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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 9, The New Englishes.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Linguists know that languages spoken by around how much of humanity came from a common Indo-European source?
(a) One half.
(b) One third.
(c) One fourth.
(d) One fifth.

2. For what newspaper is Robert McCrum listed as Literary Editor in the Introduction?
(a) The Observer.
(b) The London Times.
(c) The San Francisco Chronicle.
(d) The New York Times.

3. Approximately how many people speak English as their first language today?
(a) 375 million.
(b) 230 million.
(c) 654 million.
(d) 800 million.

4. Who remain the most direct descendants of the Celts?
(a) The Irish.
(b) The Scottish.
(c) The Welsh.
(d) The Norwiegens.

5. What language is associated with the Irish people?
(a) Welsh.
(b) Latin.
(c) Norse.
(d) Gaelic.

Short Answer Questions

1. When did Queen Victoria take the British crown?

2. What is an English-based creole of Sierra Leone, a first language of the residents of Freetown and its environs, and a lingua franca elsewhere in the country?

3. When did Jamaica regain complete independence?

4. What is the British spelling of the word "color"?

5. When was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand?

(see the answer key)

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