Linguistics Final exam questions with
correct answers
Which of the following symptoms is typical of brooks aphasia? - correct answer ✔✔ Trouble
with function words such as preps and articles
It is said that many linguists.. identify which of the following linguists would be part of the group
of "many Linguists" - correct answer ✔✔ Noam Chomsky
The reason why Standard English is probably more prevalent among foreign rather than native
speakers has to do with the fact that for most SE speakers, SE is... - correct answer ✔✔ Learned
skill
Standard English is... - correct answer ✔✔ Dialect
Which statement below best describes language acquisition of one's native language in
comparison with language learning of an additional language at later period? - correct answer
✔✔ -Language acquisition is done unconsciously and without instruction, whereas language
learning involves conscious practice and study
The suffix "-dem" in Nicaraguan Creole has the following attested forms: - correct answer ✔✔
~the boat dem de in the river
~robert send to me two turtledove
~is many dog in bluefield
-The man-dem a plaant kann (the men are planting corn
How are pidgins and creoles different? - correct answer ✔✔ Unlike pidgins, creoles have native
speakers and are fully formed languages.
,In a scientific context such as linguistics, what is the meaning of the term "theory"? - correct
answer ✔✔ A reasoned explanation
Which of the following sentences (along with associated judgement) is an apparent counter
example for a rule that reflexive pronouns (like "himself") must have an antecedent within their
clause? - correct answer ✔✔ -John never takes any money with himself
Which sentence serves as a counter-example to the hypothesis that, in choosing whether to use
"me" or "myself" always choose "myself" when it follows "I - correct answer ✔✔ -Many people
enjoy linguistics, myself included.
The cell phone has___ in the classroom for a couple hours - correct answer ✔✔ Lain
Errol flopped straight off again so Ron___ him on the draining board instead. - correct answer
✔✔ Laid
Around the front door__ a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. - correct answer
✔✔ Lay
Don't ___ you head on your desk; I'm likely to think you're not paying attention. - correct
answer ✔✔ Lay
She___ down to take a nap earlier this morning. - correct answer ✔✔ Lay
Distinguish between descriptive and prescriptive approaches to English by indicating for each of
the sentences whether they are legitimate English or not: - correct answer ✔✔ I can't get no
satisfaction: legitimate English from descriptive perspective
The chicken could no longer lay an egg: legitimate English from either perspective
,We saw clown the sad: not something that would be considered legitimate by either
They might could make a deal: legitimate from descriptive perspective.
Best definition for linguistics? - correct answer ✔✔ Scientific study of language
What is the poverty of the stimulus argument? - correct answer ✔✔ The idea that children do
not receive enough data to acquire language simply from what they hear spoken around them.
What is universal grammar? - correct answer ✔✔ The basic grammatical blueprint that all
children are born with
The "data" that linguists study may be described as.. - correct answer ✔✔ expressions that
native speakers may (or may not) produce In association with the intuitions of well-formedness
and interpretation that these speakers have about those sentences
What is "generative grammar?" - correct answer ✔✔ A set of rules and principles explaining our
unconscious knowledge of language
It is said that "[m]any linguists..assert that human brain is prewired for language... and that
"[t}his theory comes from the discovery that all languages have certain features in common:
ways of making statements, questions, and commands; ways of referring to past time; the
ability to negate, and so on" - correct answer ✔✔ Universal grammar
What is linguistic performance? - correct answer ✔✔ Our actual language use
There is a misconception that conversational language is... - correct answer ✔✔ all of the above
What does it mean for human languages to have displacement? - correct answer ✔✔ Speakers
can talk about things that are not present at the time of utterance.
, What theory best explains how we interpret "him" in the following: - correct answer ✔✔ ~john
likes him
~john knows that bill likes him
~john told bill about him
-personal pronouns like "him" cannot refer (=be identified with) to anything in its clause.
Consider the following linguistic rule: "in English, tag questions (yes/no questions where the
speaker may know, but not with complete certainty the answer) are formed by
appending......which of the following is a tag question? - correct answer ✔✔ -"paula and I are
leaving now, aren't we?"
