Test Bank for A Concise Introduction to
Linguistics, 6e Bruce Rowe, Diane Levine
(All Chapters)
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 their communication systems from other
members of their social groups. Answer: F
11. The terms language and communication can be used interchangeably because
they mean the same thing. Answer: F
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, 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 others. 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
their 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 other’s culture.
Answer: T
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, 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 they 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
30. Although there might be universal aspects of all languages that are innate, specific
languages are
a. Also strictly innate.
b. Mostly innate.
c. Learned.
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, d. Innate if they are a first language and learned if they are a second
language.
Answer: c
31. The mostly subconscious knowledge of the grammar and lexicon of one’s language is
called
a. Linguistic competence.
b. Linguistic performance.
c. Linguistic patterns.
d. Linguistic systematics.
Answer: a
32. Stuttering would be a problem with
a. Linguistic competence.
b. Linguistic performance.
c. Linguistic patterns.
d. Linguistic systematics.
Answer: b
33. King George VI, actress Marilyn Monroe, and Sir Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of
the United Kingdom during World War II and again from 1951 to 1955) as well as many
other famous people were stutterers. Stuttering is a problem with:
a. The tongue being too thick.
b. The subconscious knowledge of the language (linguistic competence).
c. The ability to deliver linguistic competence; that is, a problem of linguistic
performance.
d. Wernicke’s area of the brain.
Answer: c
34. The following is not a delivery system of language
a. Writing.
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Linguistics, 6e Bruce Rowe, Diane Levine
(All Chapters)
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 their communication systems from other
members of their social groups. Answer: F
11. The terms language and communication can be used interchangeably because
they mean the same thing. Answer: F
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, 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 others. 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
their 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 other’s culture.
Answer: T
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, 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 they 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
30. Although there might be universal aspects of all languages that are innate, specific
languages are
a. Also strictly innate.
b. Mostly innate.
c. Learned.
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, d. Innate if they are a first language and learned if they are a second
language.
Answer: c
31. The mostly subconscious knowledge of the grammar and lexicon of one’s language is
called
a. Linguistic competence.
b. Linguistic performance.
c. Linguistic patterns.
d. Linguistic systematics.
Answer: a
32. Stuttering would be a problem with
a. Linguistic competence.
b. Linguistic performance.
c. Linguistic patterns.
d. Linguistic systematics.
Answer: b
33. King George VI, actress Marilyn Monroe, and Sir Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of
the United Kingdom during World War II and again from 1951 to 1955) as well as many
other famous people were stutterers. Stuttering is a problem with:
a. The tongue being too thick.
b. The subconscious knowledge of the language (linguistic competence).
c. The ability to deliver linguistic competence; that is, a problem of linguistic
performance.
d. Wernicke’s area of the brain.
Answer: c
34. The following is not a delivery system of language
a. Writing.
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