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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 10.1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the movement towards the general vowel neutralization promise to do in the future, according to Mencken?
(a) Dispose of many vowels.
(b) Reduce the number of vowel sounds, but not the vowels themselves.
(c) Create new vowels.
(d) Clarify the pronunciation of vowels.

2. In what location does Mencken say both the American and English orthographies flourish side by side?
(a) New England.
(b) Australia.
(c) Canada.
(d) Hong Kong.

3. What does Mencken list as dominant the English alternative for the word "mail"?
(a) Post.
(b) Shipping.
(c) Postals.
(d) Letters.

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

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?
(a) Hog-pen.
(b) Freight.
(c) Rooster.
(d) Railroad.

Short Answer Questions

1. What notable author was the first Englishman to carry Americanisms successfully back to his home?

2. Into what was the French surname "Beauchamp" translated in America?

3. What language does the formalism of English grammarians come from?

4. In what century did Americans begin to rebel against the capitalization trends dominant in England?

5. According to Mencken, what did the first generations born in the New World value as a virtue over enterprise and resourcefulness?

(see the answer key)

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