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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. Global English is either British or what?

2. Approximately how many words are in the English language?

3. Linguists know that languages spoken by around how much of humanity came from a common Indo-European source?

4. When was Ivanhoe written?

5. When was William Shakespeare born?

Short Essay Questions

1. What cultural wars and battles helped to create the English language, according to the authors in Chapter 2, The Mother Tongue?

2. What do the authors write of the New World and its influence on English in Chapter 2, The Mother Tongue?

3. How many definitions were in the original Johnson's dictionary? What was it drawn from?

4. Samuel Johnson's dictionary had what impact on the Scottish dialect? What were Johnson's experiences in Scotland?

5. What do the authors assert about the state of flux of the English language in the Introduction?

6. Who was William Shakespeare and what impact did he have on the English language?

7. What myths do the authors dispel about the English language in Chapter 1, An English-Speaking World?

8. What impact did the printing press and the scientific revolution have on the English language?

9. Who spread the English language to the west initially? Who are their descendants?

10. When did the Scottish dialect fall into decline? What led to its standardization?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe how Black English affects language today in popular culture, including television, film, music, and other influences. What contributions can they name which originated in African culture?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the success of the English language in spreading throughout the world. What examples do the authors give in Chapter 1, An English-Speaking World for the history of success of the English language?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Daniel Webster's political views and how these influenced his dictionary. What political parties was Webster associated with? What political reactions resulted from the standardization of American English?

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