CS163 CSET Mandarin Subtest I Practice
Exam
1. Which of the following phonetic transcriptions correctly represents the Mandarin
word for "book" (书)?
A) /ʃu/
B) /su/
C) /ʂu/
D) /ɕu/
Answer: C
Explanation: The Mandarin "sh" sound is a retroflex fricative, articulated with the
tongue curled back against the palate, represented in the International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA) as /ʂ/. Option A (/ʃ/) is the English "sh" (palato-alveolar), Option B
(/s/) is the voiceless alveolar sibilant, and Option D (/ɕ/) is the alveolo-palatal
fricative used for Mandarin "x".
2. In Chinese phonology, how many basic tones are there in Standard Mandarin
(excluding the neutral tone)?
A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6
Answer: B
Explanation: Standard Mandarin has four basic lexical tones. These are the high-
level (1st), rising (2nd), low-dipping (3rd), and falling (4th) tones. The neutral tone
is a fifth, unstressed tone, but it is not considered a basic lexical tone.
3. The Mandarin syllable "ma" can mean "mother," "hemp," "horse," or "scold"
depending on the tone. This is an example of:
A) Compounding
, B) Tonal homophony
C) Atonal syllabary
D) Segmental morphology
Answer: B
Explanation: This is the classic example of tonal homophony. The segmental
structure (/ma/) is identical, but the lexical meaning is differentiated solely by the
pitch contour (tone). This demonstrates that tone is a phonemic feature in
Mandarin.
4. Which of the following is a compound word formed from two morphemes with
identical meanings (synonymous compound)?
A) 国家 (guójiā) - country
B) 人民 (rénmín) - people
C) 学习 (xuéxí) - to study
D) 道路 (dàolù) - road
Answer: D
Explanation: 道 (dào) and 路 (lù) both individually mean "road" or "path."
Together they form a compound word meaning "road." The others are also
compounds, but not necessarily synonymous; for example, 国家 combines
"country" and "family," and 人民 combines "person" and "people."
5. In the sentence "我在图书馆看书" (Wǒ zài túshūguǎn kàn shū), the word "在" (zài)
functions as:
A) A verb meaning "to exist"
B) A preposition indicating location
C) An aspect marker
D) A complement of result
Answer: B
Explanation: In this context, "在" (zài) precedes the location noun "图书馆"
(library) and functions as a preposition indicating the location where the action
(reading) takes place. While "在" can be a verb (e.g., 我在家 - I am at home), here
it is a coverb or preposition.
,6. Which of the following is a characteristic of Mandarin phonotactics?
A) Consonant clusters are common at the beginning of syllables.
B) Syllables can end in any consonant.
C) There are no consonant clusters at the beginning of syllables.
D) Syllables must end in a vowel.
Answer: C
Explanation: Mandarin phonotactics strictly prohibit consonant clusters at the
beginning of a syllable. The onset can only consist of a single consonant (or a
consonant-glide combination, like in "duo"). Syllables can end in a vowel, a nasal
consonant (/n/ or /ŋ/), or a retroflex /ɻ/ (as in 儿化).
7. The retroflex suffix "-儿" (-r) in Beijing Mandarin, as in "一点儿" (yīdiǎnr), is an
example of:
A) Derivation
B) Inflection
C) Compounding
D) Reduplication
Answer: A
Explanation: Adding the "-儿" suffix changes the meaning or connotation of the
word (e.g., adding a diminutive or informal nuance) and creates a new lexical
item. This is a derivational process, not an inflectional one (which would change
grammatical function without changing the word class).
8. Which of the following pairs of words are minimal pairs in Mandarin?
A) 知道 (zhīdào) and 迟到 (chídào)
B) 四 (sì) and 是 (shì)
C) 他 (tā) and 她 (tā)
D) 妈妈 (māma) and 马 (mǎ)
Answer: B
Explanation: A minimal pair consists of two words that differ in only one
phoneme. 四 (sì) has an alveolar fricative initial /s/, and 是 (shì) has a retroflex
, fricative initial /ʂ/. The vowel and tone are identical. The others differ in tone,
aspiration, or orthographic representation.
9. In Mandarin, the final "i" in the syllable "zi" (as in 子) is pronounced as:
A) A high front vowel [i]
B) A syllabic alveolar fricative [ɨ]
C) A mid central vowel [ə]
D) A high back vowel [u]
Answer: B
Explanation: After the alveolar sibilants (z, c, s), the "i" is not the standard front
vowel [i]. It is pronounced as a syllabic alveolar fricative, often transcribed as [ɨ] or
[ɿ]. It is the voiced continuation of the friction of the initial consonant.
10. Which of the following Chinese dialects is known for retaining the final consonant
sounds (-p, -t, -k) of Middle Chinese?
A) Mandarin
B) Wu
C) Cantonese
D) Min
Answer: C
Explanation: Cantonese is well-known for preserving the stop consonant codas (-
p, -t, -k) that were present in Middle Chinese. These have largely been lost in
Standard Mandarin, where they have either disappeared or become glottal stops.
11. The character "好" (hǎo) is composed of two radicals, 女 (woman) and 子 (child).
This character formation is known as:
A) Pictograph
B) Ideograph
C) Compound ideograph
D) Phono-semantic compound
Answer: C
Explanation: This character combines two pictographic or ideographic elements
to suggest a new meaning. A woman (女) and a child (子) together evoke the
Exam
1. Which of the following phonetic transcriptions correctly represents the Mandarin
word for "book" (书)?
A) /ʃu/
B) /su/
C) /ʂu/
D) /ɕu/
Answer: C
Explanation: The Mandarin "sh" sound is a retroflex fricative, articulated with the
tongue curled back against the palate, represented in the International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA) as /ʂ/. Option A (/ʃ/) is the English "sh" (palato-alveolar), Option B
(/s/) is the voiceless alveolar sibilant, and Option D (/ɕ/) is the alveolo-palatal
fricative used for Mandarin "x".
2. In Chinese phonology, how many basic tones are there in Standard Mandarin
(excluding the neutral tone)?
A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6
Answer: B
Explanation: Standard Mandarin has four basic lexical tones. These are the high-
level (1st), rising (2nd), low-dipping (3rd), and falling (4th) tones. The neutral tone
is a fifth, unstressed tone, but it is not considered a basic lexical tone.
3. The Mandarin syllable "ma" can mean "mother," "hemp," "horse," or "scold"
depending on the tone. This is an example of:
A) Compounding
, B) Tonal homophony
C) Atonal syllabary
D) Segmental morphology
Answer: B
Explanation: This is the classic example of tonal homophony. The segmental
structure (/ma/) is identical, but the lexical meaning is differentiated solely by the
pitch contour (tone). This demonstrates that tone is a phonemic feature in
Mandarin.
4. Which of the following is a compound word formed from two morphemes with
identical meanings (synonymous compound)?
A) 国家 (guójiā) - country
B) 人民 (rénmín) - people
C) 学习 (xuéxí) - to study
D) 道路 (dàolù) - road
Answer: D
Explanation: 道 (dào) and 路 (lù) both individually mean "road" or "path."
Together they form a compound word meaning "road." The others are also
compounds, but not necessarily synonymous; for example, 国家 combines
"country" and "family," and 人民 combines "person" and "people."
5. In the sentence "我在图书馆看书" (Wǒ zài túshūguǎn kàn shū), the word "在" (zài)
functions as:
A) A verb meaning "to exist"
B) A preposition indicating location
C) An aspect marker
D) A complement of result
Answer: B
Explanation: In this context, "在" (zài) precedes the location noun "图书馆"
(library) and functions as a preposition indicating the location where the action
(reading) takes place. While "在" can be a verb (e.g., 我在家 - I am at home), here
it is a coverb or preposition.
,6. Which of the following is a characteristic of Mandarin phonotactics?
A) Consonant clusters are common at the beginning of syllables.
B) Syllables can end in any consonant.
C) There are no consonant clusters at the beginning of syllables.
D) Syllables must end in a vowel.
Answer: C
Explanation: Mandarin phonotactics strictly prohibit consonant clusters at the
beginning of a syllable. The onset can only consist of a single consonant (or a
consonant-glide combination, like in "duo"). Syllables can end in a vowel, a nasal
consonant (/n/ or /ŋ/), or a retroflex /ɻ/ (as in 儿化).
7. The retroflex suffix "-儿" (-r) in Beijing Mandarin, as in "一点儿" (yīdiǎnr), is an
example of:
A) Derivation
B) Inflection
C) Compounding
D) Reduplication
Answer: A
Explanation: Adding the "-儿" suffix changes the meaning or connotation of the
word (e.g., adding a diminutive or informal nuance) and creates a new lexical
item. This is a derivational process, not an inflectional one (which would change
grammatical function without changing the word class).
8. Which of the following pairs of words are minimal pairs in Mandarin?
A) 知道 (zhīdào) and 迟到 (chídào)
B) 四 (sì) and 是 (shì)
C) 他 (tā) and 她 (tā)
D) 妈妈 (māma) and 马 (mǎ)
Answer: B
Explanation: A minimal pair consists of two words that differ in only one
phoneme. 四 (sì) has an alveolar fricative initial /s/, and 是 (shì) has a retroflex
, fricative initial /ʂ/. The vowel and tone are identical. The others differ in tone,
aspiration, or orthographic representation.
9. In Mandarin, the final "i" in the syllable "zi" (as in 子) is pronounced as:
A) A high front vowel [i]
B) A syllabic alveolar fricative [ɨ]
C) A mid central vowel [ə]
D) A high back vowel [u]
Answer: B
Explanation: After the alveolar sibilants (z, c, s), the "i" is not the standard front
vowel [i]. It is pronounced as a syllabic alveolar fricative, often transcribed as [ɨ] or
[ɿ]. It is the voiced continuation of the friction of the initial consonant.
10. Which of the following Chinese dialects is known for retaining the final consonant
sounds (-p, -t, -k) of Middle Chinese?
A) Mandarin
B) Wu
C) Cantonese
D) Min
Answer: C
Explanation: Cantonese is well-known for preserving the stop consonant codas (-
p, -t, -k) that were present in Middle Chinese. These have largely been lost in
Standard Mandarin, where they have either disappeared or become glottal stops.
11. The character "好" (hǎo) is composed of two radicals, 女 (woman) and 子 (child).
This character formation is known as:
A) Pictograph
B) Ideograph
C) Compound ideograph
D) Phono-semantic compound
Answer: C
Explanation: This character combines two pictographic or ideographic elements
to suggest a new meaning. A woman (女) and a child (子) together evoke the
