Questions based on memory- Osmania University ph.D English entrance test held on 27th Apr,2025.

Osmania University PhD English entrance exam.

Questions based on memory

(held on 27th Apr,2025)

1. MLA abbreviation ? Modern Language Association 

2. Self plagiarism? Answer: resusing own work without citation

3. Canadian literary award?

4. 'Night of the Scorpion' cause: smoke? rain ? Answer: In "Night of the scorpion," the poet (Nissim Ezekeil) describes how the narrator's mother was bitten by a scorpion on a rainy day. 

5. Objective correlative term?   Ans: T S Eliot

6. Manawaka pen name by?

7. 'Towards an Aesthetics of Dalit literature' by?  Answer: Śaraṇakumāra Limbāḷe

8. 

9.  Ding Dong theory ?

10. Patric White works?

11. Karukku and Sangati by? Ans: Bama

12. Mr House of Biswas 

13. bow- bough  -related homonyms? Portamanteu?

14. ABA,BCB,CDC related to ode,sonnet ,ballad..?? Ans: Terzarima 

15. Picaresque?

16. Velum comman name? Ans: Soft Plate

17. Kumarasambhavam by? Ans: Kalidasa

18. Faculties of surveillance concept?

19. Manilsun novel?

20. Bisexuality fiction awards?

21. Which is not a William Golding's work? Lord of the flies? The Spire? 

22. Mennonite community?

23. Booker prize work? Ans: A Tomb of Sandeep -Geetanjali Shree? 

24. Not a booker prize winner? Inheritance of laws, God of small things ? Midnight children?

25. Which is not a tool to test speaking skills? Long essay question, interview, presentation

26. Which is generally used to measure reading? Comprehension questions

27. Which is a dialect in Old English Period?  Answer: Old English had four commonly recognised dialects: West Saxon, Kentish, Mercian, and Northumbrian. 

28. Claude Levistraus what is culture?is it rituals and rites or sense of past?

29. 'Joothan' is a work by?- Om Prakash Valmiki

30. 'A Far Cry from Africa' is a response to? MAU MAU UPRISING (poem written by Derek Walcott)

31. Charles Dickens' last novel? Ans:  The Mystery of Edwin Drood 

32. Langue? Parole? Definition Answer: Langue (Abstract rules of language); Parole (speech)

34. James Joyce's only play? Answer: Exiles (1918)

35. Which is not an academic work? Conference paper, reaserch article, thesis, news paper? Ans: newspaper 

36. What is important in humanities research? 

37. Derrida's 'Of Gramatalogy'  is translated by ?  Gayathri Chakravarthy Spivak

38. LSRW full form? Ans: Listening Speaking Reading and Writing

39. Line from Kubla Khan poem? 'Damsel with a ____ in a vision once I saw'? Answer: Dulcemer

40.  ‘Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity’?  Answer: ‘Preface’ to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth

38 'Mac Flecknoe' is written by ? Answer:D ryden

39. 'School of Abuse' by Stephen Gosson is a .....? Drama Play Store? Ans: Satire

40. match the following: IA RICHARDS, DERRIDA, ?? Answer:Derrida- Deconstruction

41. Robert Brooke poetry is during ? Answer: World war-1

42. Datta Damyata Dayadwan from ? Ans: Answer: T S Eliot's The Waste Land

43. Work based on Thomas Mann's Transposed heads- ? Answer: Girish Karnad's Hayavadana

44. Okonkwo and igbo culture are in the novel ? Answer: Things Fall Apart (novel by Chinua Achebe)

45. Brother of Fourteen years boy? Opening line

46. Protogonist comes from Australia and lives a decade in Mumbai?

47. Father gay- daughter becomes lesbian?

48. Three Characters women in the first floor? Boy?

49. Rule, political situation are in the book? Ans: Arthasastram

50. Ferdinand DeSassure?

51. In Mathew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy??? Ans: Barbarians, Philistines,  Populace 

52.  One clause with one subject, one predicate ? Ans: simple sentence

53. What is research review? 

54. Which is used to combine two clauses? Conjunction 

55. "New Criticism" book by ? JC Ransom in  1941

56. Intentional Fallacy is a concept by ? Wimsatt and Beardsly 

57. Study of ........? Linguistics

58. Which is not a William Golding's work? Lord of the flies? The Spire? 

59. Wrong Matching?? 

Arundati Roy's God of small things 

Shasi Tharoor's Great Indian Novel

60.  Gratiaen Prize is a national literary prize of which country?  Ans: Srilanka (The Gratiaen Prize is an annual literary prize for the best work of literary writing in English by a resident of Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1992 by the Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje with the money he received as joint-winner of the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient. The prize is named after Ondaatje's mother, Doris Gratiaen)

61. Earnest Hemmingway work related to war??? Sun Also Rises? Answer: A Farewell to Arms

62. Untouchable Spring by G Kalyana Rao  is ? Fiction? Biography? Answer: a memory text, is a family/community saga, a novel and a historical document rolled into one

63. A novel where a protagonist's development is explored from childhood to adulthood is often referred to as a...? Buildungsroman 

64. The Spencerian sonnet rhyme scheme is..?  Answer:  ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.

65.

Please update/add the missing questions if any, through the comment box

Osmania University PhD English entrance exam.

Questions based on memory

(held on 27th Apr,2025)

1. MLA abbreviation ? Modern Language Association 

2. Self plagiarism? Answer: resusing own work without citation

3. Canadian literary award?

4. 'Night of the Scorpion' cause: smoke? rain ? Answer: In "Night of the scorpion," the poet (Nissim Ezekeil) describes how the narrator's mother was bitten by a scorpion on a rainy day. 

5. Objective correlative term?   Ans: T S Eliot

6. Manawaka pen name by?

7. 'Towards an Aesthetics of Dalit literature' by?  Answer: Śaraṇakumāra Limbāḷe

8. 

9.  Ding Dong theory ?

10. Patric White works?

11. Karukku and Sangati by? Ans: Bama

12. Mr House of Biswas 

13. bow- bough  -related homonyms? Portamanteu?

14. ABA,BCB,CDC related to ode,sonnet ,ballad..?? Ans: Terzarima 

15. Picaresque?

16. Velum comman name? Ans: Soft Plate

17. Kumarasambhavam by? Ans: Kalidasa

18. Faculties of surveillance concept?

19. Manilsun novel?

20. Bisexuality fiction awards?

21. Which is not a William Golding's work? Lord of the flies? The Spire? 

22. Mennonite community?

23. Booker prize work? Ans: A Tomb of Sandeep -Geetanjali Shree? 

24. Not a booker prize winner? Inheritance of laws, God of small things ? Midnight children?

25. Which is not a tool to test speaking skills? Long essay question, interview, presentation

26. Which is generally used to measure reading? Comprehension questions

27. Which is a dialect in Old English Period?  Answer: Old English had four commonly recognised dialects: West Saxon, Kentish, Mercian, and Northumbrian. 

28. Claude Levistraus what is culture?is it rituals and rites or sense of past?

29. 'Joothan' is a work by?- Om Prakash Valmiki

30. 'A Far Cry from Africa' is a response to? MAU MAU UPRISING (poem written by Derek Walcott)

31. Charles Dickens' last novel? Ans:  The Mystery of Edwin Drood 

32. Langue? Parole? Definition Answer: Langue (Abstract rules of language); Parole (speech)

34. James Joyce's only play? Answer: Exiles (1918)

35. Which is not an academic work? Conference paper, reaserch article, thesis, news paper? Ans: newspaper 

36. What is important in humanities research? 

37. Derrida's 'Of Gramatalogy'  is translated by ?  Gayathri Chakravarthy Spivak

38. LSRW full form? Ans: Listening Speaking Reading and Writing

39. Line from Kubla Khan poem? 'Damsel with a ____ in a vision once I saw'? Answer: Dulcemer

40.  ‘Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity’?  Answer: ‘Preface’ to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth

38 'Mac Flecknoe' is written by ? Answer:D ryden

39. 'School of Abuse' by Stephen Gosson is a .....? Drama Play Store? Ans: Satire

40. match the following: IA RICHARDS, DERRIDA, ?? Answer:Derrida- Deconstruction

41. Robert Brooke poetry is during ? Answer: World war-1

42. Datta Damyata Dayadwan from ? Ans: Answer: T S Eliot's The Waste Land

43. Work based on Thomas Mann's Transposed heads- ? Answer: Girish Karnad's Hayavadana

44. Okonkwo and igbo culture are in the novel ? Answer: Things Fall Apart (novel by Chinua Achebe)

45. Brother of Fourteen years boy? Opening line

46. Protogonist comes from Australia and lives a decade in Mumbai?

47. Father gay- daughter becomes lesbian?

48. Three Characters women in the first floor? Boy?

49. Rule, political situation are in the book? Ans: Arthasastram

50. Ferdinand DeSassure?

51. In Mathew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy??? Ans: Barbarians, Philistines,  Populace 

52.  One clause with one subject, one predicate ? Ans: simple sentence

53. What is research review? 

54. Which is used to combine two clauses? Conjunction 

55. "New Criticism" book by ? JC Ransom in  1941

56. Intentional Fallacy is a concept by ? Wimsatt and Beardsly 

57. Study of ........? Linguistics

58. Which is not a William Golding's work? Lord of the flies? The Spire? 

59. Wrong Matching?? 

Arundati Roy's God of small things 

Shasi Tharoor's Great Indian Novel

60.  Gratiaen Prize is a national literary prize of which country?  Ans: Srilanka (The Gratiaen Prize is an annual literary prize for the best work of literary writing in English by a resident of Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1992 by the Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje with the money he received as joint-winner of the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient. The prize is named after Ondaatje's mother, Doris Gratiaen)

61. Earnest Hemmingway work related to war??? Sun Also Rises? Answer: A Farewell to Arms

62. Untouchable Spring by G Kalyana Rao  is ? Fiction? Biography? Answer: a memory text, is a family/community saga, a novel and a historical document rolled into one

63. A novel where a protagonist's development is explored from childhood to adulthood is often referred to as a...? Buildungsroman 

64. The Spencerian sonnet rhyme scheme is..?  Answer:  ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.

65.

Please update/add the missing questions if any, through the comment box

Theories of language origin - Notes and MCQs

 Theories of language origin:

Ø The origin of language dates back to 6000 years ago. The major history was through guesses and written evidences.

Ø We simply don’t know how language originated.

Ø E. Sapir says, “Most of these theories are hardly more than exercises of the speculative imagination”

 

1. Bow- wow or Cuckoo theory:

Ø Theory by Max Muller.

Ø Human speech originated in man’s attempt to imitate the sounds of nature.

Ø From cries of beasts and birds. Ex: Dog’s Bow-vow; Cow’s Moo, Cat’s meow.

Ø There are number of words in English vocabulary in support of this theory. Ex: hiss, whistle, gurgle, prattle, hoopoe, peewit, cuckoo etc.

Ø Words sometimes said to be onomatopoeic.

 

2.Pooh-pooh theory:

Ø Origin of language from involuntary exclamations involuntary exclamations triggered by emotions like pain ("ouch!"), surprise ("oh!"), or joy ("aha!").

Ø Ex. "wow" or "yikes" in modern languages.

Ø As a theory of the origin, it stands upon a very slippery ground.

 

3. Ding Dong theory:

Ø Correspondence between sound and sense by a law of nature, (reaction to the world around him)

Ø People associate sounds with objects

Ø Ex: zigzag, dazzle, big big(reduplication)

Ø At one stage it was upheld by Max Muller but later it was abandoned.

Ø According to Prof. Taraporewala, the Hindi word “Jana Gana”, “Jog Mog” and a large number of Bengali words may come under this.

 

4. Yo- he - ho theory:

Ø Rhythmic chants, grunts people use. (Communal rhythmic chants)

Ø Noire enunciated this theory.

Ø Source of speech in a group (in social contexts)

Ø during physical work, the sounds emitted in cries and shouts, might come to be associated with work performed.

Ø Ex: heave or haul alternating with sounds such as ho.

 

5. Ta-ta Theory:

Ø Proposed by Sir Richard Paget, Subset of gesture theory,

Ø from use of tongue and mouth movements

Ø Ex: Ta-ta might have originated from waving hand–bye-bye

 

6. La La theory:

Ø Speech emerged from the sounds of inspired playfulness, love, poetic sensibility, song, romance.

Ø Otto Jespersen (Danish Linguist)

 

7.Gesture Theory:

Ø Language originates in gesture.

Ø Primitive people communicated with one another by means of gestures made by hand, and ultimately the language-equivalents were substituted for these gestures.

Ø Theory was formulated and advocated by Wilhelm Wundt and Sir Richard Paget.

Ø Sir Percy Nunn in his book Education, its Data and First principles develops his theory in full. And Macdonald Critchley deals with it elaborately in his work, The language of Gesture

Ø In pronunciation of I and Me, the lips are drawn inwards,

Ø In pronunciation of you and thou lips are moved outwards.

 

8. Biblical/divine source theory: monogenic- from God

o  Biblical- God created Adam; and Adam named all living things; origin of language is in 2^nd chapter of Genesis.

o  In Hindu mythology, Saraswathi created language (wife of Brahma)

o  In Greek Mythology, Psamtik created language by experimenting on 2 children.

 

9. The Musical Theory (Sing-Song Theory)

Ø  Proposed by Otto Jespersen, evolved from musical expressions, such as chants, lullabies, and rhythmical sounds

 

10. The genetic source (innateness) theory: Automatic set of development in young children.  Ex: Chomsky’s Universal Grammar.

Ø FOXP2 gene: Genetic basis for speech/language supports innateness.

MCQs on Theories of Language Origin

1. Which theory suggests that language originated from imitating natural sounds like animal cries? 

A. Pooh-Pooh Theory 

B. Yo-He-Ho Theory 

C. Bow-Wow Theory 

D. La-La Theory 

 

2. The "Pooh-Pooh Theory" is associated with: 

A. Rhythmic labor chants 

B. Involuntary emotional exclamations 

C. Divine creation of language 

D. Gestural communication 

 

3. Who proposed the Ding-Dong Theory, later abandoned due to its reliance on a vague "law of harmony"?

A. Otto Jespersen 

B. Max Müller 

C. Wilhelm Wundt 

D. Noire 

 

4. The Yo-He-Ho Theory links language origin to:

A. Playful songs and romance 

B. Rhythmic group labor (e.g., chants) 

C. Divine intervention 

D. Tool-making skills 

 

5. Which theory claims language emerged from gestures like waving hands (e.g., "ta-ta" for "bye-bye")?

A. Gesture Theory 

B. Ta-Ta Theory

C. Tool-Making Theory 

D. La-La Theory 

 

6. The La-La Theory, proposed by Otto Jespersen, connects language to:

A. Tool-making 

B. Playfulness, song, and romance

C. Divine sources 

D. Rhythmic chants 

 

7. Which theory is supported by examples like zigzag and big big (reduplication)?

A. Ding-Dong Theory

B. Bow-Wow Theory 

C. Pooh-Pooh Theory 

D. Genetic Source Theory 

 

8. The Biblical/Divine Source Theory is exemplified by:

A. Adam naming animals (Genesis) 

B. Saraswati creating language (Hinduism) 

C. Psamtik’s child experiment (Greek myth)

D. All of the above

 

9. Which theory explains lip movements for pronouns like I/me (inward) vs. you (outward)?

A. Ta-Ta Theory 

B. Gesture Theory 

C. Tool-Making Theory 

D. Innateness Hypothesis 

 

10. The FOXP2 gene is linked to which theory of language origin? 

A. Social Interaction Source 

B. Genetic (Innate) Source 

C. Physical Adaptation Source 

D. Natural Sound Source 

 

11. Which theory is linked to the example of "heave" and "haul" during group labor? 

A. Pooh-Pooh Theory 

B. Yo-He-Ho Theory 

C. Ding-Dong Theory 

D. La-La Theory 

 

12. The Innateness Hypothesis (Chomsky) argues that language ability is:

A. Learned through social interaction 

B. Biologically pre-programmed

C. Derived from tool-making skills 

D. A divine gift 

 

Answer Key

1. C	2. B	3. B	4. B	5. B	6. B	7. A
8. D	9. B	10. B	11. B	12. B

 

 

 Theories of language origin:

Ø The origin of language dates back to 6000 years ago. The major history was through guesses and written evidences.

Ø We simply don’t know how language originated.

Ø E. Sapir says, “Most of these theories are hardly more than exercises of the speculative imagination”

 

1. Bow- wow or Cuckoo theory:

Ø Theory by Max Muller.

Ø Human speech originated in man’s attempt to imitate the sounds of nature.

Ø From cries of beasts and birds. Ex: Dog’s Bow-vow; Cow’s Moo, Cat’s meow.

Ø There are number of words in English vocabulary in support of this theory. Ex: hiss, whistle, gurgle, prattle, hoopoe, peewit, cuckoo etc.

Ø Words sometimes said to be onomatopoeic.

