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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. How did Murray spend most of his childhood?
(a) Singing with a group.
(b) Playing soccer with an elite team.
(c) Being alone.
(d) Traveling.

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

5. Where did the making of the Oxford English Dictionary begin?
(a) Under the London Bridge,
(b) Under the Big Ben Clock.
(c) The London Library.
(d) Buckingham Palace.

Short Answer Questions

1. Merrett's killer was from ______________.

2. Lucy was born to the Minors __________after William's birth.

3. According to Chapter 5, which dictionary far surpassed all that came before it?

4. What was the name of Murray's first wife?

5. In what century did demand for dictionaries increase?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways does the author state the compilation of the Dictionary of the English Language was different from the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary?

2. Why might Minor's father have fallen so easily in love with Judith?

3. What aspects of his upbringing could have contributed to Minor's issues with the tempestuous and tempting country of Ceylon?

4. Why does the author suggest that Minor moved from his initial area of residence in London, St James Square, to Lambeth Marsh?

5. What is significant about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary's beginnings to have begun on Guy Fawkes Day in England?

6. Why does the author suggest Oxford finally conceded to the switch from Furnivall to Murray for the position of editor?

7. What aspects of the Latin-English dictionaries provided impetus for the makers of the Oxford English Dictionary to make their own English dictionary?

8. For what reasons did Minor become the most famous contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary?

9. Some critics say that Samuel Johnson put too much of his personality into his work on his dictionary. How would it be possible to avoid this type of criticism?

10. In what way was Furnivall's call to ask participants to choose a time period for the book a very intelligent idea to spur the makings of the Oxford English Dictionary onward?

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