Deck 4: Language

Question 1

The definition "'Horse' means a 'four-legged animal'" is too narrow.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

" God means a circle whose center is everywhere, and whose circumference is nowhere." (adapted from Sam Keen)
This definition is too _____.

A) lacking in context
B) narrow
C) figurative
D) circular

Answer 2

figurative

Question 3

" Eagle means a score of two below par on any hole." This definition is _____.

A) circular
B) figurative
C) broad
D) lacking in context

Answer 3

lacking in context

Question 4

" Sport means baseball, football, hockey, and so forth." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) enumerative definition
B) synonymous definition
C) ostensive definition
D) etymological definition
E) definition by subclass
F) definition by genus and difference

Question 5

"'Father' means male parent" is an example of a definition by genus and difference.

Question 6

The purpose of a precising definition is to influence a person's attitude toward something.

Question 7

A persuasive definition is a slanted or biased definition.

Question 8

The emotive force of a word is the appeal it makes to readers' feelings, desires, and needs.

Question 9

"The class Reptilia comprises lizards, turtles, and crocodiles, and many other extinct animals." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) ostensive definition
B) etymological definition
C) definition by subclass
D) synonymous definition

Question 10

" Jackknife means this (as you jump off the diving board, bend to touch your toes, then straighten out to dive headfirst into the water)." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) synonymous definition
B) definition by subclass
C) definition by genus and difference
D) etymological definition
E) enumerative definition
F) ostensive definition

Question 11

" Fraternity means a university-sanctioned drinking club for immature male undergraduates." This is an example of a _____.

A) stipulative definition
B) persuasive definition
C) lexical definition
D) precising definition

Question 12

" Music means rap, rock, or hip hop." This definition is too _____.

A) slanted
B) None of the answers are correct
C) broad
D) narrow

Question 13

Euphemisms are mild, comforting, or evasive words that take the place of harsh, blunt, or taboo words.

Question 14

" Cereal offender means someone who mixes yogurt, marshmallows, or other foreign substances with their breakfast cereal." This is an example of a _____.

A) lexical definition
B) precising definition
C) persuasive definition
D) stipulative definition

Question 15

" Pilfer means steal." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) ostensive definition
B) enumerative definition
C) synonymous definition
D) definition by genus and difference
E) etymological definition
F) definition by subclass

Question 16

The purpose of a stipulative definition is to report how a word is actually used in a language.

Question 17

" Bicycle means a two-wheeled vehicle." This definition is _____.

A) too figurative
B) too broad
C) too obscure
D) lacking in context

Question 18

" Dribble means to advance or keep control of the ball by bouncing it with one hand." This definition is _____.

A) broad
B) None of the answers are correct
C) figurative
D) lacking in context

Question 19

" Homophobe means a person who has an irrational or excessive hatred or fear of homosexuality." This is an example of a _____.

A) persuasive definition
B) stipulative definition
C) lexical definition
D) precising definition

Question 20

" Wine means a delectable drink, made from fermented grapes, that elevates the mind, frees the tongue, and warms the heart." This is an example of a _____.

A) persuasive definition
B) precising definition
C) lexical definition
D) stipulative definition

Question 21

"Obama Hosts Indiana Mom Who Lost Legs in Twister in Oval Office" is an example of a syntactical ambiguity.

Question 22

"Passed on" is a euphemism for "died."

Question 23

In a lexical definition, a word is defined in the way it is standardly used in a given language.

Question 24

" Communication, from the Latin communis, meaning common, means to make our thoughts known to others, or, in other words, to make them common." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) definition by genus and difference
B) synonymous definition
C) definition by subclass
D) etymological definition
E) ostensive definition
F) enumerative definition

Question 25

A persuasive definition assigns a meaning to a word for the first time.

Question 26

" Scragged means something in this way, old feller," said Charley. As he said it, Master Bates caught up an end of his neckerchief and, holding it erect in the air, dropped his head on his shoulders and jerked a curious sound through his teeth, thereby indicating, by a lively pantomimic representation, that scragging and hanging were one and the same thing. (Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, 1838)
This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) synonymous definition
B) definition by genus and difference
C) etymological definition
D) enumerative definition
E) definition by subclass
F) ostensive definition

Question 27

The purpose of a stipulative definition is to influence attitudes.

