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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who tends to invent new words in the present day?

2. What historical occurrence is explored in Chapter 6?

3. What is common to most English speakers?

4. The author decides it is ______________ to divide the U.S. into distinct accents.

5. On what does a child's vocabulary rely?

Short Essay Questions

1. How was the Cro-Magnon man able to supersede the Neanderthal man in human development?

2. Why is learning the English language considered a large industry in the world?

3. How did the English language evolve in the British Isles or what is now known as the United Kingdom?

4. Explain how the language of one people can can change over time.

5. Explain the impact of the invasion of the Normans in England.

6. What is the dynamic of countries with more than one language?

7. What are the merits of using the English language?

8. Finally, what is the fourth method of explaining where words come from?

9. What two religious scholars are responsible for documenting language in England?

10. What is Noam Chomsky's position on how children learn language?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Regions of America become well known for their speech and language quirks. For example, the people in Baltimore, Maryland, are famous for slurring their speech. Name at least three other examples of geographically distinct language stylings.

Essay Topic 2

What is the situation when more than one language exists within a country? Explain the challenges of living in and governing such situations.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the influence of Native American, French and Spanish words on the English language as it moved to North America. Give ten examples of these influences from your own family, town, state, etc.

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