 

2.Pooh-pooh theory:

Ø Origin of language from involuntary exclamations involuntary exclamations triggered by emotions like pain ("ouch!"), surprise ("oh!"), or joy ("aha!").

Ø Ex. "wow" or "yikes" in modern languages.

Ø As a theory of the origin, it stands upon a very slippery ground.

 

3. Ding Dong theory:

Ø Correspondence between sound and sense by a law of nature, (reaction to the world around him)

Ø People associate sounds with objects

Ø Ex: zigzag, dazzle, big big(reduplication)

Ø At one stage it was upheld by Max Muller but later it was abandoned.

Ø According to Prof. Taraporewala, the Hindi word “Jana Gana”, “Jog Mog” and a large number of Bengali words may come under this.

 

4. Yo- he - ho theory:

Ø Rhythmic chants, grunts people use. (Communal rhythmic chants)

Ø Noire enunciated this theory.

Ø Source of speech in a group (in social contexts)

Ø during physical work, the sounds emitted in cries and shouts, might come to be associated with work performed.

Ø Ex: heave or haul alternating with sounds such as ho.

 

5. Ta-ta Theory:

Ø Proposed by Sir Richard Paget, Subset of gesture theory,

Ø from use of tongue and mouth movements

Ø Ex: Ta-ta might have originated from waving hand–bye-bye

 

6. La La theory:

Ø Speech emerged from the sounds of inspired playfulness, love, poetic sensibility, song, romance.

Ø Otto Jespersen (Danish Linguist)

 

7.Gesture Theory:

Ø Language originates in gesture.

Ø Primitive people communicated with one another by means of gestures made by hand, and ultimately the language-equivalents were substituted for these gestures.

Ø Theory was formulated and advocated by Wilhelm Wundt and Sir Richard Paget.

Ø Sir Percy Nunn in his book Education, its Data and First principles develops his theory in full. And Macdonald Critchley deals with it elaborately in his work, The language of Gesture

Ø In pronunciation of I and Me, the lips are drawn inwards,

Ø In pronunciation of you and thou lips are moved outwards.

 

8. Biblical/divine source theory: monogenic- from God

o  Biblical- God created Adam; and Adam named all living things; origin of language is in 2^nd chapter of Genesis.

o  In Hindu mythology, Saraswathi created language (wife of Brahma)

o  In Greek Mythology, Psamtik created language by experimenting on 2 children.

 

9. The Musical Theory (Sing-Song Theory)

Ø  Proposed by Otto Jespersen, evolved from musical expressions, such as chants, lullabies, and rhythmical sounds

 

10. The genetic source (innateness) theory: Automatic set of development in young children.  Ex: Chomsky’s Universal Grammar.

Ø FOXP2 gene: Genetic basis for speech/language supports innateness.

MCQs on Theories of Language Origin

1. Which theory suggests that language originated from imitating natural sounds like animal cries? 

A. Pooh-Pooh Theory 

B. Yo-He-Ho Theory 

C. Bow-Wow Theory 

D. La-La Theory 

 

2. The "Pooh-Pooh Theory" is associated with: 

A. Rhythmic labor chants 

B. Involuntary emotional exclamations 

C. Divine creation of language 

D. Gestural communication 

 

3. Who proposed the Ding-Dong Theory, later abandoned due to its reliance on a vague "law of harmony"?

A. Otto Jespersen 

B. Max Müller 

C. Wilhelm Wundt 

D. Noire 

 

4. The Yo-He-Ho Theory links language origin to:

A. Playful songs and romance 

B. Rhythmic group labor (e.g., chants) 

C. Divine intervention 

D. Tool-making skills 

 

5. Which theory claims language emerged from gestures like waving hands (e.g., "ta-ta" for "bye-bye")?

A. Gesture Theory 

B. Ta-Ta Theory

C. Tool-Making Theory 

D. La-La Theory 

 

6. The La-La Theory, proposed by Otto Jespersen, connects language to:

A. Tool-making 

B. Playfulness, song, and romance

C. Divine sources 

D. Rhythmic chants 

 

7. Which theory is supported by examples like zigzag and big big (reduplication)?

A. Ding-Dong Theory

B. Bow-Wow Theory 

C. Pooh-Pooh Theory 

D. Genetic Source Theory 

 

8. The Biblical/Divine Source Theory is exemplified by:

A. Adam naming animals (Genesis) 

B. Saraswati creating language (Hinduism) 

C. Psamtik’s child experiment (Greek myth)

D. All of the above

 

9. Which theory explains lip movements for pronouns like I/me (inward) vs. you (outward)?

A. Ta-Ta Theory 

B. Gesture Theory 

C. Tool-Making Theory 

D. Innateness Hypothesis 

 

10. The FOXP2 gene is linked to which theory of language origin? 

A. Social Interaction Source 

B. Genetic (Innate) Source 

C. Physical Adaptation Source 

D. Natural Sound Source 

 

11. Which theory is linked to the example of "heave" and "haul" during group labor? 

A. Pooh-Pooh Theory 

B. Yo-He-Ho Theory 

C. Ding-Dong Theory 

D. La-La Theory 

 

12. The Innateness Hypothesis (Chomsky) argues that language ability is:

A. Learned through social interaction 

B. Biologically pre-programmed

C. Derived from tool-making skills 

D. A divine gift 

 

Answer Key

1. C	2. B	3. B	4. B	5. B	6. B	7. A
8. D	9. B	10. B	11. B	12. B

 

 

MCQs on the Origin of the English Language

1. Which of the following languages had the greatest influence on Old English? 

a) Latin 

b) French 

c) Norse 

d) Germanic 

 

2. English belongs to which language family?

a) Dravidian

b) Sino-Tibetan

c) Indo-European

d) Afro-Asiatic

 

3. Which of the following languages belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European?

a) Telugu

b) Sanskrit

c) French

d) Mandarin

 

4. To which language Telugu language belongs?

A) Dravidian

B) Indo-Iranian

C) Indo-Aryan

D) Celtic

 

5. What was the original Latin name given to Britain by the Romans?

a) Albion

b) Anglia

c) Germania

d) Caledonia

 

6. The earliest inhabitants of Britain spoke which language?

a) Latin

b) Old Norse

c) Celtic

d) Anglo-Saxon

 

7. What is the correct classification of the Hindi language?

A) Dravidian

B) Indo-Iranian

C) Indo-Aryan

D) Celtic

8. The term ‘Britannia’ was given to Britain by which group?

A) Celts

B) Normans

C) Romans

D) Vikings

 

9. Old English developed from the languages of which group of people? 

a) Vikings and Celts 

b) Anglo-Saxons and Jutes 

c) Romans and Normans 

d) Slavs and Franks 

 

10. Which of the following is an example of an Old English text? 

a) Beowulf 

b) The Canterbury Tales 

c) Macbeth 

d) Paradise Lost 

 

11. Which writing system was primarily used in Old English before the Latin alphabet? 

a) Cyrillic script 

b) Runes (Futhark) 

c) Greek script 

d) Gothic script 

 

12. Which king is credited with starting English prose?

a) William the Conqueror

b) Alfred the Great

c) Henry VIII

d) Richard the Lionheart

 

13. Which group invaded Britain in the 5th century and contributed to the development of Old English?

a) Normans

b) Celts

c) Anglo-Saxons

d) Franks

 

14. Which of the following is NOT an Old English dialect?

a) Northumbrian

b) Kentish

c) Mercian

d) Anglo-Norman

 

15. The Vikings and Danes invaded England in which century?

a) 7th century

b) 8th century

c) 9th century

d) 11th century

 

16. The Norman Conquest of England happened in which year?

a) 476 AD

b) 800 AD

c) 1066 AD

d) 1215 AD

 

17. The term ‘Normandy’ means:

A) Land of the Celts

B) Land of the Germans

C) Land of the North Men

D) Land of the Anglo-Saxons

 

18. Who led the Norman invasion of England in 1066?

A) King Alfred

B) William, Duke of Normandy

C) Julius Caesar

D) Harold Godwinson

 

19. What language did the Normans bring to England?

a) Old Norse

b) Anglo-Norman (Old French)

c) Latin

d) German

 

20. What was the primary language spoken by the upper class after the Norman Conquest?

a) English

b) French

c) Latin

d) Old Norse

 

21. What event greatly influenced the transition from Old English to Middle English? 

   a) The Norman Conquest of 1066 

   b) The Industrial Revolution 

   c) The Great Vowel Shift 

   d) The invention of printing press 

 

22. Who is the most famous writer of Middle English? 

   a) Geoffrey Chaucer 

   b) William Shakespeare 

   c) John Milton 

   d) Alexander Pope 

  

23. What is the title of Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous work, written in Middle English? 

   a) The Canterbury Tales 

   b) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 

   c) The Faerie Queene 

   d) Utopia 

  

24. What major linguistic change marked the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English? 

   a) The Norman Conquest 

   b) The Great Vowel Shift 

   c) The introduction of Old Norse words 

   d) The decline of Latin influence 

 

25. Which invention helped spread and standardize Modern English? 

a) The steam engine 

b) The printing press 

c) The telegraph 

d) The telephone 

 

26. The first printing press in England was introduced by whom?

a) Geoffrey Chaucer

b) William Shakespeare

c) William Caxton

d) Samuel Johnson

 

27. The King James Bible (1611) played a crucial role in:

a) Translating Latin texts into English

b) Stabilizing the English language

c) Introducing Old English poetry

d) Ending Norman influence

 

28. Which influential dictionary helped standardize Modern English spelling?

a) The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

b) Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary (1755)

c) Webster’s Dictionary

d) The Table Alphabetical

 

29. Which of the following are correct?

a) Great Britain and UK are same

b) UK = Great Britain + Northern Ireland

c) UK = England + Wales

d) Great Britain = UK + Ireland

 

30. The Great Vowel Shift mainly affected which part of English?

a) Vocabulary

b) Grammar

c) Pronunciation

d) Sentence structure

 

31. Who first studied and coined the term "Great Vowel Shift"?

a) William Shakespeare

b) Otto Jespersen

c) Noam Chomsky

d) Geoffrey Chaucer

 

32. What major global event contributed to the expansion of English vocabulary in the 20th century?

a) The Renaissance

b) The Norman Conquest

c) The two World Wars

d) The American Revolution

 

33. Which of the following words entered English vocabulary due to military influence?

a) Jeep

b) Camouflage

c) Spearhead

d) All of the above

 

34. Which of the following is an example of diphthongization in the Great Vowel Shift?

a) house /huːs/ → /haʊs/

b) feet /feːt/ → /fiːt/

c) goose /goːs/ → /guːs/

d) home /hoːm/ → /hoʊm/

 

35. Which of the following factor/s helped English to borrow words from multiple languages in the Modern Period?

A) The Norman Conquest

B) The Industrial Revolution and Colonialism

C) The Renaissance

D) The Viking Invasions

 

Answers:

1: d	2: c	3: b	4: A	5: a	6: c	7: C	8: C	9: b	10: a
11: b	12: b	13: c	14: d	15: c	16: c	17: C	18: B	19: b	20: b
21: a	22: a	23: a	24: b	25: b	26: c	27: b	28: b	29: b	30: c
31: b	32: c	33: d	34: a	35: B

 

 

 

 

 

MCQs on the Origin of the English Language

1. Which of the following languages had the greatest influence on Old English? 

a) Latin 

b) French 

c) Norse 

d) Germanic 

 

2. English belongs to which language family?

a) Dravidian

b) Sino-Tibetan

c) Indo-European

d) Afro-Asiatic

 

3. Which of the following languages belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European?

a) Telugu

b) Sanskrit

c) French

d) Mandarin

 

4. To which language Telugu language belongs?

A) Dravidian

B) Indo-Iranian

C) Indo-Aryan

D) Celtic

 

5. What was the original Latin name given to Britain by the Romans?

a) Albion

b) Anglia

c) Germania

d) Caledonia

 

6. The earliest inhabitants of Britain spoke which language?

a) Latin

b) Old Norse

c) Celtic

d) Anglo-Saxon

 

7. What is the correct classification of the Hindi language?

A) Dravidian

B) Indo-Iranian

C) Indo-Aryan

D) Celtic

8. The term ‘Britannia’ was given to Britain by which group?

A) Celts

B) Normans

C) Romans

D) Vikings

 

9. Old English developed from the languages of which group of people? 

a) Vikings and Celts 

b) Anglo-Saxons and Jutes 

c) Romans and Normans 

d) Slavs and Franks 

 

10. Which of the following is an example of an Old English text? 

a) Beowulf 

b) The Canterbury Tales 

c) Macbeth 

d) Paradise Lost 

 

11. Which writing system was primarily used in Old English before the Latin alphabet? 

a) Cyrillic script 

b) Runes (Futhark) 

c) Greek script 

d) Gothic script 

 

