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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 4.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did the drummers of Africa differentiate between similar words?
(a) The drummer added special emphasis.
(b) The main drummer was assisted by another drummer.
(c) The drummer added short descriptive phrases.
(d) The drummer had to let those receiving the message figure out the right words.

2. What word book by Robert Cawdrey was published first in 1604?
(a) A Table Alphabeticall.
(b) Oxford English Dictionary.
(c) The Written Word.
(d) The English Language.

3. How was "A Table Alphabeticall" intended to help people?
(a) The learn the alphabet.
(b) To understand the alphabets of the world.
(c) To better understand the use of words.
(d) To learn the history of language.

4. In what field was Charles Babbage an early pioneer?
(a) Astronomy.
(b) Computer science.
(c) Physics.
(d) Advanced mathematics.

5. What culture grouped characters in categories such as tools, weapons, plants, animals, and buildings?
(a) The Italians.
(b) The Chinese.
(c) The Inca Culture.
(d) The Egyptians.

Short Answer Questions

1. While working on plans for this "analytical engine," Babbage struck an acquaintance with what individual?

2. What was the goal of James Murray when he wrote the first Oxford English Dictionary in 1879?

3. How did sub-Saharan African tribes communicate over long distances?

4. What type of lists did Babbage create about livestock, fabric, letter combinations in various languages and other facts?

5. in what year did John Carrington, an English missionary, publish "The Talking Drums of Africa"?

(see the answer key)

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