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

2. What did Mencken satirize in "Quid Est Veritas"?

3. What did Mencken wonder about Henry Cabot Lodge?

4. Which of the following could NOT be used to describe Mencken's tone in "Star-Spangled Man"?

5. What does Mencken state about the literary influence(s) of Theodore Dreiser?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. According to Mencken, Theodore Dreiser had what emotional effect on the reader?

3. What criticisms did Mencken have for Theodore Dreiser?

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

5. Why did Alistair Cooke feel that Mencken experienced a "downfall" in the 1930s?

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

7. Why are "handsome men" suspicious, according to "The Lure of Beauty"?

8. According to Mencken, why do so many people lie?

9. What questions did Mencken raise about the contemporary understanding of Abraham Lincoln?

10. What is democracy's aim, in "A Blind Spot"? What is a crime in the eyes of democracy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In articles like "The Baltimore of the Eighties," Mencken looks back on his childhood. What attitude does Mencken have toward childhood? How did his childhood impact the man he became? Why is it valuable to take this look back?

Essay Topic 2

Mencken often mentions the idea of an American aristocracy, as in "The National Letters." What could an American aristocracy accomplish, to Mencken's mind? How does Mencken's ideas for the aristocracy relate to his opinions about intellectuals versus common people? What kinds of government systems does he compare the aristocracy to?

Essay Topic 3

Mencken was interested in reviving an American intellectual movement.

A) Who were the forefathers of this movement? What texts are important?

B) What does Mencken feel is the current state of the American intellectual movement?

C) What can be done to further the movement?

(see the answer keys)

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