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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 23, Souvenirs of a Journalist, Chapter 24, Criticism.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Mencken react to a religious ceremony inside a basilica, as he recounts in Chapter 15?
(a) With indifference.
(b) With intellectual curiosity.
(c) With disgust.
(d) With joy.

2. What is the chief problem with political theorists?
(a) They attempt to dignify the political order of their day.
(b) They hate politics in general.
(c) They have little sense of history.
(d) They are too antagonistic to the current political system.

3. Why does Mencken praise doctors in Chapter 16?
(a) They do a great deal of good for poor people.
(b) They are charlatans, but they know how to play the game.
(c) A professional class like doctors can create a new American aristocracy.
(d) They have wonderful gadgets that are endlessly fascinating.

4. What is "one of the most valuable human possessions" according to Mencken in Chapter 16?
(a) Spatial awareness.
(b) Dignity.
(c) The reputation of being rich.
(d) The ability to do simple math.

5. In the boxing match Mencken reports on in Chapter 23, why do most want the favorite boxer to lose?
(a) He had evaded service in World War I.
(b) He had beaten his wife up the night before.
(c) He was drunk and hollering at the crowd.
(d) He had been accused of taking steroids.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 23, Mencken attends a church service during the Scopes Monkey Trial. What is his impression of that service?

2. Mencken reports on a boxing with which famed boxer?

3. What BEST characterizes Mencken's view of the townspeople involved in the Scopes Monkey Trial?

4. What is the subject of Chapter 7?

5. Where did the Scopes Monkey Trial take place?

(see the answer key)

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