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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. 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.

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

5. What did Mencken, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, feel about the tradition of giving medals in the military?
(a) Medals should be reserved just for generals, as the "idea men" of the military.
(b) Medals should be given to common soldiers, and not just generals.
(c) Medals should be given on a daily basis, because every day soldiers sacrifice.
(d) Medals should be given only at the conclusion of career service.

6. What did Mencken think about Lincoln's issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation?
(a) Lincoln was tricked into issuing the proclamation by business interests.
(b) Lincoln issued the proclamation in a desperate and emotionally-troubled state.
(c) Lincoln delayed releasing the proclamation until a politically-favorable time.
(d) Lincoln was doing the bidding of "Black Republicans" by releasing the proclamation.

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

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

9. Why does the typical man have a poor conception of beauty?
(a) Even a man's enemy will tell him his wife is pretty.
(b) The entire world, with very few exceptions, is hideously ugly.
(c) Even mirrors are manufactured to lie about a woman's beauty.
(d) Make-up is made with a chemical that confuses the brain.

10. What did Mencken wonder about Henry Cabot Lodge?
(a) Why he did not pick a more noble profession.
(b) Why he did not run for president.
(c) Why he thought he was so superior to everyone.
(d) Why he felt he must belittle everyone around him.

11. Which was NOT one of the reasons why a Christian wouldn't man cheat on his wife, according to "The Libertine"?
(a) He was too fatigued by all the Christian rules he must follow.
(b) He didn't have the money to support a mistress.
(c) He didn't have the courage.
(d) He had a conscience to tell him no.

12. What criticism did Dr. William Bayard Hale have for Woodrow Wilson?
(a) Wilson was more interested in tea parties and social functions than policy discussions.
(b) Wilson had the gall to pardon Eugene Debs.
(c) His rhetoric was lofty, but ultimately empty of substance.
(d) As an orator, Wilson was dull, and focuses too much on foreign policy.

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

14. How did Gene the magistrate handle an overzealous Methodist clergyman?
(a) Gene ruled that religion was essential to the functioning of a democracy.
(b) Gene ruled that the clergyman was within his rights to practice in the Jewish ghetto.
(c) Gene created trumped-up charges to render him no longer a problem.
(d) Gene had policemen follow the clergyman wherever he went.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What moral choice faced Mencken and a cop on New Year's Day, in "Recollections of Notable Cops"?

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

3. What was the subject of Walt Whitman's "Democratic Vistas"?

4. What dominated Puritanism, according to Mencken in "The National Letters"?

5. What cheeky nickname did Mencken give Theodore Dreiser?

(see the answer keys)

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