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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 long after the Minors settled in Ceylon was William Minor born?
(a) Three months.
(b) Five weeks.
(c) One year.
(d) Two years.

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. In what century did demand for dictionaries increase?

4. Who heard the three shots fired in the beginning of the book?

5. What climate is the island of Ceylon?

Short Essay Questions

1. Did the "Battle of the Wilderness" push Minor past his mental capacities to function normally in social settings or public? If so, how does the author make this clear?

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

3. According to the author, "The quotes would show how words had been used over centuries and explained when they had changed. The project was commissioned in the 1850s but was not profitable, yet many believe the OED is valuable far beyond its price." Why might people believe it is valuable far beyond its price?

4. Why might the author have defined the word "protagonist" in such depth?

5. How might the fact that the killer was of a learned professional background NOT have been surprising to readers?

6. Many critics found the Oxford English Dictionary to be racist and sexist. Explain how the author suggests this may have happened.

7. 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?

8. 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?

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

10. Given the information that the reader gleans from the nature of the Philological Society, as well as people speaking in the London Library, what characteristics of the London Library in Minor's day show it to be different from a public library of this day and age?

(see the answer keys)

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