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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 style of building was Broadmoor?

2. What did Murray threaten to do at various times due to the Delegates' interferences, slow pace, and his suffering health?

3. Describe Minor's routine for writing his first book.

4. Which word did Murray have so much trouble with that it had to be sent to Dr. Minor?

5. How did the author describe Murray's work in Chapter 8, Annulated, Art, Brick-Tea, Buckwheat?

Short Essay Questions

1. Do you think it is the author's opinion that electroshock therapy affected Minor?

2. What was one of the greatest mistakes Murray made upon arriving at Broadmoor and speaking to the superintendent?

3. Why is it important, in relation to Minor's past, that the author states that people admired Minor for his meticulous work?

4. The author compares Murray to a general on a battlefield. Why?

5. Explain the significance of Minor's submissions evolving from one slip of paper to large paper bags arriving in Murray's office.

6. What was miraculous about Mrs. Merrett deciding to see Minor at Broadmoor?

7. What showed the great essence of teamwork between Murray and Minor?

8. What about Murray does the author feel may have triggered Minor's religious feelings of guilt and shame for his past misdeeds?

9. What was the overarching reason why Murray decided to visit Minor?

10. What does the author give as the chief purpose behind Minor's self-mutilation? Was it achieved?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the links the author draws between various vices such as sex, drugs, and alcohol and their influence on the events of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Does the author associate much stigma with mental illness in the text? Give examples in your answer and explore what effects, in the author's view, mental illness might have had on the production of The Oxford English Dictionary.

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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