Week 11 Test Bank 1 PDF

**1. What is the primary function of language in human culture?**\ a) To ensure genetic inheritance.\ b) To facilitate artistic expression only.\ c) To transmit cultural knowledge and organize society.\ d) To replace gestures in communication.\ e) To eliminate the need for social interaction. **Cor...

**1. What is the primary function of language in human culture?**\ a) To ensure genetic inheritance.\ b) To facilitate artistic expression only.\ c) To transmit cultural knowledge and organize society.\ d) To replace gestures in communication.\ e) To eliminate the need for social interaction. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Language plays a central role in transmitting cultural knowledge, facilitating social organization, and promoting innovation across generations. **2. Which of the following best demonstrates the symbolic nature of language?**\ a) The word \"tree\" resembles the object it represents.\ b) The word \"dog\" is arbitrarily chosen to represent the animal.\ c) Only written language can convey complex ideas.\ d) Gestures are excluded from symbolic systems.\ e) Sounds in all languages universally correspond to meanings. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Language is symbolic because words like \"dog\" have no inherent connection to their meaning; they are arbitrarily assigned. **3. Which of Hockett's design features refers to the ability to combine discrete units to create meaning?**\ a) Productivity\ b) Displacement\ c) Arbitrariness\ d) Duality of Patterning\ e) Reflexivity **Correct Answer:** d\ **Explanation:** Duality of patterning refers to combining smaller units (phonemes) into larger, meaningful units (morphemes) to form words and sentences. **4. Which design feature allows humans to discuss events not immediately present in time or space?**\ a) Reflexivity\ b) Productivity\ c) Displacement\ d) Interchangeability\ e) Rapid Fading **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Displacement enables humans to communicate about things not currently present, such as past events or hypothetical scenarios. **5. What is an example of productivity in human language?**\ a) Vervet monkeys signaling an eagle with a specific call.\ b) Creating a new phrase like "climate tech innovation."\ c) Repeating an existing set of sounds without variation.\ d) Using gestures to signal immediate danger.\ e) Mimicking animal sounds without modifying them. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Productivity refers to the ability to create an infinite number of new ideas and sentences, as in the phrase "climate tech innovation." **6. How do animal call systems differ from human language?**\ a) Animal calls are symbolic and abstract.\ b) Animal calls can describe hypothetical scenarios.\ c) Animal calls are fixed and tied to specific situations.\ d) Animal calls use complex grammar like human language.\ e) Animal calls are universally interchangeable with human speech. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Animal call systems are limited and tied to specific situations, lacking the flexibility and abstract symbolic nature of human language. **7. What feature do honeybee waggle dances share with human language?**\ a) Symbolic abstraction\ b) Productivity\ c) Displacement\ d) Reflexivity\ e) Duality of Patterning **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Honeybee dances demonstrate displacement by conveying information about food sources that are distant from the hive. **8. Which animal's communication system demonstrates limited plasticity through learned refinement?**\ a) Honeybees\ b) Vervet monkeys\ c) Chimpanzees\ d) Pygmy marmosets\ e) Wolves **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Vervet monkeys refine their alarm calls through experience, showcasing limited plasticity in their communication system. **9. How does chimpanzee communication differ from human language?**\ a) Chimps use fixed calls tied to specific emotions.\ b) Chimps exhibit some syntax but lack grammar and productivity.\ c) Chimps communicate about distant locations through gestures.\ d) Chimps rely exclusively on vocalizations for communication.\ e) Chimps' communication systems use arbitrary symbols. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** While chimpanzees demonstrate some syntax and semantics, they lack the complex grammar and productivity of human language. **10. What does the term \"index sign\" mean in animal communication?**\ a) A symbolic representation of abstract concepts.\ b) A gesture pointing to something hypothetical.\ c) A sign that directly correlates to an emotional or physical state.\ d) A combination of syntax and grammar in calls.\ e) A universal feature shared with human language. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** An index sign directly reflects an emotional or physical state, such as the high-pitched scream of a pygmy marmoset signaling fear. **Phonology, Morphology, and Syntax** **11. What is the smallest unit of sound in a language?**\ a) Morpheme\ b) Phoneme\ c) Syntax\ d) Semantics\ e) Pragmatics **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that differentiate meaning in a language. **12. What does the study of morphology focus on?**\ a) Sentence structure and word order.\ b) Sound patterns in different languages.\ c) The smallest units of meaning in a language.\ d) The rules governing pronunciation.\ e) Abstract concepts encoded in language. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Morphology studies morphemes, the smallest meaningful units in a language, such as prefixes, suffixes, and root words. **13. Which of the following is an example of syntax in English?**\ a) Pronouncing the /r/ sound in "floor."