View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 11, The South, Chapter 12, History.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the fundamental flaw of the democratic style of government?
(a) Voting systems can never be 100% accurate.
(b) The people are not competent to govern themselves.
(c) Over time, democracy resembles monarchy.
(d) There are simply too many intelligent people to decide between.

2. Who rules American culture, according to Chapter 10?
(a) The uncivilized mob.
(b) Psychologists and doctors.
(c) The learned aristocracy.
(d) Quacks such as chiropractors.

3. Why is the "pretty man" hated?
(a) Women are jealous of pretty men.
(b) The pretty man reminds us of all of our own faults.
(c) The pretty man is almost universally also very dumb.
(d) Women care less for beauty than men do.

4. What is Mencken's opinion of the American South?
(a) He believes that southerners are intellectually superior to northerners, but rarely show it.
(b) He thinks highly of it because of its emphasis on grassroots values.
(c) He loathes it and believes it to be a crude and uncultured place.
(d) He thinks it is a spiritually enlightened place.

5. How intelligent are women according to Mencken?
(a) They are completely stupid in thought and deed.
(b) They are usually much more intelligent than men.
(c) They pretend to be dumb, but are in fact quite intelligent.
(d) They pretend to be intelligent, but deep down are quite stupid.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of people are most often forgotten by historical records, per Chapter 12?

2. How has Mencken organized his book?

3. What is Man's one unique characteristic, per Chapter 1?

4. What kind of promises do politicians make?

5. In "female novels," how are males portrayed according to Mencken?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 298 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample