Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Practice Questions
18 free Samuel Johnson's Dictionary practice questions for the English Literature. Tap an option to answer — you get instant feedback, the correct answer, and a detailed explanation for every question.
What is the full title of Samuel Johnson's famous dictionary?
- A The Oxford English Dictionary
- B An English Grammar and Dictionary of Words
- C A Dictionary of the English Language
- D The Universal Lexicon of the British Isles
Correct answer: A Dictionary of the English Language
Samuel Johnson's dictionary was titled A Dictionary of the English Language. It became one of the most important reference works in the history of English prose and lexicography.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary was first published in which year?
- A 1711
- B 1740
- C 1755
- D 1779
Correct answer: 1755
A Dictionary of the English Language was first published in 1755. It was a major achievement of eighteenth-century scholarship and remained highly influential for many decades.
Which writer compiled A Dictionary of the English Language?
- A Joseph Addison
- B Richard Steele
- C Samuel Johnson
- D Thomas Gray
Correct answer: Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson compiled A Dictionary of the English Language. His work helped standardize English spelling, meaning, and usage in the eighteenth century.
What was one major purpose of Johnson's Dictionary?
- A To translate every English word into its classical Latin and Greek equivalents
- B To record and explain English words with illustrative examples from literature
- C To replace all English poetry with government-approved scientific prose
- D To create a private cipher code exclusively for university scholars
Correct answer: To record and explain English words with illustrative examples from literature
Johnson aimed to define English words clearly and support meanings with literary quotations. His dictionary connected language, literature, and national culture.
Which of the following writers was frequently used by Johnson for illustrative quotations?
- A Charles Dickens
- B William Shakespeare
- C F. Scott Fitzgerald
- D D. H. Lawrence
Correct answer: William Shakespeare
Johnson often quoted writers such as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden, and Pope. These examples helped show how words were used by major literary authorities.
Johnson's Dictionary is most closely connected with which field of study?
- A Archaeology
- B Lexicography
- C Astronomy
- D Architecture
Correct answer: Lexicography
Lexicography is the practice of compiling dictionaries. Johnson's Dictionary is one of the great landmarks of English lexicography.
Which statement best describes Johnson's method in the Dictionary?
- A He listed words alphabetically without any accompanying meanings or definitions
- B He defined words and illustrated them with quotations from established authors
- C He used only spoken slang from London streets
- D He deliberately rejected all examples and citations from literature
Correct answer: He defined words and illustrated them with quotations from established authors
Johnson provided definitions and then often supported them with literary quotations. This method gave authority and context to his explanations of English words.
Johnson's Dictionary was important before the rise of which later major dictionary?
- A Webster's Third New International Dictionary
- B The Oxford English Dictionary
- C Roget's Thesaurus
- D Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Correct answer: The Oxford English Dictionary
Before the Oxford English Dictionary, Johnson's Dictionary was the most influential English dictionary. It remained a standard authority for English usage for a long period.
Which quality of Johnson's definitions is often noted by readers and critics?
- A They are sometimes witty, moral, and personally expressive
- B They are always strictly mathematical in nature and tone
- C They contain no humor, opinion, or personal commentary at all
- D They are composed entirely in formal Old English prose style
Correct answer: They are sometimes witty, moral, and personally expressive
Many of Johnson's definitions are clear and scholarly, but some also show wit and personality. His famous definitions reveal the moral and comic force of his prose style.
Which famous example shows Johnson's humorous and personal style in definition?
- A His definition of oats as food for horses in England and people in Scotland
- B His definition of poetry as emotion recollected in tranquillity and calm reflection
- C His definition of tragedy as the imitation of a single serious action
- D His definition of nature as the anchor and true source of pure imagination
Correct answer: His definition of oats as food for horses in England and people in Scotland
Johnson's definition of oats is often cited for its humour and national teasing. It shows that his dictionary could carry personality as well as scholarship.
Which word did Johnson famously define as 'a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge'?
- A Lexicographer
- B Philologist
- C Grammarian
- D Bibliographer
Correct answer: Lexicographer
Johnson famously defined 'lexicographer' as a harmless drudge. The definition humorously reflects the laborious nature of dictionary-making.
How long did Johnson roughly take to complete his Dictionary?
- A About nine years
- B About one month
- C About fifty years
- D About two centuries
Correct answer: About nine years
Johnson worked on the Dictionary for about nine years. The achievement is remarkable because he completed it with limited assistance compared with later large dictionary projects.
Which of the following best describes the historical importance of Johnson's Dictionary?
- A It helped stabilize English spelling, meaning, and literary usage
- B It ended the use of English language in literature and public life
- C It was the very first printed book to appear anywhere in Europe
- D It replaced every existing grammar book with collections of poetry
Correct answer: It helped stabilize English spelling, meaning, and literary usage
Johnson's Dictionary helped bring order to English vocabulary and spelling. It also established literary quotation as evidence for proper usage.
Which age does Johnson's Dictionary belong to in English literary history?
- A Age of Transition and Neo-Classical tradition
- B Old English and early Anglo-Saxon period
- C High Romantic and Victorian sensibility period
- D Twentieth-century Modernist and experimental period
Correct answer: Age of Transition and Neo-Classical tradition
Johnson's Dictionary belongs to the eighteenth century, often discussed under the Age of Transition and the Neo-Classical tradition. It reflects the period's concern with order, correctness, learning, and authority.
Which statement best explains why Johnson's Dictionary is connected with literature as well as language?
- A It used literary quotations from famous authors to illustrate meanings
- B It contained only stage directions for old plays
- C It was simply a private collection of unpublished sonnets
- D It translated the complete works of Shakespeare into French
Correct answer: It used literary quotations from famous authors to illustrate meanings
Johnson's Dictionary drew heavily on English literary authors for examples. This made it an important record of literary language as well as a practical dictionary.
Which of the following best describes Johnson's achievement as a lexicographer?
- A He is credited with inventing the modern English alphabet system
- B He wrote only a handful of anonymous medieval manuscript glosses
- C He is said to have personally translated every major European dictionary into English
- D He created a major dictionary largely through his own scholarly labour
Correct answer: He created a major dictionary largely through his own scholarly labour
Johnson's Dictionary was a huge scholarly achievement completed largely by Johnson with some assistance. Its scale and quality made it a landmark in English intellectual history.
Which of Johnson's works set out his aims and methods before the Dictionary itself appeared?
- A Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets
- B Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, his philosophical tale
- C The Vanity of Human Wishes, his satirical poem
- D The Plan of a Dictionary of the English Language
Correct answer: The Plan of a Dictionary of the English Language
Johnson set out his design in The Plan of a Dictionary of the English Language. It described his aims and methods before the completed Dictionary appeared.
Who was the noble patron addressed in Johnson's Plan of a Dictionary of the English Language?
- A Lord Byron
- B Earl of Surrey
- C Duke of Buckingham
- D Lord Chesterfield
Correct answer: Lord Chesterfield
Johnson addressed the Plan to Lord Chesterfield. Later, Johnson's famous letter to Chesterfield became an important statement of literary independence from aristocratic patronage.