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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 3.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Before "A Table Alphabeticall", how were most catalogs and word lists arranged?
(a) By order of the philosophers.
(b) By order of the king's scribe.
(c) By topic.
(d) By frequency of use.

2. What language do the drums of what is now Zaire mimic?
(a) Swahili
(b) Kele.
(c) Zulu.
(d) Bantu.

3. All known alphabets are based on the original alphabet that emerged about 1500 B.C. in what area?
(a) Egypt.
(b) The Mediterranean region.
(c) South America.
(d) Asia.

4. Who was the sixth editor of the Oxford English Dictionary?
(a) Mark Twain.
(b) John Simpson.
(c) Thomas Edison.
(d) Lord Byron.

5. What word book by James Murray was first published in 1879?
(a) A Table Alphabeticall.
(b) The Birth of Writing.
(c) The First Language.
(d) Oxford English Dictionary.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many years ago was the first language established?

2. How did the drummers of Africa differentiate between similar words?

3. An alphabetical list did not take what element of the word into account at all, but mechanically placed it in a slot based on the order of the letters?

4. In what manner was "A Table Alphabeticall" arranged?

5. What was the small device intended to replace bulky vacuum tubes perfected by Bell Laboratories called?

(see the answer key)

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