12. Which king is credited with starting English prose?

a) William the Conqueror

b) Alfred the Great

c) Henry VIII

d) Richard the Lionheart

 

13. Which group invaded Britain in the 5th century and contributed to the development of Old English?

a) Normans

b) Celts

c) Anglo-Saxons

d) Franks

 

14. Which of the following is NOT an Old English dialect?

a) Northumbrian

b) Kentish

c) Mercian

d) Anglo-Norman

 

15. The Vikings and Danes invaded England in which century?

a) 7th century

b) 8th century

c) 9th century

d) 11th century

 

16. The Norman Conquest of England happened in which year?

a) 476 AD

b) 800 AD

c) 1066 AD

d) 1215 AD

 

17. The term ‘Normandy’ means:

A) Land of the Celts

B) Land of the Germans

C) Land of the North Men

D) Land of the Anglo-Saxons

 

18. Who led the Norman invasion of England in 1066?

A) King Alfred

B) William, Duke of Normandy

C) Julius Caesar

D) Harold Godwinson

 

19. What language did the Normans bring to England?

a) Old Norse

b) Anglo-Norman (Old French)

c) Latin

d) German

 

20. What was the primary language spoken by the upper class after the Norman Conquest?

a) English

b) French

c) Latin

d) Old Norse

 

21. What event greatly influenced the transition from Old English to Middle English? 

   a) The Norman Conquest of 1066 

   b) The Industrial Revolution 

   c) The Great Vowel Shift 

   d) The invention of printing press 

 

22. Who is the most famous writer of Middle English? 

   a) Geoffrey Chaucer 

   b) William Shakespeare 

   c) John Milton 

   d) Alexander Pope 

  

23. What is the title of Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous work, written in Middle English? 

   a) The Canterbury Tales 

   b) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 

   c) The Faerie Queene 

   d) Utopia 

  

24. What major linguistic change marked the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English? 

   a) The Norman Conquest 

   b) The Great Vowel Shift 

   c) The introduction of Old Norse words 

   d) The decline of Latin influence 

 

25. Which invention helped spread and standardize Modern English? 

a) The steam engine 

b) The printing press 

c) The telegraph 

d) The telephone 

 

26. The first printing press in England was introduced by whom?

a) Geoffrey Chaucer

b) William Shakespeare

c) William Caxton

d) Samuel Johnson

 

27. The King James Bible (1611) played a crucial role in:

a) Translating Latin texts into English

b) Stabilizing the English language

c) Introducing Old English poetry

d) Ending Norman influence

 

28. Which influential dictionary helped standardize Modern English spelling?

a) The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

b) Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary (1755)

c) Webster’s Dictionary

d) The Table Alphabetical

 

29. Which of the following are correct?

a) Great Britain and UK are same

b) UK = Great Britain + Northern Ireland

c) UK = England + Wales

d) Great Britain = UK + Ireland

 

30. The Great Vowel Shift mainly affected which part of English?

a) Vocabulary

b) Grammar

c) Pronunciation

d) Sentence structure

 

31. Who first studied and coined the term "Great Vowel Shift"?

a) William Shakespeare

b) Otto Jespersen

c) Noam Chomsky

d) Geoffrey Chaucer

 

32. What major global event contributed to the expansion of English vocabulary in the 20th century?

a) The Renaissance

b) The Norman Conquest

c) The two World Wars

d) The American Revolution

 

33. Which of the following words entered English vocabulary due to military influence?

a) Jeep

b) Camouflage

c) Spearhead

d) All of the above

 

34. Which of the following is an example of diphthongization in the Great Vowel Shift?

a) house /huːs/ → /haʊs/

b) feet /feːt/ → /fiːt/

c) goose /goːs/ → /guːs/

d) home /hoːm/ → /hoʊm/

 

35. Which of the following factor/s helped English to borrow words from multiple languages in the Modern Period?

A) The Norman Conquest

B) The Industrial Revolution and Colonialism

C) The Renaissance

D) The Viking Invasions

 

Answers:

1: d	2: c	3: b	4: A	5: a	6: c	7: C	8: C	9: b	10: a
11: b	12: b	13: c	14: d	15: c	16: c	17: C	18: B	19: b	20: b
21: a	22: a	23: a	24: b	25: b	26: c	27: b	28: b	29: b	30: c
31: b	32: c	33: d	34: a	35: B