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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What climate is the island of Ceylon?

2. When does this story take place?

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

4. Trench argued that dictionaries should be histories of the life span of every word and that these lives should be ______.

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

5. In what way was Trench's appeal to the masses who would be needed to help compile the Oxford English Dictionary democratic?

6. 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?

7. What can be appreciated about the Oxford English Dictionary being called "The Big Dictionary"?

8. What is the effect of the author's choice to define the word "murder" on the audience?

9. Why does the author take time to note the sheer volume of words and weight of the Oxford English Dictionary? What parallels can be drawn between this and the dictionary's makers?

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

(see the answer keys)

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