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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 2, The Mother Tongue.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Robert McCrum writes in the Introduction, "Language, we know, is in ceaseless ____."
(a) Flux.
(b) Love.
(c) Flow.
(d) Motion.

2. What is another word for Old English?
(a) Germanic.
(b) Englisc.
(c) Celtic.
(d) Medieval English.

3. When was the Education Act passed in the United Kingdom?
(a) 1923.
(b) 1655.
(c) 1833.
(d) 1789.

4. Linguists know that languages spoken by around how much of humanity came from a common Indo-European source?
(a) One fifth.
(b) One half.
(c) One fourth.
(d) One third.

5. Who brought the English language to Britain, according to Chapter 2, The Mother Tongue?
(a) Germanic tribes.
(b) Roman tribes.
(c) Asian tribes.
(d) Celts.

Short Answer Questions

1. Approximately how many words are in the English language?

2. When did Robert MacNeil retire, according to his bio in the Introduction?

3. What is considered the highest level of standardization of English, according to the authors in Chapter 1, An English-Speaking World?

4. What is the name of the dialect generally associated with the British working class?

5. The people of what country have recently developed a fanatical desire to learn English, and English is vital in many developing countries, according to the author?

(see the answer key)

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