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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 politician does Mencken refer to as "a good man in a bad trade"?

2. What does Mencken believe about the universality of morality?

3. What kind of men does a democracy produce?

4. What is the proper function of punishment for crimes?

5. Why did England experience particular difficulties in World War I according to Mencken?

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize Mencken's appraisal of Abraham Lincoln.

2. In Chapter 1, what comparison does Mencken make between man and animal? Who is "superior"?

3. What is Mencken's view of monogamy/marriage?

4. Describe Mencken's opinion of George Washington. Why does Mencken admire him? Why doesn't Mencken believe Washington would do well in a contemporary political climate?

5. What is democracy's fundamental flaw? What aspect of human nature motivates democracy?

6. What is Mencken's view of punishment for crime? What is the function of punishment?

7. In Chapter 1, how does Mencken's view of humanity coincide with that of the modern scientist?

8. Describe Mencken's thought experiment, in which he imagines if the Confederacy had won the Civil War.

9. What is the average person's opinion of government, according to Mencken?

10. What is Mencken's opinion of the contemporary American South? What are its features? What rules the South?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Mencken's view of the American South, pre-Civil War versus post-Civil War. Include defining characteristics, form of government, qualities of people, culture, wealth, and anything else you feel is relevant to the discussion.

Essay Topic 2

1) Discuss Mencken's thoughts on death and suicide. What is the popular misconception of death? What is the use of suicide, and why might people refrain from committing it?

2) Discuss Mencken's thoughts on death and suicide in the context of a) his view of human nature in general, and b) his view on religion. How do these viewpoints inform one another?

Essay Topic 3

In Chapters 5 and 6, Mencken discusses morality, and crime and punishment, respectively.

1) Discuss Mencken's belief about the origin of morality, and how it evolved. Can morality change, or is it static?

2) Discuss Mencken's thoughts about Christian morality in general.

3) Discuss Mencken's opinion of contemporary forms of punishment for committed crimes. What is the role of punishment?

(see the answer keys)

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