Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of " Fairy tale means a story about...

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A stipulative definition assigns a meaning to a word for the first time, often for the purpose of discussion or argument.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

The definition is circular because it uses the term "cartography" to define "cartographer," essentially using the word or its root in its own definition, which does not provide a clear or independent explanation.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

The emotive power of a word is influenced by both its denotation (the literal meaning) and its connotation (the emotional and associative meanings).

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

A precising definition provides a more specific and detailed explanation of a term, which is what is provided in the given definition of "mosaic."

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

The definition is too broad because it could apply to many other animals besides dogs, such as cats or rabbits, which are also furry and four-legged.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of " Alcohol abuser means someone who consumes...

Question 8

" 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 _____.

Accepted Answer

This is a precising definition because it provides a precise and detailed explanation of what a "donut" is, specifying its shape, method of cooking, and key characteristics.

Question 9

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 _____.

Accepted Answer

The president uses "collateral damage" as a euphemism to refer to civilian casualties, which is a softer or more indirect expression used to describe something unpleasant.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

A good definition should accurately describe the fundamental nature or essential qualities of a concept or term, making its meaning clear and understandable.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

Ambiguities resulting from faulty sentence structures are called syntactic ambiguities, not semantic ambiguities. Semantic ambiguities arise from the ambiguity of individual words or phrases, not from the structure of the sentence.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

A definition by genus and difference specifies the general category (genus) to which the concept belongs and then distinguishes it from other concepts in that category by specifying its unique characteristics (difference), rather than stating the literal meaning.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an enumerative definition because it specifies the members of the category "Ivy League University" by listing examples of those members.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

A definition by genus and difference specifies a general category (genus) and then distinguishes the specific item from others in that category by listing its unique characteristics (difference). "Ram means male sheep" fits this pattern by identifying "ram" as a specific kind of sheep (male).

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

An enumerative definition specifies the exact members of the group being defined, as this definition does by listing the specific books considered to be the Canonical Gospels.

Question 16

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.

Accepted Answer

An enumerative definition indeed assigns meaning to a word by listing examples or members of the class it refers to, thereby specifying its extension.

Question 17

" 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 _____.

Accepted Answer

A lexical definition provides the conventional meaning of a word as it is used in a particular language, similar to what you would find in a dictionary. The given definition of "tragedy" fits this description, as it outlines the conventional understanding of the term in literary contexts.

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

The definition is too slanted because it presents a biased and overly simplistic view of vegetarians, suggesting a negative connotation and not accurately representing the diversity of reasons people choose vegetarianism.

Question 19

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."

Accepted Answer

This statement provides the origin and historical meaning of the word "school," which is characteristic of an etymological definition.

Question 20

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.

Accepted Answer

A verbal dispute often arises from a misunderstanding or lack of clarity regarding the definition or use of terms, leading to apparent disagreement when the main issue might be the ambiguity of a key term rather than a fundamental difference in opinion or belief.

Quiz 4: Language

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

" 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 _____.