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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Charlie the policeman was charged with which task, in "Recollections of Notable Cops"?

3. What does Mencken make synonymous with democracy in "A Blind Spot"?

4. What aspect of man-woman relationships are the movies incorrect about, according to Mencken?

5. According to Mencken, how did members of the lower class respond to Wilson?

Short Essay Questions

1. What criticisms did Mencken level at General John Pershing?

2. What was the nature of Mencken's first-ever printed article?

3. According to Mencken, why would a Christian man not cheat on his wife, according to "The Libertine"?

4. What was Gene the magistrate's approach to law and justice in "Recollections of Notable Cops"?

5. In "Gore in the Caribees," what becames of the rebel leader, Jose Miguel Gomez?

6. Instead of military generals, who did Mencken wish to award medals to in "Star-Spangled Man"?

7. What was the chief problem of a Baltimore summer, according to Mencken in "The Baltimore of the Eighties"?

8. What was accomplished by Walt Whitman's "Democratic Vistas," according to Mencken?

9. What was Mencken's ideal form of government?

10. How must men react to a woman's allure?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mencken discussed perfection in "The Good Man," and states that every good quality in a man is balanced by a flaw.

A) Does Mencken feel that perfection is possible? How can "The Good Man" be reconciled with something like "A Glance Ahead," in which Mencken imagines an ideal government?

B) Is there a danger in attempting perfection?

C) What might Mencken say about perfection and its relation to organized religion?

Essay Topic 2

Mencken's style and tone are widely celebrated. Using several examples from the text, discuss Mencken's approach to style and tone. How does Mencken present himself to the reader? Who does he posit as his reader? What rhetorical devices does he use to persuade the reader of his position?

Essay Topic 3

Mencken mused about death in "Exeunt Omnes."

A) What was the aspect of death which interested Mencken the most?

B) How might "Exeunt Omnes" help us understand Mencken's anti-war stance? How does Mencken's attitude toward death relate to his anti-war stance?

C) Per Mencken's own apparent attitude, what might Mencken tell his readers is the best attitude to have toward death and mortality?

(see the answer keys)

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