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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. What did Merrett's killer claim about the murder?
2. In what year did Dr. Minor arrive in London?
3. How old was the man who killed Merrett?
4. With whom was William to live upon arriving in the United States?
5. How many years later did the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary come out after the original?
Short Essay Questions
1. Many critics found the Oxford English Dictionary to be racist and sexist. Explain how the author suggests this may have happened.
2. 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?
3. Why does the author suggest that Minor moved from his initial area of residence in London, St James Square, to Lambeth Marsh?
4. What reason(s) does the author give for Minor's parents sending him to the US to live with his uncle?
5. The author says that Minor became unworried by his "lascivious thoughts" while at Yale. What is a possible explanation for this?
6. What is significant about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary's beginnings to have begun on Guy Fawkes Day in England?
7. 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?
8. What can be appreciated about the Oxford English Dictionary being called "The Big Dictionary"?
9. What is the effect of the author's choice to define the word "murder" on the audience?
10. What aspects of the Latin-English dictionaries provided impetus for the makers of the Oxford English Dictionary to make their own English dictionary?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Despite the fact that this a work of non-fiction, there are elements of foreshadowing in the way the author tells the story. Explain how this occurs and discuss their effect.
Essay Topic 2
The author opens the book with the dictionary entry for the word "murder." Discuss the reasons why he might have done this with reference to the people mentioned in the book, the book's central subject of The Oxford English Dictionary, and the author's own interests.
Essay Topic 3
How does the author show that The Oxford English Dictionary was a completely different undertaking than any of the dictionaries that had come before it? Illustrate your answer with examples from the text.
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This section contains 1,061 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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