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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. What was Mencken's criticism for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address?

2. Which was described as Mencken's earliest memory?

3. What did Mencken satirize in "Quid Est Veritas"?

4. What, according to Mencken, is "The Incomparable Buzz-Saw"?

5. What moral choice faced Mencken and a cop on New Year's Day, in "Recollections of Notable Cops"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What criticisms did Mencken level at General John Pershing?

2. What was accomplished by Walt Whitman's "Democratic Vistas," according to Mencken?

3. What criticisms did Mencken have for Theodore Dreiser?

4. In "A Blind Spot," why was Mencken impervious to the ills of democracy?

5. What questions did Mencken raise about the contemporary understanding of Abraham Lincoln?

6. Why did Mencken criticize Woodrow Wilson?

7. Instead of military generals, who did Mencken wish to award medals to in "Star-Spangled Man"?

8. What was Mencken's opinion about Henry Cabot Lodge?

9. What is democracy's aim, in "A Blind Spot"? What is a crime in the eyes of democracy?

10. Why was 1880s Baltimore such a loud town?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Abraham Lincoln was the subject of a long essay. Discuss the logic and structure of Mencken's argument in regards to Abraham Lincoln. What premise does Mencken assume? What is his thesis? What evidence does he use to support his thesis, and what logic does he employ?

Essay Topic 2

Beauty and ugliness were topics of the articles "The Lure of Beauty" and "The Libido of the Ugly."

A) How does Mencken define beauty? How is beauty related to art criticism?

B) Is beauty objective or subjective? Cite examples in the text of how Mencken might answer this question.

C) How is beauty related to physical attraction?

Essay Topic 3

Religion was the frequent target of Mencken's attacks, such as in "Quid Est Veritas?" and "Holy Writ."

A) Why is religion dangerous, according to Mencken? Cite specific examples in the texts.

B) Can religion be salvaged somehow, to Mencken's mind, or is religion universally bad?

C) Describe fundamentalism, and discuss how fundamentalism factors in to Mencken's religious views.

(see the answer keys)

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