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Question 34

One statement below about England after the Norman Conquest is false. Which one is it?

  1. Norman lords came to hold most of the large estates in England.
  2. Norman French became the language of the ruling class.
  3. The English language died out and was no longer spoken in England.Correct answer
  4. Latin stayed in use for the Church and for written records.

Explanation

The conquest changed who held the land and what was spoken at the top of society, but ordinary people went on speaking English throughout, and the language survived to take in a great many French words. The statement about the ruling class is true, and it is where most mistakes are made, because a change in the language of the court is easily mistaken for a change in what the whole country spoke.

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