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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is one of the organizations that has failed as a grammar regulatory force?
(a) United Nations
(b) Oxford University
(c) Harvard University
(d) Academie Francaise

2. What type of names go through an adaptive period to reach worldwide markets?
(a) Financial
(b) Publishing
(c) Political
(d) Commercial

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

4. What occurs when English speaking world leaders are forced to rely on translators?
(a) Lag in translation
(b) Decisions are postponed
(c) Gross misunderstandings
(d) Errors in translation

5. Which speakers are becoming a minority of single-language users around the world?
(a) French speakers
(b) German speakers
(c) English speakers
(d) Italian speakers

6. From whom did North American settlers borrow words?
(a) Native Americans, Spanish and French
(b) Native Americans, Creole and Celtic
(c) Native Americans, Spanish and Celtic
(d) Creole, Spanish and French

7. Chapter 15 addresses the history of what?
(a) spelling bees
(b) counting
(c) word games
(d) alphabet songs

8. Why does the author feel it is difficult to trace the history of swearing?
(a) Swear words are primarily spoken, not written down
(b) People are reluctant to talk about their swear words
(c) People don't want their children exposed to it
(d) Countries do not want to be known for swearing

9. American surnames can be traced to ____________________ names.
(a) immigrant
(b) ancestral
(c) city
(d) British

10. What is the second word game described by the author in Chapter 15?
(a) Monopoly
(b) Sudoku
(c) Yahtzee
(d) Scrabble

11. How many words were contained in the dictionary mentioned in #113?
(a) 430,000
(b) 25,000
(c) 43,000
(d) 4,300

12. What did North American immigrants do with their native languages?
(a) They modified them somewhat
(b) They abandoned them
(c) They modified them radically
(d) They held to them steadfastly

13. An American car license plate can be an example of what?
(a) Vanity
(b) Metaphor
(c) Rebus
(d) Palindrome

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

15. Many words that were once considered taboo are now considered to be ______________________.
(a) quite innocent
(b) slightly offensive
(c) vulgar
(d) inappropriate

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the author note about spoken swear words throughout English literature?

2. According to the author, what do most academies hand down about English grammar?

3. From what context do many swear words come?

4. What is the mission of the English-only movement in the U.S.?

5. What do the British borrow from American English?

(see the answer keys)

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