View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what area of Ceylon did the Minors set up their residence in 1834?
(a) Manepay.
(b) Cochin.
(c) Doa.
(d) Trivandrum.

2. What word is defined in the opening of the book?
(a) Love.
(b) Word.
(c) Kill.
(d) Murder.

3. Where were George Merrett and his wife originally from?
(a) Derry.
(b) Gloucestershire.
(c) Lambeth.
(d) Hampshire.

4. How did the audience react to the fact that hundreds of amateurs would be needed to take on such a project for a new dictionary?
(a) With sadness.
(b) With happiness.
(c) With revolt.
(d) With shock.

5. According to the author, who is the "second" protagonist of the story?
(a) James Augustus Henry Murray.
(b) Dr. Henry Sweet.
(c) Dr. Minor.
(d) Mrs. Elsa.

6. Where was Dr. Minor's house located in London?
(a) Newington.
(b) Paddington.
(c) Shacklewell.
(d) St. James Square.

7. Lucy was born to the Minors __________after William's birth.
(a) Three years.
(b) Two years.
(c) Six years.
(d) One year.

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

9. Who took over Furnivall's place as editor of the Oxford English Dictionary?
(a) Scott.
(b) Dixon.
(c) Murray.
(d) Trench.

10. What two words does the author use to describe the Lambeth area, particularly in relation to the undrained marsh?
(a) Utterly hopeless.
(b) Sadly hopeless.
(c) Positively vile.
(d) Greatly disgusting.

11. How old was the man who killed Merrett?
(a) Thirty-one.
(b) Thirty-seven.
(c) Forty-two.
(d) Thirty-eight.

12. Murray was born next to the border of _________.
(a) Scotland.
(b) France.
(c) Ireland.
(d) Panama.

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

14. According to Chapter 5, which dictionary far surpassed all that came before it?
(a) The Oxford English Dictionary.
(b) The English Dictionary of America.
(c) The Oxford Cambridge Dictionary of English.
(d) The American Dictionary.

15. What kind of work did the Minors do in Ceylon?
(a) Coconut farming.
(b) Tea plantation.
(c) Missionary.
(d) Coffee plantation.

Short Answer Questions

1. What central figure in the story happened across Murray's appeal to the English people in regards to the Oxford English Dictionary?

2. What was the tragedy of the three shots fired named by the papers?

3. In what area of New London does the story open?

4. How did the author describe the man who chased George Merrett on the night of his death?

5. Who wrote A Dictionary of the English Language?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 418 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample