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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What was the overall effect of the large amount of word donors on Furnivall and his dictionary volunteers?
(a) Furnivall hired many more excited volunteers.
(b) Furnivall eventually lost his energy, and the volunteers lost enthusiasm as a result.
(c) Furnivall became afraid and fled to Spain.
(d) Furnivall's volunteers turned against him.

3. The Minor family came to the United States only a decade after what group of people?
(a) The Pilgrims.
(b) King Louis XII's missionaries.
(c) Spanish Conquistadors.
(d) Native Americans.

4. The Oxford Dictionary was comprised of _____________volumes.
(a) Six.
(b) Twelve.
(c) Eight.
(d) Nine.

5. What did Mr. Trench argue about the major dictionaries available at the time?
(a) They were incorrect.
(b) Only one had proper command of the English language.
(c) They were sufficient for disseminating the English language at the time.
(d) They had major defects.

6. What did the killer do immediately upon being arrested by police?
(a) Laughed uncontrollably.
(b) Fell asleep.
(c) Confessed.
(d) Tried to escape.

7. Why did the demand for dictionaries increase according to the author in Chapter 4?
(a) Many of the original dictionaries were burned.
(b) People wanted to learn about more difficult words.
(c) The language changed markedly.
(d) More immigrants came to England.

8. How does the author describe the words in the early English dictionaries in Chapter 4, Gathering Earth's Daughters?
(a) Odd and poorly defined.
(b) Simple and odd.
(c) Strange and simple.
(d) Poorly defined and too little.

9. England's power grew, and it felt embarrassed for not studying its language. Why did citizens want a proper dictionary?
(a) Schools made more demands on scholars to make a new dictionary.
(b) Many wanted a dictionary for the English language in its entirety.
(c) Many wanted a dictionary for helping immigrants.
(d) Many wanted to sell them in bookstores.

10. When was the project to create the first Oxford English Dictionary commissioned?
(a) In the 1830's.
(b) In the 1850's.
(c) In the 1840's.
(d) In the 1860's.

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

12. What was the tragedy of the three shots fired named by the papers?
(a) "The Lambeth Tragedy."
(b) "The Great Tragedy."
(c) "The Strategery."
(d) "The Tragedy of London."

13. What was the idea behind the Philological Society?
(a) Improvement upon the understanding of the properly dominant language of the world.
(b) To promote new admissions to the Oxford English Dictionary.
(c) To gather and discuss new admissions to the Oxford English Dictionary.
(d) To promote Christian missionary work.

14. In what year was the Oxford English Dictionary completed?
(a) 1928.
(b) 1924.
(c) 1931.
(d) 1932.

15. In Chapter 2, the author gives a detailed description of what word?
(a) Protagonist.
(b) Antgonist.
(c) Love.
(d) Murder.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of work did the Minors do in Ceylon?

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

3. What did Merrett's killer claim about the murder?

4. In Chapter 2, The Man Who Taught Latin to Cattle, who is introduced as the first protagonist?

5. When was Minor born?

(see the answer keys)

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