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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 3.5 | Chapter 4.1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is the first factor that Mencken identifies as an immediate impediment to the growth of the American language in Chapter 3.1?
(a) Political disharmony.
(b) Regional diversity.
(c) Territorial expansiveness.
(d) Lack of a national literature.

2. According to the report of Beverley, what did a group of soldiers turn into after eating some Jimson Weed?
(a) Fools.
(b) Somnambulists.
(c) Corpses.
(d) Zombies.

3. What language does Mencken quote Sidney Low as saying is not taught to English youth?
(a) Greek.
(b) American.
(c) Russian.
(d) Latin.

4. Which is the second factor that Mencken identifies as an impediment to the growth of the American language in Chapter 3.1?
(a) Territorial expansiveness.
(b) Political disharmony.
(c) Regional diversity.
(d) Lack of a national literature.

5. From what language does the English word "moose" come?
(a) Algonquin.
(b) Cherokee.
(c) English.
(d) Italian.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What word did Webster argue should have its vowel sound changed to "ee" instead of "eh"?

3. According to Mencken at the beginning of Chapter 1.3, what do the novelists and newspapermen on either side of the Atlantic ocean delight in?

4. Who is the author of "Travels in North America," published in 1827?

5. Which term do English dictionaries all describe as an Americanism from the comparative list in Chapter 4.1, despite the English version being frequently used in America?

(see the answer key)

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