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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. In Chapter 5, what was the name of Mr. Trench's speech in regards to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary?
2. How many children did the Merretts have?
3. Where did Richard Chenevix Trench speak?
4. How did the author describe the man who chased George Merrett on the night of his death?
5. With whom was William to live upon arriving in the United States?
Short Essay Questions
1. What effect could it have had on logophiles to learn that Samuel Johnson had imposed limits on the history of the definitions of words in his dictionary?
2. Why might the author have defined the word "protagonist" in such depth?
3. What is the effect of the author's choice to define the word "murder" on the audience?
4. 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?
5. Why does the author suggest Oxford finally conceded to the switch from Furnivall to Murray for the position of editor?
6. What aspects of his upbringing could have contributed to Minor's issues with the tempestuous and tempting country of Ceylon?
7. What is significant about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary's beginnings to have begun on Guy Fawkes Day in England?
8. Why might Minor's father have fallen so easily in love with Judith?
9. What can be surmised about the author's intention by naming his first chapter, " The Dead of Night in Lambeth Marsh"?
10. What effect could the tragic death of his daughter have had on Murray's diligence in working on the Oxford English Dictionary?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
It could be argued that the author portrays a sense of injustice regarding the events surrounding Minor's diagnosis as being criminally insane and eventual incarceration. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 2
The title of the book and its chapter titles are somewhat surprising considering that this is a non-fiction book about the making of a famous dictionary. Why are the titles surprising? Discuss what effects the author may have aimed for in choosing these titles.
Essay Topic 3
Dramatic irony is in many ways a key element of the events of the text. Discuss with examples.
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This section contains 1,066 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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