Quiz on the History of English

Which group of people influenced the development of Old English?

• Latin

• French

• Saxon, Jutes, Angles

• Celtic

Which historical event significantly influenced Middle English, as seen in The Canterbury Tales?

• The Industrial Revolution

• The Norman Conquest

• The Renaissance

• The Great Vowel Shift

Who is the author of the Canterbury Tales?

• Thomas More

• John Milton

• Geoffrey Chaucer

• William Shakespeare

What major change in pronunciation occurred during the Early Modern English period?

• The Great Grammar Shift

• The Great Lexical Shift

• The Great Consonant Shift

• The Great Vowel Shift

Which invention helped standardize English spelling and grammar in the late 15th century?

• The computer

• The printing press

• The typewriter

• The telephone

What is the structure of The Canterbury Tales?

• A single epic poem

• A collection of tales told by different pilgrims

• A dramatic play in five acts

• A book of religious sermons

What period followed Old English in the evolution of the language?

• Post-Modern English

• Early Modern English

• Middle English

• Modern English

Which playwright is associated with the Early Modern English period?

• Christopher Marlowe

• William Shakespeare

• Ben Jonson

• John Webster

What was a significant factor in the global spread of English in the 18th and 19th centuries?

• The Enlightenment

• Colonialism

• The Renaissance

• The Reformation

It is a compound expression in Old English and Old Norse poetry with metaphorical meaning.

• Caesura

• Kenning

• Alliteration

• Satire