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

2. Which of the following groups of foreign immigrants does Mencken not attribute influence over American English in Chapter 6.4?
(a) Italians.
(b) Slavic peoples.
(c) Russian Jews.
(d) South-Pacific Asian Islanders.

3. Who is the author of "Travels in North America," published in 1827?
(a) Charles Astor Bristed.
(b) Basil Hall.
(c) Louis Untermeyer.
(d) Henry Alford.

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

5. According to Chapter 8.4, what is the first impulse behind American imitation of English orthography?
(a) Convenience.
(b) Affectation.
(c) Anti-colonialism.
(d) Compromise for cheaper printing.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Who "tries" a legal case in England?

3. Which is the second factor that Mencken identifies as an impediment to the growth of the American language in Chapter 3.1?

4. In what location does Mencken say both the American and English orthographies flourish side by side?

5. How is the "portmanteau-word" formed?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 236 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample