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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through 19-23.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following could NOT be used to describe Mencken's tone in "Star-Spangled Man"?
(a) Tongue-in-cheek.
(b) Sarcastic.
(c) Sentimental.
(d) Hyperbolic.

2. What human flaw does democracy depend upon, according to Mencken?
(a) Vanity.
(b) Greed.
(c) Envy.
(d) Rage.

3. What dominated Puritanism, according to Mencken in "The National Letters"?
(a) The simple necessities of food, clothing, and shelter.
(b) Fear, and the suspicion of art.
(c) Religious tomfoolery.
(d) Free-thinking men of purpose.

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

5. Which historical figure did Mencken ridicule by stating he was known as a "plaster saint"?
(a) Napoleon Bonaparte.
(b) Theodore Dreiser.
(c) George Washington.
(d) Abraham Lincoln.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "The National Letters," what was the cause of all the "diseases" which afflict America?

2. According to "The Skeptic," what do women always bear?

3. What does Mencken call a man who resists the charms of women?

4. Which was NOT a source of loud noise in the Baltimore of the 1880s, according to Mencken?

5. What was "The Art Eternal" according to Mencken?

(see the answer key)

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