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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What element guides generational language?
(a) Regionalism
(b) Pop culture
(c) Colloquialisms
(d) Superiority

2. In what year was the crossword puzzle invented?
(a) 1889
(b) 1945
(c) 1913
(d) 1965

3. Which country is used as an example of the difficulties of international communication?
(a) Germany
(b) Canada
(c) Russia
(d) Japan

4. How do the British typically view American pronunciation and vocabulary?
(a) They want to destroy them
(b) They look down on them
(c) They are open to anything American
(d) They try to emulate them

5. English cannot be confined to arbitrary rules or ____________________.
(a) colloquialisms
(b) experts
(c) authority
(d) regionalism

6. Why is it nearly impossible for a dictionary to keep pace with the English language?
(a) Regional words are always changing
(b) Slang words drop out of use
(c) It grows at such a fast pace
(d) It is not printed often enough

7. How many words did Noah Webster's dictionary contain to surpass the one mentioned in #113?
(a) 520,000
(b) 37,000
(c) 5,500
(d) 70,000

8. English is a language of constant ___________________.
(a) complexity
(b) beauty
(c) surprise
(d) change

9. Which two languages have found some purpose in international communications?
(a) Seaspeak and Esperanto
(b) Seaspeak and English
(c) Seaspeak and Chinese
(d) Esperanto and Volapuk

10. How do Americans view British pronunciation and vocabulary?
(a) They think it is too affected
(b) They want to destroy it
(c) They try to imitate it
(d) They ignore it

11. A trend seen on both sides of the Atlantic is that of _________________________.
(a) fining for swear words written in public
(b) whispering swear words in public
(c) punishing for swear words said in public
(d) restricting swear words in public

12. Who invented the crossword puzzle?
(a) An American newspaper editor
(b) A second grade teacher
(c) A nurse
(d) A university professor

13. In what countries is English studied?
(a) Countries all over the world
(b) Asia
(c) Europe
(d) North America

14. The English language is left to ___________ and public figures.
(a) anthropologists
(b) academic
(c) scientific
(d) entertainment

15. What else is difficult to determine about the English language?
(a) How slang develops
(b) What is determined to be proper
(c) How many words the average person knows
(d) How each word is altered by region

Short Answer Questions

1. From whom did North American settlers borrow words?

2. In addition to organization, what other issues arise when publishing a dictionary?

3. What is another characteristic of spoken swear words?

4. What does the author consider to be unreliable in monitoring English word usage?

5. What is another major language issue in North America?

(see the answer keys)

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