. What does Mencken feel is the contemporary state of psychology? How does he feel about Freudianism?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Mencken's view of the American South, pre-Civil War versus post-Civil War. Include defining characteristics, form of government, qualities of people, culture, wealth, and anything else you feel is relevant to the discussion.

Essay Topic 2

Chapters 19 and 20 discuss Science and Quackery, respectively.

1) What is Mencken's belief about life on other planets? How have contemporary astronomers made an error on the subject?

2) What criticism does Mencken have about "Mr. Ayres"'s view on science, and how does this criticism relate to Mencken's own view of human nature?

3) What kind of science constitutes "quackery" in Mencken's opinion? How can "real" science be separated from "quack" science? How might Mencken account for the prevalence of quackery?

4) Give a few examples of quack science, as related by Mencken in Chapter 20.

Essay Topic 3

Chapter 17 is titled "Pedagogy".

1) Summarize Mencken's view of the teaching profession.

2) How does Mencken compare and contrast the teaching methods of yesteryear with contemporary methods?

3) What is the contemporary state of schoolboys? Why do they suffer?

4) What suggestions does Mencken have for improving education?

(see the answer keys)

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