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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which Founding Father is said to have sought to establish a new American alphabet?
(a) Thomas Jefferson.
(b) John Hancock.
(c) George Washington.
(d) Benjamin Franklin.

2. How does Mencken characterize the vulgar American habitual use of the double negative?
(a) With "sturdy fidelity."
(b) With "happy fecundity."
(c) With "unconscious loathing."
(d) With "periodic intensity."

3. Which London newspaper lamented the "menace" that American movies offer to the purity of the English language?
(a) The <i>Times</i>.
(b) The <i>Daily News</i>.
(c) The <i>Illustrated London News</i>.
(d) The <i>Daily Herald</i>.

4. Which reporter first brings colloquial Americanisms to the written word, according to Mencken in Chapter 9.2?
(a) J.C. Neal.
(b) George Ade.
(c) Ring W. Lardner.
(d) Josh Billings.

5. According to Chapter 8.4, what is the first impulse behind American imitation of English orthography?
(a) Compromise for cheaper printing.
(b) Anti-colonialism.
(c) Affectation.
(d) Convenience.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word did Webster argue should have its vowel sound changed to "ee" instead of "eh"?

2. In terms of politics, an American candidate "runs" for office. What does an English candidate do?

3. According to the tale spread by William Gifford, what language was supposed to be substituted for English during the Revolutionary War?

4. According to Mencken, which title is subject to the greatest divergence in usage?

5. Which adjectival prefix does Mencken state is confined to the more sophisticated classes?

(see the answer key)

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