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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Mencken call a man who resists the charms of women?
(a) An exceedingly wise stone statue.
(b) A most rare beast indeed.
(c) A most distinguished gentleman.
(d) A most disgusting cad.

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

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

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

5. In "Pater Patriae," which was NOT one of the reasons Mencken admired George Washington?
(a) He put his trust and authority in intellectuals and lawyers.
(b) He was tough-living, and whiskey-drinking.
(c) He was not convinced of the wisdom of common people.
(d) He could cuss up a storm.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which was NOT a source of terrible smell in the Baltimore of the 1880s, according to Mencken?

3. According to "Quid Est Veritas?," what kind of religion professes to know God exactly and completely?

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

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

(see the answer key)

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