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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What two words did the author use to describe the Minor family's beliefs?
(a) "Founderingly heavy."
(b) "Highly cynical."
(c) "Muscularly evangelical."
(d) "Lightly sarcastic."

2. How many years later did the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary come out after the original?
(a) Thirty years.
(b) Fifty years.
(c) Forty-five years.
(d) Thirty-eight years.

3. What did Merrett's killer claim about the murder?
(a) It was easy.
(b) He was too drunk to know what was happening.
(c) It was in self defense.
(d) He had been waiting to do that for some time.

4. How many children did the Merretts have?
(a) Six.
(b) Four.
(c) Two.
(d) Seven.

5. In what year did the making of the Oxford English Dictionary begin?
(a) 1857.
(b) 1853.
(c) 1847.
(d) 1856.

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

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

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

9. How many years did it take to complete the Oxford English Dictionary?
(a) Forty.
(b) Sixty.
(c) Seventy.
(d) Twenty.

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

11. Where did Richard Chenevix Trench speak?
(a) In the streets of London.
(b) In Town Hall.
(c) Outside Cambridge University.
(d) In the London Library.

12. Many critics find the Oxford English Dictionary to be ______________.
(a) Ridiculous and sexist.
(b) Thoughtless and ridiculous.
(c) Strange and racist.
(d) Racist and sexist.

13. Trench argued that dictionaries should be histories of the life span of every word and that these lives should be ______.
(a) Ended.
(b) Explained.
(c) Charted.
(d) Given.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How many years from Trench's speech about a new dictionary did the project actually get off the ground?

2. How did people contact the Philological Society in order to submit new words to the new dictionary?

3. According to the author, who is the "second" protagonist of the story?

4. Where was Minor born?

5. In Chapter 2, the author gives a detailed description of what word?

(see the answer keys)

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