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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. In addition to linguistic differences in languages, there are also ________________________.

2. The English writing system developed from what?

3. What do the Asian languages have less of than other languages?

4. Which group surprisingly makes grammar and word mistakes?

5. The author tends to think that English is special because of ___________________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What measures can people take when exact pronunciations are critical?

2. How does the author account for the changing pronunciation of English over time?

3. What irony does the author point out in Americans emulating British English?

4. What is the dynamic of countries with more than one language?

5. How does the English language compare with the development and growth of other global languages?

6. How was the Cro-Magnon man able to supersede the Neanderthal man in human development?

7. Explain how the language of one people can can change over time.

8. Finally, what is the fourth method of explaining where words come from?

9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of pictographic languages?

10. What was the Great Vowel Shift?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the debate on the challenges of learning the English language. Take into account spelling, pronunciation, grammar rules, etc.

Essay Topic 2

Explain noted linguist Noam Chomsky's argument that children have inherent "ground rules" that help them learn their language. What other theories exist to explain how children learn to speak?

Essay Topic 3

The regional differences and flux of the English language provided opportunities as well as challenges for English writers like Chaucer and Shakespeare. Explain why writers such as these could invent new words and essentially create a new English language.

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