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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What event does Mencken believe led to the European Renaissance?
(a) The Black Plague.
(b) The Rise of Charlemagne.
(c) The Fall of Rome.
(d) The invention of the printing press.

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

3. What is the contemporary invention that Mencken likes most?
(a) Elevator.
(b) Radio.
(c) Thermostat.
(d) Telephone.

4. Which president did Charles Joseph Bonaparte work for?
(a) Grover Cleveland.
(b) Theodore Roosevelt.
(c) Warren G. Harding.
(d) Woodrow Wilson.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Which is NOT one of the negative effects Mencken mentions in regards to Prohibition?

2. What central critique does Mencken have for teachers of his day?

3. Why does Mencken praise doctors in Chapter 16?

4. What is Mencken's view of chiropractors?

5. Sister Aimee was an evangelist in what branch of Christian religion?

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize Mencken's account of a Jack Dempsey boxing match.

2. What opinion does Mencken render about the Black Plague that decimated Europe in the Middle Ages?

3. What does Mencken feel is the contemporary state of psychology? How does he feel about Freudianism?

4. Summarize Mencken's views on William Dean Howells.

5. Why does Mencken criticize the American Medical Association? What is his opinion of doctors as a professional class?

6. What does Mencken believe about contemporary new inventions? Mention the telephone as well as the thermostat in your response.

7. What is Mencken's opinion of Prohibition? What was its effect on society?

8. How does Mencken compare socialism to capitalism? Include the Bolshevik Revolution in your response.

9. What is Mencken's belief about American millionaires?

10. In Chapter 24, Mencken discusses art and literary criticism. How do critics influence artists? And what makes for the best kind of literary critics?

(see the answer keys)

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