Bihar Board Class 12th Story
Of English
Chapter-1
How English Began
The English
language is much 'younger' than Sanskrit, Persian, Greek, Latin, and other
great classical languages of the past. When these European and Asian languages
were ruling the world, the names English and England did not exist. The English
we speak today came from the speech of the Germanic tribes: Angles, Saxons and
Jutes (together called the Anglo-Saxons) who invaded England in the fifth
century and gave the country its name and its language.
The Anglo-Saxons were Germanic people who lived in North and West Europe
(present day Denmark, Germany and Holland). The languages they used were
Germanic or Teutonic. These languages were closely related to Latin, Greek
Sanskrit and other languages of the Indo-European family (or group) of
languages. Thus, through Germanic, English belongs to the ancient Indo-European
family of languages.
The Germanic invaders were called Saxons by the natives of England. The Saxons, on the other hand, called the natives of England "Wealas" or foreigners. They, however, began to call their languages Englisc. This word was derived from the name : Angles (Old English: Engle). The country was given the name Anglecynn (or Angle-kin, that is, the race of the Angles). From about AD 1000, the name Englaland (or the land of the Angles) came into use in place of Anglecynn. Thus both the name of the country England, and the language, English, are not native to English.
OBJECTIVE QUESTION
1. David
Copperfield was written by ___________.
a)D.H. Lawrence
b)Joseph Conrad
c)Charles Dickens
d)Rudyard Kipling
2. English
developed into a single, standard ___________.
a)Queen’s English
b)King’s English
c)Prince’s English
d)Princess English
3. Langland is
a well known writer of ___________ English Literature.
a)Old
b)Middle
c)Modern
d)Post Modern
4. The Romantic
Revival is often associated with ___________.
a)John Dryden
b)Alexander Pope
c)William Wordsworth
d)John Milton
5. The
development of ___________ was helped by introduction of the priting
technology.
a)Old English
b)Middle English
c)Modern English
d)None of these
6. The major
linguistic change is known as ___________.
a)Old English
b)Middle English
c)Modern English
d)None of these
7. Tughlaq is
written by ___________.
a)Girish Karnad
b)R.N Tagore
c)B.C. Chattopadhyay
d)S.C. Chatterjee
8. The name
‘Augustan’ was given to the early ___________
century.
a)17th
b)18th
c)19th
d)20th
9. New
varieties of English emerged after the colonies of British empire acquired ___________.
a)power
b)freedom
c)joy
d)suppression
10. The language
of old English looks different because of its ___________.
a)spelling and vocabulary
b)oral language
c)linguistic appeal
d)writing skills
11. The ___________
had far reaching effects on the English language.
a)Renaissance
b)agriculture
c)education
d)industry
12. English is
used as foreign language in ___________.
a)India
b)Africa
c)China
d)New Zealand
13. Today ___________
English is recognized as a ‘World Language”.
a)American
b)French
c)Scandinavian
d)Latin
14. English is a
___________.
a)window to the world
b)hindrance in progress
c)blessing in disguise
d)disgrace to the world
15. The writing
system in Old English used the ___________ alphabet.
a)Runic
b)Kentish
c)Celtic
d)Saxon
16. English
belongs to the ancient ___________ family of languages.
a)American-Indian
b)Indo-European
c)Indian-Australian
d)Indo-Pakistani
18. The latest
period in the growth and development of the English language may be called the
era of ___________.
a)Ancient English
b)Old English
c)Middle English
d)New Englishes
19. Bankim Chandra
wrote Raj Mohan’s Wife, the first Indian novel in English in ___________.
a)1857
b)1914
c)1864
d)1847
20. Angles, Jutes
and Saxon came from ___________.
a)North Europe
b)West Europe
c)A and B
d)None of these
21. In 5th
century Britain used to speak ___________ language.
a)Teutonic
b)German
c)Latin
d)Celtic
22. English word
came from the name of the ___________.
a)Angles
b)Jutes
c)Saxons
d)All of these above
23. Invention of
the printing press happened in ___________.
a)1576
b)1456
c)1476
d)1566
24. English used
since AD ___________ till now is called Modern English.
a)1300
b)1400
c)1500
d)1600
25. Old English
covers AD 449-AD ___________.
a)1156
b)1056
c)1066
d)1077
26. Middle
English covers AD 1150- AD ___________.
a)1600
b)1400
c)1500
d)1450
27. Modern
English covers AD ___________ onwards.
a) 1550
b)1600
c)1500
d)1515
28. The history
of English begins with the coming of the Anglo-Saxons from ___________ to
mainland Britain.
a)America
b)China
c)Europe
d)Baltic
29. The literature
of the Anglo-Saxons is of ___________ types.
a)three
b)four
c)two
d)five
30. English
language is ___________ than Sanskrit, Persian, Greek, Latin, etc.
a)older
b)much older
c)younger
d)much younger
31. English is not
our ___________.
a)mother tongue
b)father tongue
c)official language
d)emotional language
32. The Anglo-Saxons
were ___________ people.
a)Indo-European
b)Red Indian
c)Germanic
d)Persian
33. Through ___________
English belongs to the ancient Indo-European family of languages.
a)Sanskrit
b)Latin
c)Germanic
d)Greek
34. There are ___________
main periods in the history and growth of English language.
a)Two
b)three
c)four
d)five
35. The English
we speak today came from the speech of the ___________.
a)Germanic tribe
b)Asian Tribes
b)American tribes
d)African tribes
36. Angles,
Saxons and Jutes are together called ___________.
a)Anglo
b)Saxons
c)Anglo-Saxons
d)None of these
37. The Anglo-Saxons
used to live in ___________.
a)North & West Europe
b)North Europe
c)South Europe
d)West Europe
38. The
languages the Anglo-Saxons used were ___________.
a)Celtic
b)English
c)French
d)Germanic or Teutonic
39. The Germanic
invaders were called _________ by the natives of England.
a)Saxons
b)English
c)African
d)America
40. The word
Drama came from ___________ word.
a)Greek
b)French
c)Latin
41. d)None of these
42. ‘The Scholar
Gipsy’ has been written by ___________.
a)Matthew Arnold
b)W.B Yeats
c)Robert Bridges
d)J.M. Synge
43. Father of
English language is ___________.
a)Shakespeare
b)Geoffrey Chaucer
c)John
d)none of these
44. The Anglo-Saxons
invaded England in the ___________.
a)5th Century
b)6th Century
c)7th Century
d)none of these
45. The English language
of today reflects ___________ centuries of political and social developments.
a)4th Century
b)5th century
c)6th century
d)7th century
46. Who were
called together the Anglo-Saxons?
a)Angles
b)Saxons
c)Jutes
d)all the three
47. ___________ gave
England its name and language.
a)Indians
b)Romans
c)Anglo-Saxons
d)none of these
48. The history
of English language is just about ___________ years old.
a)fifteen hundred
b)sixteen hundred
c)seventeen hundred
d)none of these
49. In the Old
English period the two major influences were ___________.
a)Latin and French
b)Latin and Greek
c)Latin and Scandinavian
d)Latin and Indian
50. The gold
period of old English literature was the era of ___________.
a)King Alfred
b)King Richard-II
c)Queen Elizabeth
d)none of these
51. The Year
1066Ad is taken to be the end of ___________ period.
a)Middle English
b)Old English
c)Modern English
d)none of these
52. About ___________
Christlanity began to spread in England.
a)400AD
b)500AD
c) 600AD
d)AD 700
53. The first
phase of Middle English literature covers the period ___________.
a)AD 950-AD 1350 AD
b)AD1050-AD 1215
c) AD 1150 –AD 1215
d)AD1250-AD1350
54. The second
phase of Middle English Literature covers the period ___________.
a)950-1350AD
b) 1050-1350
c)1150-1350AD
d) 1250-1350
55. Chaucer,
Gower, Langland and Wyclif are important writers of the ___________.
a)Old English
b)Middle English
c) Modern English
d)none of these
56. Modern
English begins from ___________.
a)1300 AD
b)1400AD
c)1500AD
d)1600 AD
57. The printing
technology was introduced in England in ___________.
a) 1466AD
b)1476 AD
c)1486AD
d)1496 AD
58. The name
'Augustan' was given to the early ___________ century.
a)17th Century
b)18th Century
b)19th Century
d)20th Century
59. The British
Grammar was written by J. Buchanan in ___________.
a)1760
b)1762
c)1764
d)1766
60. ___________ is
a 'window to the world'.
a)Hindi
b)Urdu
c)English
d)Chinese
61. ___________ has
the largest number of native speakers.
a)English
b) Urdu
c) Chinese
d) Hindi
62. In the UK, the USA, Ireland, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, English is spoken as a ___________.
a)foreign language
(b) mother-longue
(c) second language
(d) None of these
63. In India, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria,
Namibia, Botswana etc. English is spoken as a ___________.
a) second language
b) foreign language
c) mother-tongue
d) None of these
64. English is
also used as a ___________ by the Anglo Indian community of India.
a)mother-tongue
b)foreign language
(c) second language
d)none of these
65. In China,
Japan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Eritrea, France, Germany, Switzerland,
Mexico, Brazil etc., English is spoken as a ___________.
a)mother-tongue
b) foreign language
c)second language
d)none of these
66. English
developed from the speech of the ___________.
a)Anglo-Indian
(b) Anglo-American
c)Anglo-Saxon
d)none of these
67. Standard
British speech is known as ___________.
a)RP
b)IP
c)AP
d)none of these
68. American
English differs from British English in the share of ___________.
a) spelling
b) grammar
c)vocabulary
d)all of these
69. About
___________ years ago, Latin was a world language.
a)600
(b)800
c)700
d)900
70. In the last few decades of the ___________ century,
the English language has been rapid changes.
a) 17th
b)18th
a) 19th
d)20th
71. During the
___________ century, an intellectual movement swept Europe.
a) 14th
b)15th
c) 16th
72. d)17th
73. In his poetic
words, Chaucer, did not use ___________.
a) the old English
b)the Middle English
c)the modern English
d)none of the
74. William
Wordsworth was a ___________.
a)dramatist
b)poet
c)comedian
d)novelist
75. Hamlet is a ___________.
a)tragedy
b)comedy
c)farce
d)none of these
76. King Lear is
a ___________.
a)comedy
b)drama
c)poetry
d)none of these
77. ___________ is
called modern father of novel.
a)Richardson
b)Feilding
c)Johnson
d)Dryden
78. Othello is a
___________.
a)comedy
b)tragedy
c)novel
d)story
79. The first
English tragedy was ___________.
a)Dr. Faustus
b)Julius Caesar
c)Gorboduc
d)King Lear
80. Morality
plays developed in ___________.
a)Ancient ages
b)Middle ages
c)modern ages
d)none of these
81. Tragedy ends
with ___________.
a)happiness
b)sorrow
c)both
d)none of these
82. Comedy ends
with ___________.
a)happiness
b)sorrow
c)both
d)none of these
83. For a drama
exposition is ___________.
a)evil
b)futile
c)essential
d)none of these
84. Old English
is characterized by ___________.
a)syntax
b)synthesis
c)inflections
d)linguistics
85. Today, it is
impossible to think and imagine a world with the ___________.
a)old methods of agriculture
b)printing machine
c)bullock carts
d)illiterate people
86. The 18th
century is known as the ___________.
a)Cavalier age
b)Jacobean age
c)Augustan age
d)Romantic age
87. Langland and
Chaucer belonged to the ___________ period.
a)Old English
b)Modern English
c)Post modern English
d)Middle English
88. Spelling
‘Color’ is used in ___________.
a)Indian English
b)French
b)British English
d)American English
SHORT QUESTION ANSWER
1.
What
are the elements of drama?
Answer- The important elements of a drama are plot, character, dialogue,
gestures, scenic effects, music and soliloquy.
2.
Name
two works of Shakespeare.
Answer- The
two works of Shakespeare are Macbeth and Merchant of Venice.
3.
Who is your favourite
English dramatist? Write briefly.
Answer-My favourite English dramatist
is G.b. Shaw. Some of his important works are Candida, Man and Superman, Arms
and the Man, etc.
4.
Write the name of two Modern English Poets.
Answer- W.H Auden
and Rupert Brooke
5.
What are the dramatic
structures of a tragedy?
Answer- the dramatic structures of a
tragedy are- exposition, complication, crisis, denouement, and catastrophe.
6.
Name the important types
of Drama.
Answer- The important types of Drama
are- Tragedy, Comedy, Tragi-Comedy, Farce, Melodrama, Masque and One act play.
7.
Who revived the tradition
of verse drama in the twentieth century? Name some of his important plays.
Answer- T.S. Eliot revived the
tradition of verse drama in the twentieth century. His important plays are-
murder in the cathedral, the family reunion, etc.
8.
Name the principal
dialects of the Middle English.
Answer- The principal dialects of the
Middle English were Northern, Southern, East Midland, West Midland and Kentish.
9.
Name three American poets
and one of their poems.
Answer- Walt Whitman --- Song of Myself
Robert Frost ----- West Running Brook
Emily Dickinson --- I
Could Not Stop for Death
10.
Name three American
Novelists and one of their novels.
Answer- Hemingway--- The Old Man and
The Sea
Henry James---- The
Portrait of a Lady
Hawthorne ---- The
Scarlet Letter
11.
Name three American
Dramatists and one of their dramas.
Answer- Arthur Miller—Death of a
Salesman
Tenesse William----The
Glass Managerie
O Neill ---- Morning
Becomes Electra
12.
Who were known as the
University Wits?
Answer-The University Wits include
Christopher Marlowe, John Lily, Thomas Kyd, George Peele, and Robert Greene.
13.
Write a short note on
William Shakespeare?
14.
When did the Great Vowel Shift
take place?
LONG QUESTION ANSWER
1. Write a short note on Modern English.
OR
What realization led to the borrowings from different languages?
Answer-English
from 1500 AD to present is known as Modern English. It has been divided into
two periods, first is early Modern English from 1500 AD to 1800 AD and second
is Late Modern English from 1800 AD to present. The Modern English has emerged
as an era of development of science and technology combined with a deepening
sense of globalization. The concept of borrowings began in this period. The
rapid of change, growth and development made English realize that their
vocabulary lacked the words to express new ideas and techniques. This
realization led English to the borrowings from different languages.
2. English is an international language. How?
OR
Write a short note on English as a world language.
OR
Write a short note on Global English.
Answer-There are
many reasons why English has become so popular or international language or
Global English. One of them is that English has become the language of
business. Another important reason is that popular American culture (like
movies, music and McDonald’s) has quickly spread throughout the world. And
English is a fairly complicated language to learn and it brings its culture
with it.
English is spoken as a native language by around 377 million and as a second
language by around 375 million speakers of English in the world. Speakers of
English as a second language will soon outnumber those who speak it as a first
language.
Thus, English is called global language or international language without any
doubt.
3. Write briefly about the dialects of Middle English.
Answer- The
period from 1100 to 1500 AD is known as Middle English Period in the history of
English. During this period English was mixture of five dialects. These
dialects were- Northern, Southern, East Midland, West Midland and Kentish.
Middle English is differed from Modern English in spelling, pronounciating and
grammar.
4. Write a note on Old English.
Answer- The
period from 450 to 1100 AD is known as Old English in the history of English.
At that English was purely a mixture of different dialects. Its words were
written and pronounced differently. It was mostly imitative in nature. It has
no grammar of its own. Many of Old English words and structures have gone out
of use today.
5. What is the difference between a short story and a novel?
Answer- The story is short whereas a novel is big in
space. The story gives a glimpse of a character but a novel presents a detailed
study of a character. A novel is divided into chapters or parts. The story is
required to have the unity of impression. It has a few events and a few
characters. A novel has many events and many characters. A story must be read
in a single sitting. Its length is limited. A novel has no such restriction.
6. Write a note on American English.
Answer- When the
countries like U.S, Australia, Canada, New Zealand became independent of the
British empire, the English language written and spoken there, too, tried to
shed off some of Queen English. The people there were not the native speakers
of English. So, they created a new variety of English that developed in America
after its independence is called American English. The changes can be listed in
the way.
Spelling-
Colour (British) Color (America)
Grammar-
British American
He has got off the chair. He has gotten off the
chair.
I have just eaten. I just
ate.
7. Write the
name of five Modern English Poets.
Answer- i. W.H Auden ii. Rupert Brooke iii. T.S Eliot iv. D.H Lowrence v. W.B. Yeats
8. Write the names of five Indian English Poets.
or
Write the names of five Indian English Novelists.
or
Write the names of five Indian English Dramatists.
or
Write the names of five Indian English Writers.
Answer:
i.
R.N.
Tagore
ii.
Tabish
Khair
iii.
Shree
Kumar Verma
iv.
Vikram
Seth
v.
Arundhati
Roy
9. Write the names of any five English Poets.
or
Write the names of any five English Novelists.
0r
Write the names of any five English Dramatists.
or
Write the names of any five English Writers.
Answer:
i.
William Shakespeare
ii.
R.N. Tagore
iii.
T.S. Eliot
iv.
Joseph Addison
v.
John Dryden
10. Name five
Indo-anglian Writers:
or
Name five Indian English Writers.
Answer- Sarojini
Naidu, Aurobindo Ghosh, R.N. Tagore, Kamala Das, Toru Dutt and Henry Derozio.
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