View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "The National Letters," what was the cause of all the "diseases" which afflict America?
(a) The presumption of guilt, rather than innocence, in legal matters.
(b) The lack of a stable aristocracy.
(c) Organized religion.
(d) The lack of a proper diet.

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

3. Why do "handsome men" deserve suspicion?
(a) The human body is inherently ugly.
(b) They are terrible conversationalists.
(c) They are always self-serving and vain.
(d) They are "ugly" inside.

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

5. Who presided over the Republican Convention of 1920?
(a) Henry Cabot Lodge.
(b) Grover Garfield.
(c) William Jennings Bryan.
(d) Franklin Pierce.

6. Why did Mencken disagree with contemporary assessments of Abraham Lincoln?
(a) Mencken believed a much broader conspiracy was in place in regards to Lincoln's assassination.
(b) Abraham Lincoln did not get nearly enough credit for freeing the slaves, according to Mencken.
(c) Critics maligned Lincoln for his handling of the Civil War, and Mencken thinks he did a fine job.
(d) Critics praised him as a hero and don't question some dubious sections of his biography.

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

8. According to Mencken, what was the Union fighting for in the Civil War?
(a) Self-governance.
(b) Freedom.
(c) Profit.
(d) Against the notion of self-determinism.

9. According to Mencken, the intellectual tradition of Whitman and Emerson had been transferred to which man?
(a) William Jennings Bryan.
(b) Van Wyck Brooks.
(c) Jose Miguel Gomez.
(d) Theodore Dreiser.

10. In "Pater Patriae," which was NOT one of the reasons Mencken admired George Washington?
(a) He was tough-living, and whiskey-drinking.
(b) He was not convinced of the wisdom of common people.
(c) He could cuss up a storm.
(d) He put his trust and authority in intellectuals and lawyers.

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

12. What aspect of man-woman relationships are the movies incorrect about, according to Mencken?
(a) Men don't like to date women younger than themselves.
(b) Women always begin a romance; men are too cowardly.
(c) There is no such thing as romantic love.
(d) Handsome men are not sought after by women.

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

14. What was Alistair Cooke's relationship to H. L. Mencken?
(a) A childhood acquaintance.
(b) A political enemy.
(c) A journalist and friend.
(d) A poet whom Mencken greatly admires.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. According to the editor, why were the 1930s Mencken's "downfall"?

4. What did Gene the magistrate do with respect to an old man in his court accused of wife beating?

5. In "Star-Spangled Man," Mencken argued that who, besides soldiers, should get medals?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 750 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample