View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 11.1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Mencken, how do the Americans consider the precise English use of the indefinite pronoun ("one")?
(a) Respectfully.
(b) Disdainfully.
(c) Apathetically.
(d) Ambiguously.

2. What word was "coatee" used as a diminutive for?
(a) Hat.
(b) Shawl.
(c) Beard.
(d) Coat.

3. Which European language has exerted the most influence on the American language?
(a) German.
(b) Spanish.
(c) Italian.
(d) French.

4. What event does Mencken credit with strengthening the obfuscation of distinction between American and British English?
(a) The French Revolution.
(b) The First World War.
(c) The bombing of London.
(d) The advent of the transatlantic telephone line.

5. Which adjectival prefix does Mencken state is confined to the more sophisticated classes?
(a) Ante-.
(b) Super-.
(c) Pen-.
(d) Ultra-.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what language does Mencken state the double negative was once "quite respectable?"

2. Which of the following is the analogate to which Mencken compares the slang words overused by the ignorant?

3. Who was the author of the couplet that Mencken quotes: "For thou art a girl as much brighter than her / As he was a poet sublimer than me"?

4. Which double negative word is primarily found in Shakespeare?

5. What term did John Witherspoon coin, framing it within the context of vulgarity?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 207 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample