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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 "great humorist" does Mencken cite in Chapter 1.3 as "celebrating 'the vigorous new vernacular of the occidental plains and mountains'"?
(a) John Fiske.
(b) Samuel Elridge.
(c) Mark Twain.
(d) William Dean Howells.

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

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

4. 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 Herald</i>.
(d) The <i>Daily News</i>.

5. According to the tale spread by William Gifford, what language was supposed to be substituted for English during the Revolutionary War?
(a) Latin.
(b) Hebrew.
(c) French.
(d) Spanish.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which letter of the alphabet do Americans differ in pronunciation from other English-speaking countries?

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

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

4. Which of the following did the African slaves NOT introduce to American English?

5. What English word does the author of "Men and Manners" lament about the American re-signification?

(see the answer key)

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