View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which 1914 English dictionary made many important concessions to American spellings?
(a) The London Pocket Dictionary.
(b) The Concise Oxford Dictionary.
(c) The New English Dictionary.
(d) The Cambridge Fleet Edition.

2. What purpose does Miss Wittmann say is served by the shortening of word forms?
(a) None.
(b) Creativity.
(c) Convenience.
(d) Color.

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

4. Which European language has exerted the most influence on the American language?
(a) French.
(b) German.
(c) Italian.
(d) Spanish.

5. According to Mencken, the English opposition to American spelling transcends the academic and takes on the character of what?
(a) The patriotic.
(b) The religious.
(c) The ethical.
(d) The political.

Short Answer Questions

1. From what language does the English word "moose" come?

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

3. What word best describes the English attitude towards the adoption of foreign loan-words, in contrast to the American attitude?

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

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)

This section contains 206 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample