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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the author think it is difficult to trace the history of language using only written records?
(a) Much is not accounted for if spoken language is not accounted for
(b) Meanings can be lost in translation
(c) Historians are prone to making errors
(d) Documents can be lost or altered

2. What does the author consider to be unreliable in monitoring English word usage?
(a) Foreign language textbooks
(b) Spelling books
(c) Thesauri
(d) Dictionaries

3. Who wrote the longest-standing example of an English dictionary?
(a) Samuel Johnson
(b) Noah Webster
(c) Ben Franklin
(d) G. & C. Merriam Co.

4. What language is used to communicate across borders?
(a) French
(b) English
(c) Japanese
(d) Italian

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In addition to people names, what else has had a similar naming process in both England and America?

2. How do the British typically view American pronunciation and vocabulary?

3. What word game does the author note first in Chapter 15?

4. A trend seen on both sides of the Atlantic is that of _________________________.

5. How do Americans view British pronunciation and vocabulary?

Short Essay Questions

1. Name some less common word games.

2. What happens to the use of swear words as society becomes more cognizant of propriety?

3. What is the basis for the argument of making English an international language?

4. How is the pronunciation of place names indicative of how English speakers have changed over time?

5. What does the author state as one of the oldest English language dictionaries?

6. What is the author's opinion on who actually controls the English language?

7. What were some of the transitions of the English language as it migrated to North America?

8. What is the background of Webster's Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary?

9. What impact has American English had on the British vocabulary?

10. What is the correlation between tracing swear words and tracing the history of language overall?

(see the answer keys)

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