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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through 10-14.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do saints have in common with scientists?
(a) Both simply seek the truth.
(b) Both manipulate public opinion to advance their own position.
(c) Both unselfishly serve mankind.
(d) Both corrupt the truth to suit their best interests.

2. What was the nature of the Prince of Wales story Mencken tells in "The Art Eternal"?
(a) The Prince of Wales stole in order to feed his citizens.
(b) The Prince of Wales lied in order to protect the virtues of a woman.
(c) The Prince of Wales framed a murderer he could not imprison by lawful means.
(d) The Prince of Wales begged for alms, in order to display his humility.

3. What was Mencken's nickname for Chesapeake Bay?
(a) The protein factory.
(b) The big blue.
(c) Crab central.
(d) Home of the yummy lobsters.

4. Which is NOT one of the reasons winters were difficult in 1880s Baltimore?
(a) Snow caused many roofs to cave in.
(b) The cold was severe, and furnaces did not help much.
(c) Water pipes could burst.
(d) Cellars could flood.

5. In "Gore in the Caribees," what was Mencken's perspective on the revolution in Cuba?
(a) Mencken refused to cover the event, and is fired by his newspaper.
(b) Mencken thought it is newsworthy, and he asks to cover it.
(c) Mencken thought the event is not newsworthy, and only reluctantly does he travel to cover it.
(d) Mencken was fervently pro-Cuba, and travels to the country to engage in propaganda.

Short Answer Questions

1. What must modern religions do to "escape absurdity"?

2. In "Recollections of Notable Cops," why does Mencken find the idea of a police academy remarkable?

3. What part of Mencken's work is NOT included in the volume?

4. What was Alistair Cooke's relationship to H. L. Mencken?

5. According to Mencken, what kind of books did Theodore Dreiser produce?

(see the answer key)

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