If we are to choose a form of "lay/lie" to use in each of the following sentences, in which case is
there the greatest likelihood to be a difference depending on whether we choose formal or
informal style? - correct answer ✔✔ -I see by your sunburn that you have _________ in the sun
for quite awhile
I could have ___ on the floor if there were no more beds - correct answer ✔✔ Lain
Then he (mudge) ___ down beside the box and waited for Henry - correct answer ✔✔ Lay
The museum artifacts___ untouched hundred of years before being rediscovered - correct
answer ✔✔ Lay
The ___ of the land - correct answer ✔✔ Lay
Match the linguistics concepts up with their analogous functions on a computer - correct
answer ✔✔ Vocal tract: hardware
Grammar: software
correct answers
Which of the following symptoms is typical of brooks aphasia? - correct answer ✔✔ Trouble
with function words such as preps and articles
It is said that many linguists.. identify which of the following linguists would be part of the group
of "many Linguists" - correct answer ✔✔ Noam Chomsky
The reason why Standard English is probably more prevalent among foreign rather than native
speakers has to do with the fact that for most SE speakers, SE is... - correct answer ✔✔ Learned
skill
Standard English is... - correct answer ✔✔ Dialect
Which statement below best describes language acquisition of one's native language in
comparison with language learning of an additional language at later period? - correct answer
✔✔ -Language acquisition is done unconsciously and without instruction, whereas language
learning involves conscious practice and study
The suffix "-dem" in Nicaraguan Creole has the following attested forms: - correct answer ✔✔
~the boat dem de in the river
~robert send to me two turtledove
~is many dog in bluefield
-The man-dem a plaant kann (the men are planting corn
How are pidgins and creoles different? - correct answer ✔✔ Unlike pidgins, creoles have native
speakers and are fully formed languages.
,In a scientific context such as linguistics, what is the meaning of the term "theory"? - correct
answer ✔✔ A reasoned explanation
Which of the following sentences (along with associated judgement) is an apparent counter
example for a rule that reflexive pronouns (like "himself") must have an antecedent within their
clause? - correct answer ✔✔ -John never takes any money with himself
Which sentence serves as a counter-example to the hypothesis that, in choosing whether to use
"me" or "myself" always choose "myself" when it follows "I - correct answer ✔✔ -Many people
enjoy linguistics, myself included.
The cell phone has___ in the classroom for a couple hours - correct answer ✔✔ Lain
Errol flopped straight off again so Ron___ him on the draining board instead. - correct answer
✔✔ Laid
Around the front door__ a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. - correct answer
✔✔ Lay
Don't ___ you head on your desk; I'm likely to think you're not paying attention. - correct
answer ✔✔ Lay
She___ down to take a nap earlier this morning. - correct answer ✔✔ Lay
Distinguish between descriptive and prescriptive approaches to English by indicating for each of
the sentences whether they are legitimate English or not: - correct answer ✔✔ I can't get no
satisfaction: legitimate English from descriptive perspective
The chicken could no longer lay an egg: legitimate English from either perspective
,We saw clown the sad: not something that would be considered legitimate by either
They might could make a deal: legitimate from descriptive perspective.
Best definition for linguistics? - correct answer ✔✔ Scientific study of language
What is the poverty of the stimulus argument? - correct answer ✔✔ The idea that children do
not receive enough data to acquire language simply from what they hear spoken around them.
What is universal grammar? - correct answer ✔✔ The basic grammatical blueprint that all
children are born with
The "data" that linguists study may be described as.. - correct answer ✔✔ expressions that
native speakers may (or may not) produce In association with the intuitions of well-formedness
and interpretation that these speakers have about those sentences
What is "generative grammar?" - correct answer ✔✔ A set of rules and principles explaining our
unconscious knowledge of language
It is said that "[m]any linguists..assert that human brain is prewired for language... and that
"[t}his theory comes from the discovery that all languages have certain features in common:
ways of making statements, questions, and commands; ways of referring to past time; the
ability to negate, and so on" - correct answer ✔✔ Universal grammar
What is linguistic performance? - correct answer ✔✔ Our actual language use
There is a misconception that conversational language is... - correct answer ✔✔ all of the above
What does it mean for human languages to have displacement? - correct answer ✔✔ Speakers
can talk about things that are not present at the time of utterance.
, What theory best explains how we interpret "him" in the following: - correct answer ✔✔ ~john
likes him
~john knows that bill likes him
~john told bill about him
-personal pronouns like "him" cannot refer (=be identified with) to anything in its clause.
Consider the following linguistic rule: "in English, tag questions (yes/no questions where the
speaker may know, but not with complete certainty the answer) are formed by
appending......which of the following is a tag question? - correct answer ✔✔ -"paula and I are
leaving now, aren't we?"
If we are to choose a form of "lay/lie" to use in each of the following sentences, in which case is
there the greatest likelihood to be a difference depending on whether we choose formal or
informal style? - correct answer ✔✔ -I see by your sunburn that you have _________ in the sun
for quite awhile
I could have ___ on the floor if there were no more beds - correct answer ✔✔ Lain
Then he (mudge) ___ down beside the box and waited for Henry - correct answer ✔✔ Lay
The museum artifacts___ untouched hundred of years before being rediscovered - correct
answer ✔✔ Lay
The ___ of the land - correct answer ✔✔ Lay
Match the linguistics concepts up with their analogous functions on a computer - correct
answer ✔✔ Vocal tract: hardware
Grammar: software
