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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through 40-44.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Mencken state about the literary influence(s) of Theodore Dreiser?
(a) Dreiser was the product of Emile Zola.
(b) No one author can be pointed to as an influence.
(c) Dreiser was the product of Frank Norris.
(d) Dreiser draws upon the literary tradition of Germany.

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

3. What was "lamentable" about the North beating the South in the Civil War, according to Mencken?
(a) Technological innovation was delayed by 25 years.
(b) The quality of tobacco was never the same.
(c) The slaves were freed.
(d) The South's aristocracy was destroyed.

4. How was Theodore Dreiser like Joseph Conrad, according to Mencken?
(a) Both men were inherently optimistic.
(b) They both seemed to hate women.
(c) They both had a love of pirate adventures and the sea life.
(d) Both men shared an innate pessimism.

5. What one thing did Mencken feel was useful from the contributions of Sigmund Freud?
(a) The notion that dreams could reveal aspects of our everyday lives.
(b) The notion that lying stemmed from an unconscious place.
(c) The notion that "mother issues" were deeply-seated.
(d) The notion that people could be easily hypnotized.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Valentino," what did the press find in a men's bathroom that caused them to mock Valentino and his "Latin Lover" image?

2. Who is the editor of this volume?

3. What did Mencken, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, feel about the tradition of giving medals in the military?

4. How do common folk read the Bible, according to Mencken in "Holy Writ"?

5. Which of the following is NOT something that exists as a result of the Anglo-Saxon race, according to Mencken?

(see the answer key)

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