TEST BANK FOR A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS, 6E
BRUCE ROWE, DIANE LEVINE ALL CHAPTERS
AVAILABLE|QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS 2026
Chapter 1 The Nature of Communication
True/False Questions
1. Linguistic competence refers to the subconscious knowledge of one’s language.
, Answer: T
2. Language is dependent on hearing or speech. Answer: F
3. In Chapter 1, we discuss various types of animal communication because
comparison of those systems of communication can aid us in understanding
human communication. Answer: T
4. All animals have a language. Answer: F
5. Bird calls tend to be species specific. Answer: F
6. Bird songs tend to be species specific. Answer: T
7. All researchers now agree that apes can learn language. Answer: F
8. A person who stutters has a problem with linguistic competence. Answer: F
9. The fact that many new words are added to English each year demonstrates that
English, like any language, is an open system. Answer: T
10. Birds and bees generally learn most of the ir communication systems from other
members of the ir social groups. Answer: F
11. The terms language and communication can be used interchangeably because
the y mean the same thing. Answer: F
,12. One difference between apes’ use of sign “language” and a human’s use of
language, is that apes seldom initiate communication whereas humans, including
young children, frequently initiate communication with othe rs. Answer: T
13. Humans communicate in both verbal and nonverbal ways. Answer: T
14. Redundancy in a message helps overcome “static”. Answer: T
15. Bird songs are generally more elaborate than birdcalls. Answer: T
16. The characteristic of languages that allow people to coin new words as needed is
called discreteness. Answer: F
17. Linguistic forms, such as words or sentences, have an arbitrary relationship to
the ir meaning. Answer: T
18. Compared to nonhuman communication, human linguistic communication tends to
be stimulus-bound. Answer: F
19. The fact that a person can talk about the past or anticipate the future illustrates
the characteristic of language called displacement. Answer: T
20. Some researchers believe that Kanzi processes a basic understanding of simple
grammar. Answer: T
21. Alex the parrot, as well as the apes that have been used in language experiments,
have been able to learn language at the level of about a five-year-old human.
Answer: F
22. Culture shock occurs when a person interacts with a person or people from a foreign
culture and disorientation and anxiety occurs when social expectations are not met
because of a lack of knowledge of the norms of the othe r’s culture. Answer: T
, 23. Ethnocentrism is the act of judging other cultures by the standards of that
culture and not by the standards of one’s own culture. Answer: F
24. Broca’s area of the brain controls the larynx, lips, tongue, and other areas of the
digestive and respiratory systems involved with oral and facial fine motor skills in
the production of language. Answer: T
25. Broca’s area of the brain is the main areas of the brain involved in the
comprehension of speech and the selection of lexical items. Answer. F.
26. Marc Hauser, W. Tecumseh Fitch, and Noam Chomsky believe that many
nonhumans share with humans what the y call the faculty of language in
the narrow sense (FLN). Answer: F
27. Recursion is the process whereby any linguistics unit can be made longer by
embedding another unit in it. Answer: T
28. The concept of Theory of the Mind refers to a person’s ability to know exactly
what other people are thinking. Answer: F
Multiple Choice Questions
29. Communication always includes the transmission of
a. Ideas.
b. Thoughts.
c. Emotions.
d. Information.
Answer: d
BRUCE ROWE, DIANE LEVINE ALL CHAPTERS
AVAILABLE|QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS 2026
Chapter 1 The Nature of Communication
True/False Questions
1. Linguistic competence refers to the subconscious knowledge of one’s language.
, Answer: T
2. Language is dependent on hearing or speech. Answer: F
3. In Chapter 1, we discuss various types of animal communication because
comparison of those systems of communication can aid us in understanding
human communication. Answer: T
4. All animals have a language. Answer: F
5. Bird calls tend to be species specific. Answer: F
6. Bird songs tend to be species specific. Answer: T
7. All researchers now agree that apes can learn language. Answer: F
8. A person who stutters has a problem with linguistic competence. Answer: F
9. The fact that many new words are added to English each year demonstrates that
English, like any language, is an open system. Answer: T
10. Birds and bees generally learn most of the ir communication systems from other
members of the ir social groups. Answer: F
11. The terms language and communication can be used interchangeably because
the y mean the same thing. Answer: F
,12. One difference between apes’ use of sign “language” and a human’s use of
language, is that apes seldom initiate communication whereas humans, including
young children, frequently initiate communication with othe rs. Answer: T
13. Humans communicate in both verbal and nonverbal ways. Answer: T
14. Redundancy in a message helps overcome “static”. Answer: T
15. Bird songs are generally more elaborate than birdcalls. Answer: T
16. The characteristic of languages that allow people to coin new words as needed is
called discreteness. Answer: F
17. Linguistic forms, such as words or sentences, have an arbitrary relationship to
the ir meaning. Answer: T
18. Compared to nonhuman communication, human linguistic communication tends to
be stimulus-bound. Answer: F
19. The fact that a person can talk about the past or anticipate the future illustrates
the characteristic of language called displacement. Answer: T
20. Some researchers believe that Kanzi processes a basic understanding of simple
grammar. Answer: T
21. Alex the parrot, as well as the apes that have been used in language experiments,
have been able to learn language at the level of about a five-year-old human.
Answer: F
22. Culture shock occurs when a person interacts with a person or people from a foreign
culture and disorientation and anxiety occurs when social expectations are not met
because of a lack of knowledge of the norms of the othe r’s culture. Answer: T
, 23. Ethnocentrism is the act of judging other cultures by the standards of that
culture and not by the standards of one’s own culture. Answer: F
24. Broca’s area of the brain controls the larynx, lips, tongue, and other areas of the
digestive and respiratory systems involved with oral and facial fine motor skills in
the production of language. Answer: T
25. Broca’s area of the brain is the main areas of the brain involved in the
comprehension of speech and the selection of lexical items. Answer. F.
26. Marc Hauser, W. Tecumseh Fitch, and Noam Chomsky believe that many
nonhumans share with humans what the y call the faculty of language in
the narrow sense (FLN). Answer: F
27. Recursion is the process whereby any linguistics unit can be made longer by
embedding another unit in it. Answer: T
28. The concept of Theory of the Mind refers to a person’s ability to know exactly
what other people are thinking. Answer: F
Multiple Choice Questions
29. Communication always includes the transmission of
a. Ideas.
b. Thoughts.
c. Emotions.
d. Information.
Answer: d
