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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 11.1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what language does Mencken state the double negative was once "quite respectable?"
(a) Anglo-Saxon.
(b) French.
(c) Spanish.
(d) Russian.

2. What is the second characteristic that Mencken attributes to American English in Chapter 1.5?
(a) Translatability to British English.
(b) Resistance to neologisms.
(c) Disunity of regional dialects.
(d) Disregard of rule and precedent.

3. In what does the American pronoun not necessarily agree with its noun?
(a) Number.
(b) Subject.
(c) Tense.
(d) Case.

4. What word was "coatee" used as a diminutive for?
(a) Coat.
(b) Beard.
(c) Hat.
(d) Shawl.

5. What does the movement towards the general vowel neutralization promise to do in the future, according to Mencken?
(a) Dispose of many vowels.
(b) Create new vowels.
(c) Clarify the pronunciation of vowels.
(d) Reduce the number of vowel sounds, but not the vowels themselves.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word did the editor of the Westminster Gazette substitute for the incomprehensible dash in the mangled Americanism of Rupert Brooke?

2. Which European language has exerted the most influence on the American language?

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

4. As what part of speech does vulgar American consider the word "self" within the spirit of the language?

5. According to Mencken, Italians often take the names of what nationality when they marry?

(see the answer key)

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