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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 2.3 | Chapter 2.4.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which London newspaper lamented the "menace" that American movies offer to the purity of the English language?
(a) The <i>Times</i>.
(b) The <i>Illustrated London News</i>.
(c) The <i>Daily News</i>.
(d) The <i>Daily Herald</i>.

2. 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?
(a) Localisms.
(b) Publishing.
(c) Intercommunication.
(d) Travel.

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

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

5. Which of the following did the African slaves NOT introduce to American English?
(a) Banjo.
(b) Goober.
(c) Voodoo.
(d) Gumbo.

Short Answer Questions

1. To what phrase did Benjamin Franklin, Noah Webster, and Robert Southey object as a base Americanism, as discussed in Chapter 2.3?

2. How many classifications of Americanisms does Gilbert M. Tucker provide in 1921?

3. What language does Mencken quote Sidney Low as saying is not taught to English youth?

4. Which defender of Americanisms cited by Mencken in Chapter 1.3 states that "Language is made by the people"?

5. What is the second characteristic that Mencken attributes to American English in Chapter 1.5?

(see the answer key)

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