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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 3, A Muse of Fire.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Approximately how many words are in the English language?
(a) 200,000.
(b) 500,000.
(c) 1,000,000.
(d) 100,000.

2. Who is the author of the novel Oscar and Lucinda?
(a) Jonathan Swift.
(b) Danielle Steele.
(c) Peter Carey.
(d) Mark Twain.

3. What threatened Britain's Celtic chiefs after the withdrawal of the Romans?
(a) Islamic tribes.
(b) Christian warriors.
(c) Greek tribes.
(d) Germanic tribes.

4. What is another word for Old English?
(a) Englisc.
(b) Germanic.
(c) Medieval English.
(d) Celtic.

5. Which of the early Germanic tribes had speech that was Germanic and they lived Denmark?
(a) Anglii.
(b) Buchi.
(c) Frisii.
(d) Celti.

Short Answer Questions

1. The establishment of what was an important moment for English as word choices had to be made for standard broadcasting?

2. What NASA space probe was launched during the original writing of The Story of English (Edition One)?

3. What television entertainer does Robert McCrum claim is the lineal descendant of Amos and Andy?

4. Which novelist defined English language fanatics as "Snoots"?

5. Approximately how many people speak English as their first language today?

(see the answer key)

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