ABCTE English Exam with Accurate
Solutions
The history of English is divided into what three periods? - correct answer-Early English
(Beginning-1066), Middle Enlgish (1066-1500), Modern English
Danelaw - correct answer-a political demarcation established by King Alfred the Great in
868 that gave the eastern half of England to the Danes, but guaranteed that the English
who lived there would be treated as full citizens... this preserved the English language
What type of literature was most commonly written in the Early English period? - correct
answer-anonymously written alliterative poetry, ex. Beowulf and The Wanderer
Who was Saint Bede? - correct answer-a well known monk and author of a
comprehensive account of English history, called the Father of English History
Early English Period - correct answer-Beginning - 1066
Romans ruled Britain & allowed various Germanic tribes to trade but not settle
Romans were called back to Rome & left vulnerable tribes
Anglo-Saxons took rule
Danes and Norwegians began to attack & settled in the East
Danelaw allowed the Danes and Norwegians to settle in East & guaranteed that English
there would be treated as full citizens
What historical event marks the transition from the Early English Period to the Middle
English Period? - correct answer-1066 Norman invasion of England
Middle English Period - correct answer-1066 Norman invasion of England by William
the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy
1204 King John lost Normandy to Paris
1362 Bubonic Plague
1476 William Caxton brought the printing press to England
1485 Henry the VII ended the War of Roses and united England under the Tudor
Dynasty, leading to political stability
What historical event brought about the first major social upheaval? - correct answer-
1362 Bubonic Plague
Who was the most important author of the Middle English Period and why? - correct
answer-Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote poems in English as his peers wrote in Latin and
French
, Great Vowel Shift - correct answer-late 1300's and represented a change in the
pronunciation of long vowels, ex. Mouse being pronounced moosemouse
What historical event led to the standardization of language? - correct answer-1476
William Caxton brought the printing press to England
What three historical events mark the transition from the Middle English Period to the
Modern English Period? - correct answer-1. The Great Vowel Shift
2. William Caxton brought the printing press to England
3. Henry the VII ended the War of Roses and united England under the Tudor Dynasty
Inkhorn terms - correct answer-a derogatory term for a word coined in English from
Latin or Greek roots and meant to sound scholarly, surviving words include educate,
mundane, celebrate, confidence, and verbosity
Modern English Period - correct answer-Under Queen Elizabeth I, England began
gaining new territories including the colonies that would become the USA, to which the
English language spread
Etymology - correct answer-the study of an origin of a word and the way that word's
meaning has changed over time
Semantic shift - correct answer-language change process by which the meaning of one
word replaces another word
ex. Bead comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for prayer since people prayed on telling
beads similar to Catholic rosaries
Ethnonym - correct answer-language change process by which a word that identifies a
group or nation to others becomes the word by which they are called
ex. Cockney from the phrase cock's egg, which was a negative term used by strong
countrymen when referring to weaker townsmen, now means a person from London
Generalization - correct answer-language change process by which a very specific word
gains a more general meaning
ex. Holiday comes from holy-day, originally used to designate special religious holidays
Narrowing - correct answer-language change process by which a word with a general
meaning becomes very specific, ex. Hound from the word dog
Loss of motivation - correct answer-language change process by which the original
word loses their form because speakers no longer remember the significance of them
ex. Lord stemming from loaf-keeper
Metaphor (language change process) - correct answer-language change process by
which a concrete meaning gains abstract meaning
Solutions
The history of English is divided into what three periods? - correct answer-Early English
(Beginning-1066), Middle Enlgish (1066-1500), Modern English
Danelaw - correct answer-a political demarcation established by King Alfred the Great in
868 that gave the eastern half of England to the Danes, but guaranteed that the English
who lived there would be treated as full citizens... this preserved the English language
What type of literature was most commonly written in the Early English period? - correct
answer-anonymously written alliterative poetry, ex. Beowulf and The Wanderer
Who was Saint Bede? - correct answer-a well known monk and author of a
comprehensive account of English history, called the Father of English History
Early English Period - correct answer-Beginning - 1066
Romans ruled Britain & allowed various Germanic tribes to trade but not settle
Romans were called back to Rome & left vulnerable tribes
Anglo-Saxons took rule
Danes and Norwegians began to attack & settled in the East
Danelaw allowed the Danes and Norwegians to settle in East & guaranteed that English
there would be treated as full citizens
What historical event marks the transition from the Early English Period to the Middle
English Period? - correct answer-1066 Norman invasion of England
Middle English Period - correct answer-1066 Norman invasion of England by William
the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy
1204 King John lost Normandy to Paris
1362 Bubonic Plague
1476 William Caxton brought the printing press to England
1485 Henry the VII ended the War of Roses and united England under the Tudor
Dynasty, leading to political stability
What historical event brought about the first major social upheaval? - correct answer-
1362 Bubonic Plague
Who was the most important author of the Middle English Period and why? - correct
answer-Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote poems in English as his peers wrote in Latin and
French
, Great Vowel Shift - correct answer-late 1300's and represented a change in the
pronunciation of long vowels, ex. Mouse being pronounced moosemouse
What historical event led to the standardization of language? - correct answer-1476
William Caxton brought the printing press to England
What three historical events mark the transition from the Middle English Period to the
Modern English Period? - correct answer-1. The Great Vowel Shift
2. William Caxton brought the printing press to England
3. Henry the VII ended the War of Roses and united England under the Tudor Dynasty
Inkhorn terms - correct answer-a derogatory term for a word coined in English from
Latin or Greek roots and meant to sound scholarly, surviving words include educate,
mundane, celebrate, confidence, and verbosity
Modern English Period - correct answer-Under Queen Elizabeth I, England began
gaining new territories including the colonies that would become the USA, to which the
English language spread
Etymology - correct answer-the study of an origin of a word and the way that word's
meaning has changed over time
Semantic shift - correct answer-language change process by which the meaning of one
word replaces another word
ex. Bead comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for prayer since people prayed on telling
beads similar to Catholic rosaries
Ethnonym - correct answer-language change process by which a word that identifies a
group or nation to others becomes the word by which they are called
ex. Cockney from the phrase cock's egg, which was a negative term used by strong
countrymen when referring to weaker townsmen, now means a person from London
Generalization - correct answer-language change process by which a very specific word
gains a more general meaning
ex. Holiday comes from holy-day, originally used to designate special religious holidays
Narrowing - correct answer-language change process by which a word with a general
meaning becomes very specific, ex. Hound from the word dog
Loss of motivation - correct answer-language change process by which the original
word loses their form because speakers no longer remember the significance of them
ex. Lord stemming from loaf-keeper
Metaphor (language change process) - correct answer-language change process by
which a concrete meaning gains abstract meaning
