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

2. To what phrase did Benjamin Franklin, Noah Webster, and Robert Southey object as a base Americanism, as discussed in Chapter 2.3?
(a) To advocate.
(b) To process.
(c) To indulge.
(d) Free endorsement.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which European language has exerted the most influence on the American language?

3. Who proposed a generally accepted nomenclature for currency in 1785?

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

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)

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