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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is NOT a reason Mencken gives for admiring Theodore Dreiser?
(a) The ability for Dreiser to touch a reader on an emotional level.
(b) Dreiser's insistence on describing every detail of a scene.
(c) Dreiser's unchanging subject matter and style.
(d) Dreiser's unique place in the world of literature.

2. Which is one of the stated reasons the editor put the volume together?
(a) To introduce the works of H. L. Mencken to a new generation.
(b) To fight charges that Mencken was racist.
(c) To expose the corrupt policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
(d) To sell books for profit.

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

4. Why shouldn't men trust other men?
(a) Men are only interested in accumulating wealth.
(b) Men can become violent at any moment.
(c) Men can be subject to temptation, and thus betrayal.
(d) Men lie constantly.

5. What cheeky nickname did Mencken give Theodore Dreiser?
(a) The Frankenstein of the short story.
(b) The Jack Ripper of the novel.
(c) The Hindenburg of the novel.
(d) The Clown Prince of prose.

Short Answer Questions

1. What, according to Mencken, is "The Incomparable Buzz-Saw"?

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

3. Why do the majority of people lie, according to Mencken?

4. What was the name of H. L. Mencken's brother?

5. In "Gore in the Caribees," what was Mencken's perspective on the revolution in Cuba?

(see the answer key)

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