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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 two words does the author use to describe the Lambeth area, particularly in relation to the undrained marsh?

2. Who would publish the first Oxford English Dictionary?

3. How did the audience react to the fact that hundreds of amateurs would be needed to take on such a project for a new dictionary?

4. How many children did the Merretts have?

5. What kind of Christianity did the Murray family follow?

Short Essay Questions

1. What can be appreciated about the Oxford English Dictionary being called "The Big Dictionary"?

2. In what way was Trench's appeal to the masses who would be needed to help compile the Oxford English Dictionary democratic?

3. In regards to Trench's speech, what did he view each word as having? What must be charted for each word?

4. What does the title of the book imply to prospective readers?

5. What is the effect of the author's choice to define the word "murder" on the audience?

6. How might the fact that the killer was of a learned professional background NOT have been surprising to readers?

7. What reason(s) does the author give for Minor's parents sending him to the US to live with his uncle?

8. What can be surmised about the author's intention by naming his first chapter, " The Dead of Night in Lambeth Marsh"?

9. Why does the author suggest that Minor moved from his initial area of residence in London, St James Square, to Lambeth Marsh?

10. Why might the author have defined the word "protagonist" in such depth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the ways in which religious faith plays an important role in the production of The Oxford English Dictionary, with particular reference to Charles Minor and James Murray.

Essay Topic 2

How does the author show that The Oxford English Dictionary was a completely different undertaking than any of the dictionaries that had come before it? Illustrate your answer with examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Despite the fact that this a work of non-fiction, there are elements of foreshadowing in the way the author tells the story. Explain how this occurs and discuss their effect.

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This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample