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

2. Which letter of the alphabet do Americans differ in pronunciation from other English-speaking countries?
(a) W.
(b) X.
(c) Z.
(d) J.

3. Which defender of Americanisms cited by Mencken in Chapter 1.3 states that "Language is made by the people"?
(a) George Ade.
(b) Edgar Jepson.
(c) William Archer.
(d) Richard Aldington.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What use of storage was added to the American meaning of the word "barn?"

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

3. How many dialects dominate American English, according to Chapter 1.5?

4. According to Chapter 2.6, what regional pronunciation is erroneously thought by some to have superior authority regarding English pronunciation?

5. What term did John Witherspoon coin, framing it within the context of vulgarity?

(see the answer key)

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