Question 1

As a result of the generative property of language,we:
A) can understand each other.
B) learn language at an early age.
C) say utterances that have never been spoken before.
D) can learn more than one language.

Accepted Answer

The generative property of language allows us to produce new sentences that we have never heard or spoken before using the rules and structures of the language. This is what allows for creativity and innovation in language use, and is why we are able to continuously create and understand new utterances. Therefore, choice C is the correct answer. A, B, and D are all true, but they do not fully capture the significance or unique aspect of the generative property of language.

Question 2

By themselves,____________ are basically meaningless.
A) morphemes
B) sound bytes
C) phonemes
D) semantics

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another, but by themselves, they do not have meaning. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning, sound bytes are digital audio samples, and semantics is the study of meaning in language.

Question 3

The nectar-dance of bees is:
A) biologically preprogrammed.
B) taught to young bees by experienced bees.
C) very different from bee to bee within a hive.
D) very different from hive to hive.

Accepted Answer

The nectar-dance of bees is biologically preprogrammed and innate in bees. It is a behavior that is genetically determined and passed on from generation to generation.

Question 4

The rules of word order are part of a language's:
A) phonology.
B) syntax.
C) semantics.
D) morphology.

Accepted Answer

Word order is a key aspect of syntax, which is the study of how words are combined to form phrases and sentences. Phonology is the study of the sound patterns of a language, while semantics is concerned with the meanings of words and how they are combined to create meaning. Morphology is the study of the structure of words, including suffixes, prefixes etc.

Question 5

The Chinese language does not distinguish between the r and the l sounds.These basic sounds are called:
A) phonemes.
B) morphemes.
C) syntax.
D) semantics.

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the basic sounds that make up a language. The fact that the Chinese language does not distinguish between the r and l sounds means that it does not have two separate phonemes for these sounds.

Question 6

Benjamin Whorf proposed that:
A) languages throughout the world share a common set of abstract rules called "core grammar."
B) the nature of language is controlled by a culture's beliefs.
C) language is a function of the mind separate from other types of cognition.
D) people who speak different languages may think differently.

Accepted Answer

Whorf proposed the theory of linguistic relativity, which suggests that the language we use shapes our thoughts and perceptions of the world. This implies that people who speak different languages may think differently.

Question 7

"Flying airplanes can be dangerous" has two distinct meanings: (1)Piloting airplanes can be dangerous,and (2)Airplanes can be dangerous when they are flying.In other words,this one sentence has two distinct
A) surface structures.
B) morphological structures.
C) deep structures.
D) phonological structures.

Accepted Answer

The two distinct meanings of the sentence relate to the deep structures - the underlying meaning of the sentence. The surface structure of the sentence is the same for both interpretations, and it does not involve the morphology or phonology of the sentence.

Question 8

The letter c can sound like a k as in "candy," or like s as in "city." This proves that:
A) a phoneme can be represented as different sounds.
B) k and s are not phonemes.
C) the letter c represents multiple phonemes.
D) the same sounds can be represented by different phonemes.

Accepted Answer

The letter "c" can represent different sounds (phonemes), such as the /k/ sound in "candy" and the /s/ sound in "city," indicating it represents multiple phonemes.

Question 9

Language is a highly efficient system in which we produce language from a set of elements and rules combining them into speech.This is known as the:
A) vocalization property of language.
B) semantic content of language.
C) speech content of language.
D) generative property of language.

Accepted Answer

The generative property of language refers to the idea that humans can create infinite new sentences by combining a limited set of elements and rules. This is what allows us to convey new thoughts and ideas using language. The other options are not accurate descriptions of this concept.

Question 10

Whorf's linguistic relativity hypothesis claims that:
A) all languages are equally expressive.
B) language is a function of the mind separate from other types of cognition.
C) poor achievement is related to exposure to a language that is inferior or nonexpressive.
D) differences in perceptual abilities may result from differences in languages.

Accepted Answer

Whorf's linguistic relativity hypothesis suggests that differences in languages can affect how people perceive and think about the world, which in turn can affect their perceptual abilities. For example, some languages may have different words or structures to describe certain concepts, which could influence how those concepts are perceived and understood by speakers of that language.

Question 11

Past tenses,prefixes,and single freestanding words are examples of:
A) phonemes.
B) morphemes.
C) semantics.
D) syntax.

Accepted Answer

Past tenses, prefixes, and single freestanding words are all examples of morphemes, which are the smallest unit of language that has meaning. Phonemes refer to the individual sounds that make up words, semantics refers to the meaning of words and sentences, and syntax refers to the rules for arranging words into sentences.

Question 12

Which of the following is consistent with the Whorfian hypothesis?
A) Children need to learn morphemes before they can learn syntax.
B) The number of words in a language to describe different colors influences the ways that speakers of the language think about color.
C) Children learn words for important concepts before they learn words for concepts less important to them.
D) Much thought involves visual images,sounds,and images of movements rather than language.

