Test1
1. When did the English language first begin to form in Britain?
A) During Roman rule
B) In the 5th century CE
C) After the Norman Conquest
D) During the Renaissance
B) In the 5th century CE (✓)
2. Which groups brought the early Germanic languages that later became English?
A) Romans and Celts
B) Vikings and Normans
C) Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
D) Greeks and Romans
C) Angles, Saxons, and Jutes (✓)
3. The name “English” comes from which group of people?
A) Saxons
B) Jutes
C) Angles
D) Vikings
C) Angles (✓)
4. What languages were spoken in Britain before English developed?
A) French and Latin
B) Celtic languages
C) German and Norse
D) Spanish and Greek
B) Celtic languages (✓)
5. Old English is also known by which name?
A) Early Modern English
B) Anglo-Saxon
C) Norman English
D) Classical English
B) Anglo-Saxon (✓)
7. Why is Old English difficult for modern readers?
A) It has no grammar rules
B) It uses a different alphabet
C) It has complex grammar and vocabulary
D) It is spoken very fast
C) It has complex grammar and vocabulary (✓)
6. Old English belongs to which language family?
A) Romance
B) Slavic
C) Germanic
D) Semitic
C) Germanic (✓)
8. Which text is written in Old English?
A) Hamlet
B) Paradise Lost
C) The Canterbury Tales
D) Beowulf
D) Beowulf (✓)
9. How did Christianity influence English?
A) It replaced English with Latin
B) It added many Latin words
C) It simplified spelling
D) It stopped language change
B) It added many Latin words (✓)
10. Which word entered English through Latin influence?
A) Window
B) Egg
C) Sky
D) Church
D) Church (✓)
11. Who were the Vikings in English history?
A) Roman soldiers
B) French rulers
C) Scandinavian invaders
D) Celtic farmers
C) Scandinavian invaders (✓)
12. What was the Danelaw?
A) A church rule
B) A Viking-controlled area of England
C) A French school
D) A Roman road system
B) A Viking-controlled area of England (✓)
13. What kind of words did Old Norse add to English?
A) Scientific terms
B) Religious terms
C) Legal terms
D) Everyday words
D) Everyday words (✓)
14. Which pronouns come from Old Norse?
A) He / Him
B) We / Us
C) I / Me
D) They / Them / Their
D) They / Them / Their (✓)
15. Why is the year 1066 important?
A) It marks the Norman Conquest
B) It marks the Great Vowel Shift
C) It marks the start of printing
D) It marks Roman rule
A) It marks the Norman Conquest (✓)
16. After 1066, which language most influenced English vocabulary?
A) Italian
B) German
C) Arabic
D) French
D) French (✓)
17. French words mainly entered English in which areas?
A) Nature and animals
B) Law, government, and culture
C) Farming
D) Family life
B) Law, government, and culture (✓)
18. What happened to English grammar in the Middle English period?
A) It became more complex
B) It copied Latin grammar
C) It became simpler
D) It stopped changing
C) It became simpler (✓)
19. Who helped prove English could be used for literature again?
A) William Shakespeare
B) William Caxton
C) John Milton
D) Geoffrey Chaucer
D) Geoffrey Chaucer (✓)
20. What did William Caxton do for English?
A) He wrote famous poems
B) He created new grammar rules
C) He introduced the printing press
D) He translated Beowulf
C) He introduced the printing press (✓)
21. What was one result of the printing press?
A) More dialects
B) Standardized spelling
C) Fewer books
D) Less vocabulary
B) Standardized spelling (✓)
22. What was the Great Vowel Shift?
A) A change in grammar
B) A change in vocabulary
C) A change in spelling
D) A major change in pronunciation
D) A major change in pronunciation (✓)
23. Shakespeare wrote during which period?
A) Old English
B) Middle English
C) Late Modern English
D) Early Modern English
D) Early Modern English (✓)
24. Why did English vocabulary grow during the Renaissance?
A) English stopped changing
B) French disappeared
C) Latin and Greek words were added
D) Grammar became harder
C) Latin and Greek words were added (✓)
25. Why is English called a “mixed” language?
A) It has no grammar rules
B) It is spoken everywhere
C) It changes every year
D) It includes words from many languages
D) It includes words from many languages (✓)