Let's talk numbers
Roughly what proportion of the world's population is fluent or competent in English?
a) one person in 1,000
b) one in a 100
c) one in 10
d) one in four
(d)
According to David Crystal in "English as a Global Language" (2003), "About a quarter of the world's population is already fluent or competent in English, and this figure is steadily growing—in the early 2000s that means around 1.5 billion people."
What is the most common adjective used in English?
a) new
b) good
c) great
d) beautiful
b) good
What is the most read book in English?
the Bible
How old was queen Elizabeth when she died?
a) 96
b) 81
c) 101
d) 91
a) 96
What is the capital of the USA?
Washington, D.C.
How many letters are there in the longest English word?
a) 12
b) 45
c) 31
d) 56
b) 45
The forty-five letter word, ‘pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis’, refers to a lung disease caused by inhalation of fine silca dust.
Which country contains the largest English-speaking population in the world?
India
English is spoken by upwards of 350 million people in urban areas of India.
The English language is conventionally divided into three historical periods. In which of these periods did William Shakespeare write his plays?
(a) Old English
(b) Middle English
(c) Modern English
(c) The period of Modern English extends from the 1500s to the present day. Shakespeare wrote his plays between 1590 and 1613.
What is the name of Prince Harry’s memoir?
a) Spare
b) Nightmare
c) Nowhere
d) My life
a) Spare
When does the US celebrate Independence Day and from what?
Independence Day is celebrated in the United States on July 4. Often the holiday is called the Fourth of July.
From the British Empire
When was the word `LOL´ added to the Oxford English Dictionary?
a) in 2011
b) in 2015
c) in 1995
d) in 2006
a) in 2011
What is the most commonly used letter in the English language?
E
Who is the best selling detective author in the world?
Agatha Christie
How many birthdays does Queen/King have?
Kings and Queens have two birthdays.
This is because the monarch’s birthday is marked by a parade known as Trooping the Colour and Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, decided it wouldn’t be very fun to celebrate this in November (when his birthday was) because it was cold so moved his own birthday to June.
How many stripes are there in the US flag?
a) 11
b) 13
c) 8
d) 19
b) 13
The flag of the USA consists of 13 stripes indicating the original thirteen colonies.
How many modern English words end in
`-gry´?
two
In modern English, there are only two commonly known words that end with this letter combination:
What is the most commonly used word in English conversations?
the
How many rejections did J.K. Rowling receive?
a) 0
b) 12
c) 8
d) 22
b) 12
When did Princess Diana die?
a) in 1992
b) in 2002
c) in 1997
d) in 2010
c) in 1997
Whose gift was The Statue of Liberty in the United States?
a) the people of France
b) the people of the UK
c) the people of Germany
d) the people of Ukraine
a) the people of France
It was designed by the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and was intended as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States, as well as a representation of freedom and democracy.
How many countries have English as an official language?
67
Which word has the highest number of definitions in English? (3-letter word)
set
The Oxford English Dictionary, for example, lists over 430 different meanings and uses for the word "set."
Who wrote Frankenstein?
Mary Shelley
What was Queen Elizabeth's favourite breed of dogs?
Corgis
What are the most common given names in the United States? You can name either male or female.
James and Mary