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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. On what holiday did Dr. Minor arrive in London in the opening of Chapter 4, Gathering Earth's Daughters?

2. In what year was the Oxford English Dictionary completed?

3. What two words does the author use to describe the Lambeth area, particularly in relation to the undrained marsh?

4. Who took over Furnivall's place as editor of the Oxford English Dictionary?

5. How many children did the Merretts have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the author suggest Oxford finally conceded to the switch from Furnivall to Murray for the position of editor?

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

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

4. 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?

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

6. 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?

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

8. 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?

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

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

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

Dramatic irony is in many ways a key element of the events of the text. Discuss with examples.

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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