\ b) The word order "Subject-Verb-Object" in "She ate lunch."\ c) Adding {-ed} to form the past tense of verbs.\ d) Combining /b/ + /a/ + /t/ to form "bat."\ e) Using emojis to replace words in a text. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Syntax refers to the rules governing word order in a sentence, such as "Subject-Verb-Object" in English. **14. What does linguistic determinism suggest about the relationship between language and thought?**\ a) Language influences thought but does not determine it.\ b) Language determines how people think and perceive reality.\ c) Language only reflects existing thought processes.\ d) Language has no impact on human cognition.\ e) Language shapes behavior but not thought. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Linguistic determinism proposes that language determines how people think, shaping their perception of reality. **15. Which example demonstrates linguistic relativity?**\ a) A person cannot think of the future without words for it.\ b) A Hopi speaker views time as ongoing rather than linear.\ c) All humans experience color in the same way regardless of language.\ d) A language with no past tense cannot describe historical events.\ e) Language has no influence on how people classify concepts. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Linguistic relativity suggests that language influences thought, such as the Hopi emphasis on ongoing processes affecting their perception of time. **16. What did William Labov's study of the /r/ sound in New York City reveal?**\ a) Upper-class speakers often dropped the /r/ sound.\ b) Lower-class speakers pronounced /r/ more frequently in formal contexts.\ c) Middle-class speakers demonstrated hypercorrection in formal settings.\ d) Language has no connection to social class.\ e) Pronunciation patterns were consistent across all stores. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Middle-class speakers in Labov's study over-pronounced the /r/ sound in formal contexts to emulate upper-class speech, reflecting linguistic insecurity. **17. What is a key reason languages become endangered?**\ a) Overuse of traditional stories.\ b) Isolation from modern technology.\ c) Dominance of global languages like English.\ d) Refusal to borrow words from other languages.\ e) Lack of written scripts for minority languages. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** The dominance of global languages such as English often reduces the use of minority languages, contributing to language endangerment. **18. Which of the following languages has been revitalized through language nests and educational programs?**\ a) Hokkaido Ainu\ b) Tasmanian Aboriginal languages\ c) Māori\ d) Ndembu\ e) Tahltan **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Māori has been revitalized through language nests and educational initiatives, helping preserve the cultural heritage of New Zealand\'s Indigenous people. **19. How does language loss threaten cultural heritage?**\ a) It eliminates the need for bilingual education.\ b) It erases unique ecological and traditional knowledge encoded in language.\ c) It simplifies cultural interactions across the globe.\ d) It promotes economic growth in minority communities.\ e) It discourages the use of digital communication. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Language loss threatens cultural heritage by erasing ecological and traditional knowledge encoded in language, such as sustainable practices. **20. What does the Maisin example of language loss illustrate?**\ a) Language loss leads to improved agricultural practices.\ b) Loss of ecological knowledge affects sustainable tapa-making practices.\ c) Language loss has no impact on environmental practices.\ d) Maisin speakers have fully adapted to globalization without challenges.\ e) Traditional ecological knowledge is preserved despite language loss. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** The Maisin language encodes sustainable harvesting practices for tapa-making materials, and its loss threatens this ecological knowledge. **21. What is an example of language borrowing?**\ a) Creating entirely new words in a language.\ b) The English word "karaoke," borrowed from Japanese.\ c) The evolution of Latin into Spanish and French.\ d) The use of Internet slang like "LOL."\ e) Translating concepts into Indigenous languages. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Language borrowing occurs when words like \"karaoke\" from Japanese are adopted into another language, such as English. **22. How does the digital age influence language?**\ a) It standardizes linguistic norms across cultures.\ b) It reduces creativity in modern communication.\ c) It introduces new forms of communication, such as emojis and slang like "LOL."\ d) It preserves endangered languages.\ e) It eliminates informal communication. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** The digital age influences language by introducing slang, emojis, and other new forms of communication that adapt to modern technology. **23. What distinguishes pidgin languages from creoles?**\ a) Pidgin languages evolve into creoles when spoken as native languages.\ b) Pidgin languages are written, while creoles are oral.\ c) Pidgin languages are more grammatically complex than creoles.\ d) Creoles are only used for trade, while pidgins are native languages.\ e) Creoles cannot be learned as a first language. **Correct Answer:** a\ **Explanation:** Pidgin languages are simplified forms of communication that can evolve into creoles when children grow up speaking them as native languages. **24. Which of the following is an example of a creole language?**\ a) Tok Pisin\ b) Latin\ c) Esperanto\ d) Haitian Creole\ e) Navajo **Correct Answer:** d\ **Explanation:** Haitian Creole, derived from French and African languages, is a creole spoken as a native language. **25. What is one cause of the disappearance of Tasmanian Aboriginal languages?**\ a) Lack of grammatical structure.\ b) Forced assimilation during British colonization.\ c) Voluntary adoption of global languages.\ d) Creation of pidgin languages in the region.\ e) Development of written systems replacing oral traditions. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Tasmanian Aboriginal languages disappeared due to genocide and forced assimilation during British colonization. **26. How does the Hopi language demonstrate linguistic relativity?**\ a) It has unique words for every color in the spectrum.\ b) It lacks tense distinctions, emphasizing ongoing processes.\ c) It avoids symbolic abstraction in its grammar.\ d) It uses only borrowed words for time-related concepts.\ e) It includes a past tense that strongly affects worldview. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** The Hopi language\'s emphasis on ongoing processes, rather than past, present, and future tense distinctions, demonstrates linguistic relativity. **27. Which version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests language strongly determines thought?**\ a) Linguistic relativism\ b) Weak determinism\ c) Linguistic determinism\ d) Cultural relativism\ e) Reflexivity **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Linguistic determinism, the strong version of the hypothesis, suggests that language determines how people think and perceive reality. **28. How do Ndembu color categories illustrate linguistic relativity?**\ a) They use universal color categories found in all languages.\ b) They categorize colors into three groups: white, black, and red.\ c) They demonstrate linguistic determinism by lacking any color words.\ d) They have as many color terms as English but organize them differently.\ e) They rely on entirely borrowed terms for color distinctions. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** The Ndembu language organizes colors into three categories (white, black, and red), showing how language influences perception of color. **29. What does hypercorrection in Labov's study suggest about middle-class speakers?**\ a) They are linguistically secure and consistent in their speech.\ b) They attempt to emulate upper-class speech patterns in formal contexts.\ c) They use informal speech to distinguish themselves from upper classes.\ d) They avoid using the /r/ sound to align with lower-class norms.\ e) They have no awareness of social stratification in language. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Hypercorrection reflects linguistic insecurity, with middle-class speakers over-pronouncing the /r/ sound in formal contexts to emulate upper-class speech. **30. How did Labov's study demonstrate social stratification through language?**\ a) All classes used the same pronunciation patterns in formal contexts.\ b) Upper-class speakers consistently dropped the /r/ sound.\ c) Pronunciation of /r/ was linked to class, with upper-class speakers using it more frequently.\ d) Lower-class speakers pronounced /r/ more carefully than middle-class speakers.\ e) Hypercorrection was absent in the data collected. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Labov's study revealed that upper-class speakers consistently pronounced the /r/ sound, while lower-class speakers often dropped it, reflecting linguistic stratification. **31. Which word contains three morphemes?**\ a) \"Cat\"\ b) \"Cats\"\ c) \"Unfaithful\"\ d) \"Running\"\ e) \"Happy\" **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** \"Unfaithful\" has three morphemes: {un-} (negative), {faith} (loyalty), and {-ful} (adjective). **32. Why are revitalization efforts for endangered languages important?**\ a) They simplify communication between different cultures.\ b) They promote the dominance of global languages like English.\ c) They preserve cultural heritage and foster community pride.\ d) They prevent the evolution of language over time.\ e) They focus exclusively on oral traditions. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Revitalization efforts help preserve cultural heritage encoded in language and promote pride and identity within communities. **33. How has the Hokkaido Ainu language been affected by historical events?**\ a) It has thrived due to support from colonial governments.\ b) It has become a dominant global language.\ c) It is severely endangered due to discrimination and land loss.\ d) It has replaced traditional Japanese in Hokkaido.\ e) It evolved into a widely spoken creole. **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Historical discrimination and loss of land have severely endangered the Hokkaido Ainu language, leaving only 19 native speakers. **34. What role do Tahltan hunting stories play in cultural knowledge?**\ a) They eliminate the need for formal education systems.\ b) They encode critical ecological practices and animal respect.\ c) They emphasize entertainment over traditional values.\ d) They replace Indigenous rituals with dominant languages.\ e) They focus on universal hunting techniques unrelated to the environment. **Correct Answer:** b\ **Explanation:** Tahltan hunting stories encode ecological knowledge, such as sustainable practices and respect for animal spirits, vital to their cultural heritage. **35. What percentage of the world's languages are endangered?**\ a) Less than 10%\ b) About 25%\ c) Nearly half\ d) Over 75%\ e) Almost all languages **Correct Answer:** c\ **Explanation:** Nearly half of the world's approximately 7,000 languages are endangered, highlighting the urgency of preservation efforts.