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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 8.3 | Chapter 8.4.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. From which of the following have the English changed their spelling?
(a) Programme.
(b) Kilogramme.
(c) Develope.
(d) Gramme.

2. Which of the following did the African slaves NOT introduce to American English?
(a) Gumbo.
(b) Banjo.
(c) Voodoo.
(d) Goober.

3. What American writer does Mencken claim likely inspired envy in British writers?
(a) Fowler.
(b) Poe.
(c) Irving.
(d) Griswold.

4. What does the English "secondary school" correspond to in American?
(a) High school.
(b) College.
(c) Elementary school.
(d) Middle school.

5. How is the "portmanteau-word" formed?
(a) By onomatopoeic creativity.
(b) By finding the true root in the word.
(c) By blending two words.
(d) By mixing parts of words with the same meaning in different languages.

Short Answer Questions

1. What term did John Witherspoon coin, framing it within the context of vulgarity?

2. Which of the following groups of foreign immigrants does Mencken not attribute influence over American English in Chapter 6.4?

3. Which 1914 English dictionary made many important concessions to American spellings?

4. What does Mencken list as dominant the English alternative for the word "mail"?

5. According to the tale spread by William Gifford, what language was supposed to be substituted for English during the Revolutionary War?

(see the answer key)

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