View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why are the speakers in #140 becoming a minority?

2. The tendency to change names and pronunciations occurs _____________________.

3. Many modern swear words come from _________________________.

4. What is the mission of the English-only movement in the U.S.?

5. From whom did North American settlers borrow words?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the evolution of swear words.

2. Explain the role of immigrants to North America on the evolution of the English language.

3. What is the origin of the crossword puzzle?

4. In addition to English, what other languages have been proposed as international languages?

5. What is the correlation between tracing swear words and tracing the history of language overall?

6. What is the background of Webster's Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary?

7. What is the source of many swear words throughout history?

8. What happens to the use of swear words as society becomes more cognizant of propriety?

9. To what does the author attribute the misuse of English grammar?

10. What does the author state as one of the oldest English language dictionaries?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Who was Samuel Johnson? What was his role in the development of the English language? What impact did his work have? Is his work still relevant today?

Essay Topic 3

What was the impact of American immigrants to the English language? Take into account surnames, place names, and words assimilated into the American lexicography.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 857 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample