Samuel Johnson, lexicographer

Which incident from Samuel Johnson's childhood had the greatest effect on the rest of his life?

• He contracted scrofula

• He worked at his father's bookstore

• He went to see Queen Anne with his mother

• He was educated at an excellent grammar school

Johnson liked the book business, the binding, the serving of customers

• true

• false

Johnson's greatest problem at school was

• his scars

• his ungainly walk

• his lazyness

• his poor eyesight

• his deafness

Johnson enjoyed the company of his cousin Cornelius Ford because he was similar to the people in his small town of Litchfield

• True

• False

How was Samuel Johnson able to get his job writing for Gentleman's Magazine?

• The editor was member of the Ivy Lane Club

• He wrote a poem defending the editor from his critics

• He impressed the editor with his essays on human behaviour

• His new wife bribed the editor with money from her dowry

Johnson's piece entitled "London, A Poem" is described as:

• long, angry and political

• sad, thoughtful, and dark

• wordy, thoughtless, and dull

• long, hopeful, and whimsical

What made Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language better than the other dictionaries of the time?

• Johnson's dictionary was less expensive

• Johnson's dictionary included slang words

• Johnson inserted bits of his humour into some of the definitions

• Johnson included examples of usage from various works of literature

Samuel Johnson's magazine, entitled The Rambler, contained articles about:

• Theatre

• Current event

• Human behaviour

• Contemporary literature

What was most important about the group of men Johnson assembled at the Kings Head pub?

• They were a ready audience for his stories

• They kept him company after his wife died

• They allowed him the opportunity to drink with his friends

• They would eat large meals and sit together quietly in the pub

James Boswell was commissioned by the town of Litchfield to write a biography of Samuel Johnson even though he never read any of Johnson's work

• True

• False