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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through 24-28.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What stance can Mencken be said to have taken in "Star-Spangled Man"?
(a) Pro-life.
(b) Anti-establishment.
(c) Pro-gun.
(d) Anti-war.

2. In "The Good Man," what general statement did Mencken make about mankind?
(a) Men are gluttonous, and must continually fight the urge to eat.
(b) Men are not predisposed to appreciate art, and often must be forced.
(c) Man is not perfect, and any strengths are balanced by flaws.
(d) Men are good and kind, and almost always do the right thing.

3. What was the subject of Walt Whitman's "Democratic Vistas"?
(a) The awe-inspiring beauty of several places in America.
(b) Whitman's faith in the common man to rule himself.
(c) Whitman's desire that a class of intellectuals would rise up to rule America.
(d) Whitman's argument that republicanism is much preferred to democracy.

4. How was Mencken able to get a taxi driver to drive him to a speakeasy in Pennsylvania?
(a) He threatened the driver with jail time.
(b) He agreed to write an article about the driver.
(c) He gave the driver a ten dollar bill.
(d) He showed the driver the musical score from a Bach concert.

5. What, according to Mencken, is "The Incomparable Buzz-Saw"?
(a) War.
(b) A great work of art.
(c) The allure of a woman.
(d) The horrible smells of Baltimore in the 1880s.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Star-Spangled Man," Mencken argued that who, besides soldiers, should get medals?

2. In "Pater Patriae," which was NOT one of the reasons Mencken admired George Washington?

3. What dominated Puritanism, according to Mencken in "The National Letters"?

4. According to Mencken, what was the Union fighting for in the Civil War?

5. According to "The Incomparable Buzz-Saw," what is a woman's only power?

(see the answer key)

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