SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW ENGLISH, HUH?
— English Test I —
The following 100 questions will test your knowledge
of the English language. Page and text written/compiled by Chris. PHP by Justin.
This is gonna knock you out. Good luck.
| The English Army Had Just Won the War |
1. Although the English language is named after England, the United States currently has the most first-language English speakers. Which country comes second?
2. English is currently the 2nd most commonly spoken language in the world, with over 500 million speakers. It is behind only this language, which is currently spoken by over 1 billion people.
3. English is an Anglo-Frisian language, belonging to which human language family?
4. Freedom/liberty. Cold/Frigid. Sight/Vision. Come/Arrive. These word-pairs are all examples of:
5. Funkadelic. Guesstimate. Bridezilla. Dixiecrat. These words (formed by combining both sounds and meanings from two or more words) are called:
6. Following the conquest of England in 1066 CE by this invading horde, a large number of their native words found their way into Old English, leaving a parallel vocabulary that persists to this day.
7. About half of English words are derived (or borrowed) from this language:
8. Of those nations where English is spoken as a second language, this has the most such speakers, and now has more people who speak or understand English than any other country.
9. Encyclopæpedia, archæology, œsophagus—each of these words contain two or more characters in sequence joined into a single unit. This combination of letters is called a(n):
10. "This test is about to get really hard. This test is about to get super-intense. This test is about to show me who's boss." This passage shows a repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of each sentence. This rhetorical device is called:
| Get Back To Where You Once Belonged |
Given is a Greek or Latin root, followed in parentheses by a related English word. Choose the correct meaning of that root. Choose wisely!
11. bene- (as in, benediction)
12. arthro- (as in, arthropod)
13. ikhthu- (as in, ichthyology)
14. pend- (as in, pendulum)
15. mne- (as in, mnemonic)
16. iatro- (as in, psychiatrist)
17. cred- (as in, credulous)
18. fract- (as in, fractious)
19. phage- (as in, bacteriophage)
20. eu- (as in, euphoria)
| You Don't Look Different But You Have Changed |
Choose the correct word with the definition provided. Choose wisely! [Section content courtesy of www.english-test.net].
21. n. pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff
22. n. equipment; odds and ends
23. n. seriousness
24. n. teacher
25. v. be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline
26. adj. reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence
27. adj. pompous; self-important
28. adj. having a common center
29. n. protest; objection
30. v. make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction
31. adj. skeptical or distrustful of human motives; negative or pessimistic, as from world-weariness
32. adj. childish
33. v. make express conditions, specify
34. v. spoil the effect of; make inoperative
35. adj. prudent; cautious
| Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out |
Given is a word commonly used in English, but borrowed from another language (loanwords, as they're called). Choose the foreign language from which the word is derived. Choose wisely!
36. plumber (from plombier)
37. fresco
38. telemark
39. banshee (from bean sídhe)
40. wanderlust
41. billabong
42. orange (from naranga)
43. golem
44. advantage
45. assassin (from hashshashin)
46. chipmunk (from jidmoonh)
47. yoga
48. karaoke
49. kindergarten
50. stampede (from estampida)
51. feng shui
52. kahuna
53. jubilee (from yovel)
54. window (from vindauga)
55. jelly (from gelée)
56. autumn (from autumnus)
57. robot (from robota)
58. apocalypse (from apokalypsis)
59. mazurka
60. grappa
| What Would You Think If I Sang Out of Tune |
Given the definition, choose the correctly spelled version of the corresponding word. Choose wisely!
61. adjective. not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free
62. verb. fill with sublime emotion; to be refreshingly thrilled; to bring new life to.
63. noun. a small cursive script. (also adjective. very small)
64. adjective. occurring from time to time; episodic
65. verb. act as a barrier between; stand between; make a division or separation
66. verb. to adapt; make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose; make compatible with
67. noun. a pledge that something will happen or that something is true
68. adjective. possessing sound knowledge; endowed with the capacity to reason
69. noun. a mental impression retained and recalled from the past; the process of remembering
70. adjective. emitting light during exposure to radiation from an external source
71. adjective. having a play of lustrous rainbow-like colors; varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles
72. adjective. blasphemous; grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
73. adjective. capable of being reached; easy to get along with or talk to
74. noun. to bleed excessively; a dramatic and sudden loss of blood.
75. noun. oral stimulation of the male genitals.
76. verb. to introduce a microorganism into; to immunize
77. adjective. qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen; suited, suitable
78. noun. chumminess; the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
79. noun. self-love; an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself
80. adjective. assorted; consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
| These Are Words That Go Together Well |
In each of the following questions, a related pair of words is followed by four pairs of words. Select the pair that best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair. Good luck.
81. CENSUS : POPULATION
82. SAND PAPER : ABRASIVE
83. BOUQUET : FLOWERS
84. DRUM : TYMPANI
85. WINE : GRAPES
86. BIZARRE : EXOTIC
87. ANACHRONISM : CHRONOLOGY
88. LOOM : WEAVE
89. HOAX : DECEIVE
90. CENSORSHIP : INFORMATION
91. TANGO : DANCE
92. BULLET : BARREL
93. APOSTATE : RELIGION
94. LIQUEFY : PETRIFY
95. ANGLE : DEGREE
96. STANZA : POEM
97. INFANCY : SENILITY
98. EXTROVERT : RETICENT
99. CONDUIT : WATER
100. ANTIMACASSAR : SOFA
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