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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What word in American is used for the English word "shoe?"
(a) Slipper.
(b) Sandal.
(c) Footing.
(d) Boot.

2. What is the English meaning of the phrase "to carry on"?
(a) To talk endlessly.
(b) To raise hell.
(c) To be on the job.
(d) To shoulder one's pack.

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

4. Mencken claims that Noah Webster contains less of the scientific inquirer and more of what?
(a) The philological traditionalist.
(b) The erudite fool.
(c) The teacher.
(d) The father.

5. Who "tries" a legal case in England?
(a) The solicitor.
(b) The barrister.
(c) The jury.
(d) The judge.

Short Answer Questions

1. Whom does Mencken use to exemplify the flouting of linguistic purity in Chapter 6.1?

2. What Anglo-Saxon word does Mencken report the colonists refused to replace with an Old Norse word of similar meaning?

3. Which Founding Father coined the term "to belittle"?

4. According to Mencken, which title is subject to the greatest divergence in usage?

5. How many classifications of Americanisms does Bartlett postulate in his 1859 dictionary?

(see the answer key)

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