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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Recollections of Notable Cops," why does Mencken find the idea of a police academy remarkable?
(a) Mencken regards policemen as corrupt, vicious brutes.
(b) Cops in Mencken's younger days were not educated.
(c) Mencken states that police academies are contrary to the ideals of democracy.
(d) Academies usually teach useless skills; police academies teach useful skills.

2. What moral choice faced Mencken and a cop on New Year's Day, in "Recollections of Notable Cops"?
(a) They learned about a corrupt policeman, and had to decide whether to turn the man in.
(b) A prostitute bribed the policeman.
(c) A dead man was found with a large sum of money in his pocket.
(d) A man clearly beat his wife, but could not be technically arrested.

3. What profession should the truth-teller NOT aspire to, according to Mencken?
(a) A bartender.
(b) The President of the United States.
(c) Owner of a large company.
(d) A jewelry maker.

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

5. What was the subject of the first Mencken-written article that was ever published?
(a) Political discontent in Europe.
(b) A horse robbery.
(c) A high-society party.
(d) The gold standard.

Short Answer Questions

1. What cheeky nickname did Mencken give Theodore Dreiser?

2. What do saints have in common with scientists?

3. Which decade, according to the author, was Mencken at his best?

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

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

(see the answer key)

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