Sample Quizzes For Preparation: The Chronology And Essential Features of The Development of The English Language From Early Modern English to Contemporary English

A2 Level English Language Quiz
Topic: Development of the English Language (Early Modern to Contemporary)

Question 1

Which of the following most accurately describes the Great Vowel Shift?
A. A change in grammar structure
B. A transition in spelling standardisation
C. A major change in the pronunciation of long vowels
D. An influx of Latin and Greek lexis

Question 2

What was the primary role of the printing press in the Early Modern English period?
A. Increasing use of emojis
B. Accelerating standardisation of spelling
C. Promoting RP as the dominant accent
D. Introducing slang into formal writing

Question 3

Which morphological feature was common in Early Modern English but declined in use later?
A. Prefixes like “un-”
B. Modal verbs
C. Inflectional verb endings like -eth
D. Passive voice structures

Question 4

The term ‘polysemy’ refers to:
A. The change of a word’s spelling over time
B. Words with multiple meanings
C. Words that sound the same but have different meanings
D. Words that derive from Greek

Question 5

Which of the following best describes ‘semantic bleaching’?
A. A word acquiring a negative connotation
B. A word losing specificity and strength in meaning
C. The removal of a word from a language
D. A word being replaced by a new coinage

Question 6

Which of the following lexical features increased due to the British Empire in Late Modern English?
A. Euphemisms
B. Neologisms from colonial languages
C. Use of emojis
D. Reduplicative slang

Question 7

Which period saw the first full English dictionaries produced?
A. Early Modern English
B. Middle English
C. Contemporary English
D. Old English

Question 8

Which of the following features is typical of Contemporary English phonology?
A. Use of long ‘s’ (ſ)
B. Great Vowel Shift
C. Global spread of diverse English accents
D. Emphasis on Latin pronunciation

Question 9

What distinguishes World Englishes from standard English varieties?
A. They only exist online
B. They reflect regional, cultural, and local influences
C. They reject formal grammar
D. They rely on prescriptive rules

Question 10

Which is an example of a graphological feature in Contemporary English?
A. Past participles
B. Taboo lexis
C. Text layout and multimodality
D. Sentence fragments

Question 11

In Contemporary English, what has largely replaced the formal use of address (e.g., Sir, Madam) in casual contexts?
A. RP accent
B. Passive constructions
C. Discourse markers
D. First-name basis and informal register

Question 12

The nativisation of English in new regions is primarily due to:
A. Strong government policies
B. Technological change
C. Colonisation and globalisation
D. Changes in punctuation

Question 13

The phrase “You do you” illustrates which semantic development in Contemporary English?
A. Semantic narrowing
B. Lexical change
C. Pragmatic idiom
D. Semantic bleaching

Question 14

Which period is marked by strict grammatical prescription?
A. Early Modern
B. Late Modern
C. Contemporary
D. Postmodern

Question 15

Which of the following is most associated with standardisation of English spelling?
A. YouTube videos
B. Samuel Johnson’s dictionary
C. Shakespeare’s plays
D. Estuary English

Question 16

Which type of English accent rose in prestige during the 19th century?
A. Scouse
B. Cockney
C. RP (Received Pronunciation)
D. Jamaican Patois

Question 17

Which word formation process is shown by the verb “to google”?
A. Compounding
B. Affixation
C. Conversion
D. Clipping

Question 18

Discourse markers like “like” and “you know” serve what primary function in speech?
A. Indicate stress
B. Maintain fluency and interaction
C. Replace verbs
D. Signal the end of a sentence

Question 19

Which historical event triggered significant lexis expansion in Early Modern English?
A. World War II
B. Industrial Revolution
C. Renaissance
D. Norman Invasion

Question 20

Why did syntactic structures become more rigid in Late Modern English?
A. Electronic communication
B. Colonial borrowing
C. Prescriptive grammar rules
D. Social media norms

Question 21

What is the effect of technological language on grammar today?
A. Complex sentence growth
B. Passive voice dominance
C. Increase in minor sentences and ellipsis
D. Formal tone increase

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of a lexical item borrowed during colonisation?
A. Table
B. Bungalow
C. Radio
D. Plane

Question 23

Which language features are used most in social media communication?
A. Euphemisms and antithesis
B. Elevated diction and modality
C. Abbreviations and initialisms
D. Subject-verb inversion