Accepted Answer

The Whorfian hypothesis suggests that the structure and vocabulary of language influence the way that speakers think and perceive the world. The example given in option B, where the number of words in a language to describe different colors can affect how speakers of that language think about color, is consistent with this hypothesis. Option A is not relevant to the Whorfian hypothesis. Option C is not necessarily consistent with the hypothesis, as it does not address the influence of language on thought. Option D suggests that thought can occur without language, which is not in line with the Whorfian hypothesis.

Question 13

The rules of a language that provide guidance as to how we form grammatical sentences is:
A) semantics.
B) semantic content.
C) syntax.
D) linguistic relativity hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

Syntax refers to the rules of a language that govern the structure of phrases and sentences. It specifies how words can be combined to form grammatically correct sentences. Semantics, on the other hand, deals with the meaning of words and sentences, while the linguistic relativity hypothesis is the idea that the structure and vocabulary of a language can affect the way people think and perceive the world around them. Semantic content could refer to the meaning conveyed by language, but it is not the same thing as grammar.

Question 14

The basic sounds of a language are its:
A) phonemes.
B) syntax.
C) alphabet.
D) morphemes.

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the basic sounds of a language. They are the smallest units of sound that can distinguish one meaning from another in a language. Syntax refers to the rules governing the way words are combined to form sentences, while the alphabet is a set of letters or characters used to write a language. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language.

Question 15

What is the communicative ability of bees?
A) They can signal the location,amount,and quality of nectar,the type of plant containing the nectar,and whether dangers are near the nectar.
B) They can signal the pros and cons of seeking nectar at sites far from the hive.
C) They can signal such a variety of nuances regarding nectar gathering that it would be impossible to list them all.
D) They can signal approximately how far and at what angle a source of nectar is from the hive.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the communicative ability of bees?
A)...

Question 16

The smallest units of sound in a language are:
A) decibels.
B) morphemes.
C) phonemes.
D) subjugations.

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that can change the meaning of a word in a language. For example, the difference in the phonemes /p/ and /b/ changes the meaning of "pat" and "bat". Decibels are a unit of measuring sound intensity, morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, and subjugations do not relate to the smallest units of sound in a language.

Question 17

Research on primate language has suggested which of the following?
A) Chimps cannot master a vocabulary of more than a couple dozen words.
B) Chimps can ask questions but cannot supply answers to questions asked of them.
C) Chimps use the language they were taught with humans but not with other chimps.
D) Chimps can learn words,but their signs do not appear to show syntax.

Accepted Answer

Research on primate language suggests that while chimps can learn words, their signs do not appear to show syntax. This means they are unable to combine words in sentences with proper grammar. Option A is incorrect because evidence suggests that some chimps can learn and understand a vocabulary of several hundred words. Option B is also incorrect because chimps have been observed supplying answers to questions, such as pointing to the correct object in response to a question. Option C is unsupported by evidence, as chimps have been observed using sign language with other chimps.

Question 18

The superficial spoken or written structure of a sentence is known as the:
A) surface structure.
B) deep structure.
C) semantic structure.
D) propositional content.

Accepted Answer

The superficial spoken or written structure of a sentence is known as the surface structure. It refers to the actual arrangement and combination of words in a sentence.

Question 19

Which of the following demonstrates the order in which children develop language?
A) morphemes,phonemes,syntax
B) phonemes,morphemes,syntax
C) syntax,morphemes,phonemes
D) syntax,phonemes,morphemes

Accepted Answer

Children typically develop the ability to distinguish and produce phonemes (individual speech sounds) first, followed by the ability to put phonemes together to form morphemes (smallest units of meaning in language), and then the ability to arrange morphemes into syntax (rules for combining words into phrases and sentences).

Question 20

The smallest units of meaning in a language are:
A) words.
B) morphemes.
C) phonemes.
D) syntax rules.

Accepted Answer

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language. They can be a word, like "cat," or a prefix or suffix, like "un-" or "-ed." Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a language, and syntax rules govern how words are combined to form sentences. While words are made up of morphemes, they are not themselves the smallest units of meaning.

Quiz 9: Cognition, Language, and Intelligence

As a result of the generative property of language,we:

By themselves,____________ are basically meaningless.

The nectar-dance of bees is:

The rules of word order are part of a language's:

The Chinese language does not distinguish between the r and the l sounds.These basic sounds are called:

Benjamin Whorf proposed that:

"Flying airplanes can be dangerous" has two distinct meanings: (1) Piloting airplanes can be dangerous,and (2) Airplanes can be dangerous when they are flying.In other words,this one sentence has two distinct

The letter c can sound like a k as in "candy," or like s as in "city." This proves that:

Language is a highly efficient system in which we produce language from a set of elements and rules combining them into speech.This is known as the:

Whorf's linguistic relativity hypothesis claims that:

Past tenses,prefixes,and single freestanding words are examples of:

Which of the following is consistent with the Whorfian hypothesis?

The rules of a language that provide guidance as to how we form grammatical sentences is:

The basic sounds of a language are its:

What is the communicative ability of bees?

The smallest units of sound in a language are:

Research on primate language has suggested which of the following?

The superficial spoken or written structure of a sentence is known as the:

Which of the following demonstrates the order in which children develop language?

The smallest units of meaning in a language are: