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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who heard the three shots fired in the beginning of the book?
(a) Henry Burton.
(b) William Ward.
(c) Eliza Ward.
(d) Henry Tarrant.

2. In what city was Murray born?
(a) Derry.
(b) Hawick.
(c) Lovely.
(d) Yorkshire.

3. How many slips of paper came in from volunteers who wanted to add to the newly proposed dictionary?
(a) Six million.
(b) Twelve thousand.
(c) Fifty thousand.
(d) One million.

4. For what purpose was Murray asked to go to Oxford?
(a) To speak with the president of Oxford University.
(b) To speak with the residents of Oxford.
(c) To speak with the dean of Oxford University.
(d) To speak to the Oxford Publishing delegates.

5. How did the author describe the attitude of the killer caught for Merrett's death upon the killer's capture?
(a) Excited and happy.
(b) Bored and uninterested.
(c) Cool and collected.
(d) Embarrassed and sad.

6. Who arrested Merrett's killer?
(a) Constable Tarrant.
(b) William Ward.
(c) Officer Burton.
(d) Henry Burton.

7. Who killed Merrett?
(a) Chester James Wilcox.
(b) James Chester Minor.
(c) John Washington Wilcox.
(d) William Chester Minor.

8. How have many described the language of the Oxford English Dictionary?
(a) Easy.
(b) Arrogant.
(c) Basic.
(d) Complicated.

9. According to Mr. Trench, who approved of the global spread of the English language?
(a) Jesus.
(b) Christians.
(c) God.
(d) The Queen.

10. On what notable holiday did the making of the Oxford English Dictionary begin?
(a) The Queen's Birthday.
(b) Guy Fawke's Day.
(c) May Day.
(d) Christmas Day.

11. When does this story take place?
(a) Late 18th century.
(b) Mid 19th century.
(c) Late 19th century.
(d) Early 19th century.

12. Where was Minor born?
(a) London.
(b) Sri Lanka.
(c) New Hampshire.
(d) Bristol.

13. When are the first Latin dictionaries noted to have been in existence?
(a) 1273.
(b) 1321.
(c) 1225.
(d) 1232.

14. From what disease did William's mother die?
(a) Lyme's disease.
(b) Cancer.
(c) Tuberculosis.
(d) Typhoid fever.

15. With whom was William to live upon arriving in the United States?
(a) His uncle.
(b) Missionaries.
(c) His cousin.
(d) His Aunt.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who would publish the first Oxford English Dictionary?

2. Why did the demand for dictionaries increase according to the author in Chapter 4?

3. What were Merrett's killer's two former professional positions?

4. The Minor family came to the United States only a decade after what group of people?

5. Trench argued that dictionaries should be histories of the life span of every word and that these lives should be ______.

(see the answer keys)

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