Question 24

Which of the following describes the shift from ‘thou’ to ‘you’?
A. Semantic drift
B. Phonological change
C. Pragmatic simplification and politeness shift
D. Morphological derivation

Question 25

Why is descriptivism important in studying language change?
A. It rejects all change
B. It prevents slang usage
C. It documents and explains how language evolves
D. It promotes formal English only

Question 26

Which linguistic level focuses on punctuation and visual layout?
A. Semantics
B. Morphology
C. Pragmatics
D. Graphology

Question 27

What does the term ‘neologism’ refer to?
A. An ancient word revived in English
B. A newly coined word or expression
C. A deleted term from the dictionary
D. An obsolete phrase

Question 28

The spread of English as a global lingua franca is due to:
A. The invention of the typewriter
B. Social media alone
C. Colonisation, trade, and the internet
D. Changes in orthography

Question 29

Which feature is typically seen in youth sociolects today?
A. Use of ‘thou’ and ‘thee’
B. Formal register and passive voice
C. Inventive vocabulary and code-switching
D. Latin-based sentence construction

Question 30

The nativisation of English in Nigeria or India results in:
A. Linguistic convergence with American English
B. Elimination of native languages
C. Hybrid forms of English with local grammar and vocabulary
D. Decline in written forms

Answer Key with Explanations

Topic: Development of the English Language (A2 English Language)

1. C. A major change in the pronunciation of long vowels
The Great Vowel Shift altered the pronunciation of many vowels between 1400–1600.

2. B. Accelerating standardisation of spelling
The printing press helped fix spelling and grammar norms.

3. C. Inflectional verb endings like -eth
Early Modern English featured endings like -eth (“he runneth”), which later faded.

4. B. Words with multiple meanings
Polysemy is when a word has several related meanings, e.g., “head” (body, company).

5. B. A word losing specificity and strength in meaning
Semantic bleaching weakens meaning over time — e.g., “literally” losing emphasis.

6. B. Neologisms from colonial languages
English borrowed many words from colonised regions (e.g., “shampoo” from Hindi).

7. A. Early Modern English
Samuel Johnson’s dictionary (1755) and others were part of the Early Modern era.

8. C. Global spread of diverse English accents
Contemporary English shows huge phonological variation globally.

9. B. They reflect regional, cultural, and local influences
World Englishes are localised forms shaped by different cultures.

10. C. Text layout and multimodality
Graphology includes headings, font, colour, layout — common in modern texts.

11. D. First-name basis and informal register
Modern English has seen a shift to informal modes of address.

12. C. Colonisation and globalisation
These forces spread English, adapting it in different regions.

13. C. Pragmatic idiom
“You do you” conveys meaning contextually, not literally — a pragmatic shift.

14. B. Late Modern
This era emphasised formal grammar and prescriptive rules.

15. B. Samuel Johnson’s dictionary
His 1755 dictionary was a landmark in spelling standardisation.

16. C. RP (Received Pronunciation)
RP became the “prestige” accent during the 19th century, especially in education.

17. C. Conversion
“Google” (noun) became a verb — this is conversion, no affix needed.

18. B. Maintain fluency and interaction
Discourse markers like “like” or “you know” help manage conversation flow.

19. C. Renaissance
The Renaissance introduced many new words from Latin and Greek.

20. C. Prescriptive grammar rules
Rules became more fixed under the influence of grammarians in the 18th–19th centuries.

21. C. Increase in minor sentences and ellipsis
Texts like tweets or WhatsApp messages often omit words (ellipsis).

22. B. Bungalow
Borrowed from Hindi during British colonisation of India.

23. C. Abbreviations and initialisms
Features like “lol,” “brb,” and “omg” are dominant in online English.

24. C. Pragmatic simplification and politeness shift
The switch from “thou” to “you” reflects changing norms of politeness.

25. C. It documents and explains how language evolves
Descriptivism accepts change rather than prescribing “correct” forms.

26. D. Graphology
Visual features fall under graphology (e.g., layout, font, spacing).

27. B. A newly coined word or expression
“Selfie” or “metaverse” are neologisms.

28. C. Colonisation, trade, and the internet
All three have boosted English’s global dominance.

29. C. Inventive vocabulary and code-switching
Youth language often creates new words and mixes languages.

30. C. Hybrid forms of English with local grammar and vocabulary
Indian English and Nigerian English use unique structures and vocabulary.