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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did the audience react to the fact that hundreds of amateurs would be needed to take on such a project for a new dictionary?
(a) With shock.
(b) With sadness.
(c) With happiness.
(d) With revolt.

2. What was the tragedy of the three shots fired named by the papers?
(a) "The Great Tragedy."
(b) "The Lambeth Tragedy."
(c) "The Tragedy of London."
(d) "The Strategery."

3. What was the name of Eastman Minor's second wife?
(a) Scarlett.
(b) Elizabeth.
(c) Jenny.
(d) Judith.

4. How old was Lucy when she died?
(a) Sixteen.
(b) Twelve.
(c) Twenty-one.
(d) Eighteen.

5. In what city was Murray born?
(a) Hawick.
(b) Yorkshire.
(c) Lovely.
(d) Derry.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who would publish the first Oxford English Dictionary?

2. England's power grew, and it felt embarrassed for not studying its language. Why did citizens want a proper dictionary?

3. On what notable holiday did the making of the Oxford English Dictionary begin?

4. To whom were Richard Chenevix Trench's speeches directed?

5. Which of the following is noted to have been a fact four hundred years earlier than Mr. Trench's speeches?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the author suggest that Minor moved from his initial area of residence in London, St James Square, to Lambeth Marsh?

2. According to the author, "The quotes would show how words had been used over centuries and explained when they had changed. The project was commissioned in the 1850s but was not profitable, yet many believe the OED is valuable far beyond its price." Why might people believe it is valuable far beyond its price?

3. What reason(s) does the author give for Minor's parents sending him to the US to live with his uncle?

4. Why does the author take time to note the sheer volume of words and weight of the Oxford English Dictionary? What parallels can be drawn between this and the dictionary's makers?

5. What aspects of his upbringing could have contributed to Minor's issues with the tempestuous and tempting country of Ceylon?

6. The author says that Minor became unworried by his "lascivious thoughts" while at Yale. What is a possible explanation for this?

7. In what way was Furnivall's call to ask participants to choose a time period for the book a very intelligent idea to spur the makings of the Oxford English Dictionary onward?

8. In regards to Trench's speech, what did he view each word as having? What must be charted for each word?

9. What can be surmised about the author's intention by naming his first chapter, " The Dead of Night in Lambeth Marsh"?

10. Why might the author have defined the word "protagonist" in such depth?

(see the answer keys)

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