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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. According to the editor, why were the 1930s Mencken's "downfall"?
(a) Mencken's severe illness limited his output.
(b) Mencken spent most of the decade in Europe.
(c) The hardships in the country changed popular sentiment.
(d) President FDR waged a battle of personal attacks against Mencken.

3. 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) Cellars could flood.
(d) Water pipes could burst.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. Which is NOT a reason Mencken gives for admiring Theodore Dreiser?

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

5. According to Mencken, what kind of books did Theodore Dreiser produce?

(see the answer key)

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