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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is NOT a reason Mencken gives for admiring Theodore Dreiser?
(a) Dreiser's unique place in the world of literature.
(b) The ability for Dreiser to touch a reader on an emotional level.
(c) Dreiser's unchanging subject matter and style.
(d) Dreiser's insistence on describing every detail of a scene.

2. What is democracy's "aim," according to Mencken?
(a) To pull everyone down to the same level.
(b) To ensure great wealth for all.
(c) To indoctrinate everyone in religious "poppycock."
(d) To protect the children of a society.

3. Which was described as Mencken's earliest memory?
(a) Attending a speech of William Jennings Bryan.
(b) Watching a carnival of the Order of Orioles.
(c) Swatting flies with his brother in the kitchen.
(d) Getting bitten by a snake.

4. According to "The Skeptic," what do women always bear?
(a) The strength of their religious convictions.
(b) A healthy mistrust of their husbands.
(c) A strong sense of household finances.
(d) The burden of caring for families.

5. How did Gene the magistrate handle an overzealous Methodist clergyman?
(a) Gene ruled that the clergyman was within his rights to practice in the Jewish ghetto.
(b) Gene had policemen follow the clergyman wherever he went.
(c) Gene created trumped-up charges to render him no longer a problem.
(d) Gene ruled that religion was essential to the functioning of a democracy.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. What was the "last straw" that forced Mencken to quit the organization in #16?

4. What did Mencken satirize in "Quid Est Veritas"?

5. What does Mencken make synonymous with democracy in "A Blind Spot"?

(see the answer key)

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