View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 6.1 | Chapter 6.2.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In terms of politics, an American candidate "runs" for office. What does an English candidate do?
(a) Stands.
(b) Sprints.
(c) Sits.
(d) Jumps.

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

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

4. What notable author was the first Englishman to carry Americanisms successfully back to his home?
(a) Joseph Conrad.
(b) Charles Dickens.
(c) G.K. Chesterton.
(d) Cleveland Coxe.

5. Which of the early presidents does Mencken identify as archetypal of the new American?
(a) George Washington.
(b) James Monroe.
(c) Andrew Jackson.
(d) Thomas Jefferson.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

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

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

4. What moniker of currency has persisted in America despite having no currency properly of that name?

5. What class of Americans is most influenced by Briticisms, according to Mencken in Chapter 5.2?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 220 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample