Test Bank
Chapter 1: Language Development: An Introduction
Multiple Choice
1. ____________________________ is a complex and dynamic system of conventional
symbols that is used in various modes for thought and communication.
a. Speech
b. Language
c. American Sign Language
d. Hearing
2. ____________________________ are the smallest units of language that carry
meaning and are combined to make words.
a. Phonemes
b. Graphemes
c. Morphemes
d. Words
3. ____________________________ means that users of a language abide by accepted
rules.
a. Conventional
b. Arbitrary
c. Referential
d. Language community
4. ____________________________ is the process of sharing information, such as
thoughts, feelings, and ideas among two or more persons.
a. Language
b. Speech
c. Hearing
d. Communication
5. ____________________________ are specialized problem-solving devices in the
brain that respond to information of a restricted type.
a. Neural circuits
b. Modules
c. Representational tools
d. Domains
6. ____________________________ is the neuromuscular process by which humans
turn language into a sound signal and transmit it through the air or other medium to a
receiver.
a. American Sign Language
b. Speech
c. Language
d. Hearing
1
,7. The __________________________ is the smallest unit of sound that can signal a
difference in meaning.
a. Morpheme
b. Phoneme
c. Grapheme
d. Perceptual target
8. _____________________________ is the study of sound.
a. Otorhinolaryngology
b. Audiology
c. Speech science
d. Acoustics
9. _____________________________ is a preference for auditory rather than visual
information.
a. Auditory perception
b. Speech perception
c. Auditory overshadowing
d. Auditory preference
10. _____________________________ occurs when an individual communicates about a
specific entity, and the relationship between the entity and its referent is arbitrary.
a. Symbolic communication
b. Propositional speech
c. Formulation
d. Transmission
11. ____________________________ refers to the use of pitch, loudness, and pausing.
a. Linguistic feedback
b. Paralinguistic feedback
c. Auditory feedback
d. Prosodic feedback
12. ____________________________ refers to the rules of a language governing the
sounds that make syllables and words.
a. Phonology
b. Morphology
c. Syntax
d. Semantics
13. ____________________________ pertains to the rules governing language use for
social purposes.
a. Phonotactics
b. Pragmatics
c. Syntax
d. Semantics
14. ___________________________ allows humans to share what happened before this
moment or what may happen after this moment.
a. Species specificity
b. Universality
c. Semanticity
d. Productivity
2
,15. Today, about _______________ of Americans speak a language other than English at
home.
a. 1/3
b. 1/4
c. 1/5
d. 1/6
16. ______________________________ are more likely to have language impairment.
a. Sequential bilingual learners
b. Girls
c. Simultaneous bilingual learners
d. Boys
17. If one monozygotic twin has a language impairment, the other twin has about a(n)
______________ likelihood of also having the impairment.
a. 50%
b. 65%
c. 75%
d. 85%
18. Higher degrees of caregiver ___________________________ during infancy and
early toddlerhood are associated with accelerated rates of language development in
children.
a. Talking
b. Responsiveness
c. Speech rate
d. Literacy
19. _______________________________ is the most common type of communication
impairment affecting children.
a. Specific language impairment
b. Autism spectrum disorder
c. Intellectual disability
d. Pragmatic communication disorder
20. Annually, about _____________________________ children aged 0-14 years in the
U.S. experience traumatic brain injury.
a. 100,000
b. 250,000
c. 500,000
d. 750,000
Essay
1. For what reasons do language communities emerge?
2. What is the difference between domain-specific modules and domain-general
modules?
3. Speech involves the precise activation of muscles in what four systems?
4. What are the four acoustic events involved in the transmission and reception of
speech?
5. For what three basic purposes do people share information?
3
, 6. Define language form, content, and use.
7. What is the five-component system used to represent and organize major dimensions
of language?
8. Explain the term universality as it pertains to language.
9. Define quality and quantity of language.
10. How is social communication disorder distinct from autism spectrum disorder?
4
Chapter 1: Language Development: An Introduction
Multiple Choice
1. ____________________________ is a complex and dynamic system of conventional
symbols that is used in various modes for thought and communication.
a. Speech
b. Language
c. American Sign Language
d. Hearing
2. ____________________________ are the smallest units of language that carry
meaning and are combined to make words.
a. Phonemes
b. Graphemes
c. Morphemes
d. Words
3. ____________________________ means that users of a language abide by accepted
rules.
a. Conventional
b. Arbitrary
c. Referential
d. Language community
4. ____________________________ is the process of sharing information, such as
thoughts, feelings, and ideas among two or more persons.
a. Language
b. Speech
c. Hearing
d. Communication
5. ____________________________ are specialized problem-solving devices in the
brain that respond to information of a restricted type.
a. Neural circuits
b. Modules
c. Representational tools
d. Domains
6. ____________________________ is the neuromuscular process by which humans
turn language into a sound signal and transmit it through the air or other medium to a
receiver.
a. American Sign Language
b. Speech
c. Language
d. Hearing
1
,7. The __________________________ is the smallest unit of sound that can signal a
difference in meaning.
a. Morpheme
b. Phoneme
c. Grapheme
d. Perceptual target
8. _____________________________ is the study of sound.
a. Otorhinolaryngology
b. Audiology
c. Speech science
d. Acoustics
9. _____________________________ is a preference for auditory rather than visual
information.
a. Auditory perception
b. Speech perception
c. Auditory overshadowing
d. Auditory preference
10. _____________________________ occurs when an individual communicates about a
specific entity, and the relationship between the entity and its referent is arbitrary.
a. Symbolic communication
b. Propositional speech
c. Formulation
d. Transmission
11. ____________________________ refers to the use of pitch, loudness, and pausing.
a. Linguistic feedback
b. Paralinguistic feedback
c. Auditory feedback
d. Prosodic feedback
12. ____________________________ refers to the rules of a language governing the
sounds that make syllables and words.
a. Phonology
b. Morphology
c. Syntax
d. Semantics
13. ____________________________ pertains to the rules governing language use for
social purposes.
a. Phonotactics
b. Pragmatics
c. Syntax
d. Semantics
14. ___________________________ allows humans to share what happened before this
moment or what may happen after this moment.
a. Species specificity
b. Universality
c. Semanticity
d. Productivity
2
,15. Today, about _______________ of Americans speak a language other than English at
home.
a. 1/3
b. 1/4
c. 1/5
d. 1/6
16. ______________________________ are more likely to have language impairment.
a. Sequential bilingual learners
b. Girls
c. Simultaneous bilingual learners
d. Boys
17. If one monozygotic twin has a language impairment, the other twin has about a(n)
______________ likelihood of also having the impairment.
a. 50%
b. 65%
c. 75%
d. 85%
18. Higher degrees of caregiver ___________________________ during infancy and
early toddlerhood are associated with accelerated rates of language development in
children.
a. Talking
b. Responsiveness
c. Speech rate
d. Literacy
19. _______________________________ is the most common type of communication
impairment affecting children.
a. Specific language impairment
b. Autism spectrum disorder
c. Intellectual disability
d. Pragmatic communication disorder
20. Annually, about _____________________________ children aged 0-14 years in the
U.S. experience traumatic brain injury.
a. 100,000
b. 250,000
c. 500,000
d. 750,000
Essay
1. For what reasons do language communities emerge?
2. What is the difference between domain-specific modules and domain-general
modules?
3. Speech involves the precise activation of muscles in what four systems?
4. What are the four acoustic events involved in the transmission and reception of
speech?
5. For what three basic purposes do people share information?
3
, 6. Define language form, content, and use.
7. What is the five-component system used to represent and organize major dimensions
of language?
8. Explain the term universality as it pertains to language.
9. Define quality and quantity of language.
10. How is social communication disorder distinct from autism spectrum disorder?
4
