View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through 5-9.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the name of H. L. Mencken's brother?
(a) Mitch.
(b) Bud.
(c) Jesse.
(d) Charlie.

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

3. 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.

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

5. Which book was Mencken's touchstone into literature?
(a) Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.
(b) Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers.
(c) Thomas Paine's Common Sense.
(d) Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Theodore Dreiser's national and ethnic background?

2. Why was Theodore Dreiser compared to Franz Schubert by Mencken?

3. In "The Baltimore of the Eighties," why does Mencken's mother lament about a trip to the market?

4. Who is the editor of this volume?

5. Which boat captain helped Mencken while in Cuba?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 285 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample