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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 what century did demand for dictionaries increase?

2. How long after the Minors settled in Ceylon was William Minor born?

3. What kind of work did the Minors do in Ceylon?

4. How many supplements of the Oxford English Dictionary came out after the original?

5. At what time where the three shots fired in the opening of the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reason(s) does the author give for Minor's parents sending him to the US to live with his uncle?

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

3. How did Minor's branding of a deserting Irish soldier become connected to his excessive guilt about his own perceived "wrongs"?

4. 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?

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

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

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

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

9. What does the title of the book imply to prospective readers?

10. What can be surmised about the author's intention by naming his first chapter, " The Dead of Night in Lambeth Marsh"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"The English-speaking world is better off for the death of Charles Merrett." How could this statement be considered to be true? Do you think the author agrees? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Redemption and the overcoming of personal and professional obstacles are central to the text. Discuss.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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