English Spelling History Quiz

When did Christian missionaries arrive in England with their Roman alphabet?

• 900 A.D.

• 1200 A.D.

• 600 A.D.

• 300 A.D.

What did scribes come up with to write the different sounds in the Germanic language of the Anglo-Saxons?

• New alphabet

• New language

• New ways of writing

• New pronunciation

What did the printing press help spread in written English?

• New vocabulary

• Pronunciation changes

• Spelling changes

• Grammar rules

Which language was the language of educated culture, courts, and universities in England for a few hundred years after the Norman takeover?

• German

• Italian

• French

• Spanish

What did renaissance scholars do to words like receipt, salmon, indict, and debt?

• Added silent letters

• Removed silent letters

• Changed pronunciation

• Changed meaning

Where did the word 'Island' come from originally?

• Latin

• French

• Greek

• Old English

What did English scholars do with the word 'colonel' borrowed from French and Italian?

• Changed pronunciation

• Changed spelling

• Changed meaning

• Changed origin

What did English borrow from other languages that sometimes brought their own silent letters and spelling issues?

• New pronunciation rules

• New grammar rules

• New spelling issues

• New words

What is the reason for the complicated spelling situation in English?

• Arbitrary meanie

• Complicated history

• Lack of rules

• Lack of education