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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Utopian Flights," how does Mencken believe legislators should be chosen?
(a) At random, not unlike jurors.
(b) By a simple popular vote.
(c) By a committee of intellectuals.
(d) By the elected president.

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

3. Who wrote Parsifal?
(a) Schubert.
(b) Beethoven.
(c) Strauss.
(d) Wagner.

4. What device does Mencken call a "boon to bores"?
(a) Radio.
(b) Telephone.
(c) Elevator.
(d) Thermostat.

5. Which is NOT one of the benefits Mencken sees should America put into place his ideas in "Utopian Flights"?
(a) Elimination of political campaigns.
(b) The election of people who actually want to be legislators.
(c) Reduction of election costs.
(d) Insertion of people who believe public service is a chore.

6. What does Mencken believe about physical punishment in education?
(a) He believes there is no place for physical punishment in school.
(b) He believes only parents should be called upon to physically discipline their children.
(c) He believes physical punishment should have a regular place in the schedule of a school day.
(d) He believes physical punishment should be an option given to teachers.

7. Which classical composer could not "write for the mob"?
(a) Strauss.
(b) Brahms.
(c) Beethoven.
(d) Schubert.

8. What was Roosevelt's team of political advisers popularly called?
(a) The Brain Trust.
(b) The Brooklyn Thirteen.
(c) Roosevelt's Riveters.
(d) The Washington Eggheads.

9. What kind of test does Mencken believe teachers should have to pass prior to teaching?
(a) An IQ test.
(b) A test of general world knowledge.
(c) A speech test.
(d) An SAT test.

10. Who was the attorney on the side of the defense in the Scopes Monkey Trial?
(a) Theodore Veblen.
(b) Clarence Darrow.
(c) Anthony Still.
(d) William Jennings Bryan.

11. Who wrote the Viennese Waltz?
(a) Schubert.
(b) Strauss.
(c) Beethoven.
(d) Brahms.

12. According to Chapter 16, which political system is responsible for the majority of civilization as we know it?
(a) Oligarchy.
(b) Capitalism.
(c) Socialism.
(d) Dictatorship.

13. What quality makes for the best literary critic, according to Chapter 24?
(a) Adhering to a specific philosophical system.
(b) The goal to create a work of art.
(c) Accuracy and a need to refute error.
(d) Advancing a personal agenda or doctrine.

14. Why does Mencken believe life on other planets is highly unlikely?
(a) Temperatures elsewhere than earth cannot sustain life.
(b) There is too much methane on most planets.
(c) There is a lack of carbon on most planets.
(d) God only created life on Earth.

15. Which contemporary author does Mencken compare to Edgar Allan Poe because of his taste for the macabre?
(a) James Huneker.
(b) Ambrose Bierce.
(c) Hamlin Garland.
(d) Ring Lardner.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does the topic of "disease" give pathologists pause?

2. What is Mencken's view of chiropractors?

3. What is NOT one of the qualities of being a teacher according to Mencken?

4. Which is NOT one of the features of the typical school day, as envisioned by Mencken?

5. What unusual stance does Mencken take in regards to disease?

(see the answer keys)

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