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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 3.1 | Chapter 3.2.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What vowel sound was dominant in 18th century New England pronunciation, despite common protests to the contrary?
(a) Flat a.
(b) Broad a.
(c) Flat e.
(d) Broad o.

3. Who is the author of "Dissertations on the English Language"?
(a) Benjamin Franklin.
(b) H.L. Mencken.
(c) Thomas Jefferson.
(d) Noah Webster.

4. What is the principal reason Mencken states that the English language has not greatly diverged since the foundation of the United States of America?
(a) Solidarity of higher education.
(b) American neo-classical tastes.
(c) Transatlantic travel.
(d) Transatlantic communication.

5. According to Benjamin Franklin, what was roughly the population of the colonies in 1751?
(a) 50,000,000
(b) 1,000,000
(c) 500,000
(d) 10,000,000

Short Answer Questions

1. From what language does the English word "moose" come?

2. What American writer does Mencken claim likely inspired envy in British writers?

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

4. Which London newspaper lamented the "menace" that American movies offer to the purity of the English language?

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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