Question 28

" Alcohol means a sinful and destructive potion that can ruin individuals' lives and those of their families." This is an example of a _____.

A) stipulative definition
B) precising definition
C) lexical definition
D) persuasive definition

Question 29

"By philosophy, I mean thinking about life's problems philosophically." This definition is too _____.

A) obscure
B) broad
C) circular
D) narrow

Question 30

Euphemistic language is deceptive and should always be avoided.

Question 31

"< i> Mother means female parent." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) synonymous definition
B) definition by subclass
C) ostensive definition
D) enumerative definition
E) definition by genus and difference
F) etymological definition

Question 32

" Coffee means the main beverage sold at Starbucks." This definition is too _____.

A) slanted
B) None of the answers are correct
C) broad
D) figurative

Question 33

" Beautiful means this (as one points to a very pretty flower)." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) definition by subclass
B) etymological definition
C) enumerative definition
D) ostensive definition

Question 34

" School vouchers are government-issued certificates, providing a credit against future educational expenses that will introduce badly needed competition into America's calcified public education system and provide equal educational opportunities for all." This definition is too _____.

A) slanted
B) obscure
C) broad
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 35

"A near midair collision, commonly called a near miss, means, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 'an incident associated with the operation of an aircraft in which a possibility of collision occurs as a result of proximity of less than 500 feet to another aircraft, or a report is received from a pilot or flight crew member stating that a collision hazard existed between two or more aircraft'." This is an example of a _____.

A) precising definition
B) stipulative definition
C) lexical definition
D) persuasive definition

Question 36

The emotive meaning of a word can sometimes come from its _____, or literal meaning.

A) vagueness
B) denotation
C) overgeneralization
D) ambiguity

Question 37

The definition "'Shainy' means 'it's raining even though the sun is shining'" is an example of a lexical definition.

Question 38

" Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies aesthetic qualities." This definition is too _____.

A) None of the answers are correct
B) narrow
C) slanted
D) circular

Question 39

" Infirmary means hospital or sick-quarters." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) enumerative definitions
B) ostensive definition
C) etymological definition
D) synonymous definition
E) definition by subclass
F) definition by genus and difference

Question 40

"'Covetous' means greedy" is an example of a definition by genus and difference.

Question 41

" Fairy tale means a story about fairies." This definition is too _____.

A) None of the answers are correct
B) narrow
C) figurative
D) obscure

Question 42

" Grizzler means a man who shaves only every three or four days or so." This is an example of a _____.

A) lexical definition
B) stipulative definition
C) precising definition
D) persuasive definition

Question 43

" Cartographer means someone who specializes in the art of cartography." This definition is _____.

A) circular
B) slanted
C) obscure
D) lacking in context

Question 44

The emotive power of a word can come from the word's connotation as well as its denotation.

Question 45

" Mosaic means a decorative surface for a floor or wall made of small pieces of glass." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) precising definition
B) etymological definition
C) stipulative definition
D) synonymous definition

Question 46

The definition " Dog means a furry, four-legged animal" is primarily _____.

A) None of the answers are correct
B) too broad
C) too subjective
D) too narrow

Question 47

" Alcohol abuser means someone who consumes on average four or more alcoholic drinks a day." This is an example of a _____.

A) lexical definition
B) persuasive definition
C) stipulative definition
D) precising definition

Question 48

" Donut means a deep-fried orbicular-shaped cake made of rich, light dough with an aperture in the center." This is an example of a _____.

A) synonymous definition
B) circular definition
C) precising definition
D) ostensive definition

Question 49

Reporter: "Mr. President, we heard reports of dozens of civilian casualties. Can you confirm those reports?" President: "Yes, unfortunately the bombing did cause some collateral damage." In this dialogue, the president inappropriately uses _____.

A) euphemistic language
B) enumerative language
C) etymological language
D) stipulative language

Question 50

A good definition should convey the essential meaning of a term.

Question 51

Ambiguities that result from faulty sentence structures are called semantic ambiguities.

Question 52

A definition by genus and difference is a definition that states the literal meaning of a word or phrase.

