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WorksheetsHistory of the English Language Quiz
Total questions: 41
Worksheet time: 21mins
What territory of Britain did the Saxons and the Angles occupy in the Anglo-Saxon conquest?
North of the Thames
South of the Thames
West of the Thames
East of the Thames
What regions were distant from Britain where the majority of Celts settled?
Scotland
Wales
Cornwall
Ireland
What conditions influenced the West Germanic tongues in the OE transitional period?
Townships and shires
Tribal and slave-owning
Christianity
Celtic influence
How is the Scandinavian Conquest described in the history of England?
A minor event
A great military and political event
A peaceful migration
A trade movement
How long did the struggle of the English against the Scandinavians last?
100 years
200 years
Over 300 years
400 years
When were central English dialects integrated by the Scandinavian element?
By the end of the 11th century
During the Old English period
In the 12th century
After the Norman Conquest
How long did the Scandinavian power in England last?
Until 1020
Until 1042
Until 1066
Until 1000
Where did the Germanic tribes live according to Tacitus?
In mountainous regions
In woody and marshy country
In coastal lands
In fertile plains
What did the Scandinavian element “thorp” denote?
Town
Forest
Village
Church
What was the year book of English history starting at 787?
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Beowulf
The Doomsday Book
Alfred’s Code
What works were represented by the Northumbrian dialect?
Franks’ Casket
Ruthwell Cross
Caedmon’s Hymn
Beowulf
What dialect was ‘Vespasian Psalter’ represented by?
Northumbrian
Mercian
West Saxon
Kentish
When and who sent a mission to England to spread Christianity?
In 597, Pope Gregory I
In 700, King Alfred
In 650, Saint Bede
In 590, Charlemagne
What alphabets were used in Old English?
Latin and Greek
Runic and Latin
Gothic and Latin
Celtic and Latin
How is the Runic document “Runic Casket” described?
A short poem about whalebone
A long heroic song
A translation of prayers
A love poem
How many principal dialects were there in Old English?
3
4
5
2
What period is also called Pre-written?
Old English period
Middle English period
New English period
Modern English
Who occupied the English territory north of the Thames in the late 9th century?
The Saxons
The Celts
The Scandinavians
The Romans
What king governed England in 1016–1035?
King Alfred
King Canute the Great
King Edward
King Harold
How is the Middle English Period characterised according to Henry Sweet?
Leveled endings
Fixed stress
Long vowels
Complex grammar
What does the outer history of the language mean?
Phonetic development
Grammar evolution
Social and historical events
Literary changes
What does the inner history of the language mean?
Changes in the language itself
External influences
History of literature
Dialect mixture
When did the history of the English language begin?
4th century
5th century A.D.
6th century
3rd century
Who compiled “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”?
Bede
King Alfred the Great
Henry Sweet
Pope Gregory I
Which dialect doesn’t refer to the four principal OE dialects?
Kentish
Northumbrian
London dialect
Mercian
What category of gender did Old English nouns distinguish?
Masculine and feminine
Masculine, feminine and neuter
Animate and inanimate
Only masculine
What historical events is the Middle English period connected with?
The Norman Conquest
The introduction of printing
The Viking invasion
The Roman withdrawal
How did Rastorguyeva describe Early New English period (1476–1660)?
The age of Shakespeare
The age of Chaucer
The age of Milton
The age of Bede
What are the periods of the English National Language according to Arakin and Ilyish?
New English period
Period of 16th–20th centuries
Middle English
Old English
What period does the English language of the 19th and 20th centuries represent?
Middle English
Early New English
Late New English
Modern English
The Old English vocabulary can be divided into…
Native words and borrowings
Slavic and Latin
Religious and secular
Strong and weak
What dialect did the literary form of English arise from?
London Dialect
Kentish
Northumbrian
Mercian
When did the Romans under Julius Caesar land in Britain?
55–54 B.C.
45–43 B.C.
60 A.D.
70 A.D.
What are the aspects of studying the historical development of a language?
Inner study
Outer study
Structural study
Social study
When did the Scandinavian invasion into England begin?
7th century
8th century
9th century
10th century
What event accompanied the introduction of the Latin alphabet?
Christianization of England in the 7th century
Norman Conquest
Viking invasion
Roman withdrawal
Which of the following languages is not a Germanic language?
French
Spanish
English
Dutch
What group of languages does Old English belong to?
North Germanic
East Germanic
West Germanic
Celtic
What branch of linguistics was Proto-Germanic reconstructed by?
Comparative linguistics
Sociolinguistics
Psycholinguistics
Structuralism
The age of literary flourishing is known as…
The age of Shakespeare
The age of Chaucer
The age of Milton
The age of Byron
Where did the Germanic tribes live according to Tacitus?
In woody and marshy country
In plains
Near the coast
In the mountains