Question 53

" Ivy League University means Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other elite Eastern colleges." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) definition by genus and difference
B) synonymous definition
C) etymological definition
D) enumerative definition
E) definition by subclass
F) ostensive definition

Question 54

" Ram means male sheep." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) etymological definition
B) definition by genus and difference
C) enumerative definition
D) ostensive definition
E) synonymous definition
F) definition by subclass

Question 55

" Canonical Gospel means the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) etymological definition
B) synonymous definition
C) ostensive definition
D) definition by subclass
E) enumerative definition
F) definition by genus and difference

Question 56

An enumerative definition is a definition that assigns a meaning to a word by listing some or all of the members of the class to which the word refers.

Question 57

" Tragedy, in literary terms, means a serious drama that usually ends in disaster and that focuses on a single character who experiences unexpected reversals in fate, often falling from a position of authority and power because of an unrecognized flaw or misguided action." This is an example of a _____.

A) lexical definition
B) stipulative definition
C) persuasive definition
D) precising definition

Question 58

" Vegetarian means an animal-loving health nut who refuses to eat real food." This definition is too _____.

A) slanted
B) narrow
C) None of the answers are correct
D) figurative

Question 59

The following is an example of an etymological definition: "The word 'school' derives from the Greek word skole, meaning 'leisure'. Thus, 'school' originally meant a place where one learned how to make fitting use of one's free time."

Question 60

A verbal dispute occurs when people appear to disagree on an issue but in actuality have simply not resolved the ambiguity of a key term.

Question 61

" Choking chicken means the annoying sound that a computer with a dial-up connection makes when it connects to the Internet." This is an example of a _____.

A) precising definition
B) lexical definition
C) persuasive definition
D) stipulative definition

Question 62

" Waggler means a golfer who spends an inordinate amount of time addressing the ball." This is an example of a _____.

A) persuasive definition
B) stipulative definition
C) lexical definition
D) precising definition

Question 63

" Cod means a saltwater fish." This definition is too _____.

A) narrow
B) obscure
C) circular
D) broad

Question 64

The primary purpose of an ostensive definition is to make a vague word more precise.

Question 65

An ostensive definition states the subclass in which a thing is contained.

Question 66

All ambiguous words are vague.

Question 67

"Janelle is in the family way for the sixth time now." This sentence is an example of a(n) _____.

A) ambiguous statement
B) vague statement
C) euphemism
D) overgeneralization

Question 68

Some words are both vague and ambiguous.

Question 69

" Ornithology, a term that derives from ornis, the Greek word for bird, means the scientific study of birds." This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) enumerative definition
B) definition by subclass
C) etymological definition
D) synonymous definition
E) ostensive definition
F) definition by genus and difference

Question 70

"'Frightened' means 'scared'" is an example of an ostensive definition.

Question 71

" No-fly zone means an area off-limits to aircraft or unapproved aircraft." This is an example of a _____.

A) lexical definition
B) persuasive definition
C) precising definition
D) stipulative definition

Question 72

"An arid region, for purposes of this meteorological study, is any region that receives on average less than 15 inches of rain a year." This is an example of a _____.

A) persuasive definition
B) lexical definition
C) stipulative definition
D) precising definition

Question 73

"Tina's mother is a good designer." This statement is an example of a _____.

A) vague statement
B) precise statement
C) factual dispute
D) verbal dispute

Question 74

Words such as "excessive," "inappropriate," and "unreasonable" are primarily ambiguous.

Question 75

The denotation of a word is the images or feelings that are associated with the word.

Question 76

" Contraceptive means a device or technique that illicitly and wrongfully frustrates the natural end of the sexual act by preventing conception or impregnation." This definition is too _____.

A) slanted
B) figurative
C) narrow
D) obscure

Question 77

"Keith is becoming a little too thin on top, and a little too thick in the middle!" This sentence is an example of a(n) _____.

A) vague statement
B) euphemism
C) overgeneralization
D) ambiguous statement

Question 78

"'TV show' means 60 Minutes, Bones, Dancing with the Stars, and so on" is an example of a stipulative definition.

Question 79

A _____ occurs when people appear to disagree on an issue but in actuality have simply not resolved the ambiguity of a key term.

A) factual dispute
B) stipulative dispute
C) verbal dispute
D) lexical dispute

Question 80

" Ball means a pitch that does not enter the strike zone in flight and is not struck at by the batter." This definition is too _____.

A) obscure
B) None of the answers are correct
C) circular
D) lacking in context