Grammar

**1. In the sentence, "Charles built Emily a mahogany bookcase," the participant role of "Emily" is ........... ** * In the sentence, "Charles built * Correct Answer: c. beneficiary

Explanation: Emily is the one who benefits from Charles's action of building the bookcase.

**2. There are many criteria to be used in order to argue that grammar is categorical. Two of these are ........... ** * There are many criteria to * Correct Answer: c. omissibility and intrusion

Explanation: * Omissibility: Grammatical categories can be omitted in certain contexts (e.g., "I will [go]"). * Intrusion: Grammatical categories cannot be arbitrarily inserted into sentences.

**3. "Constitutive rules" are ........... ** * "Constitutive rules" are * Correct Answer: a. rules that are essential for the existence of an activity or phenomenon

Explanation: Constitutive rules define what counts as an instance of an activity or phenomenon.

**4. What is the case of "the flood" in the following sentence, "The flood destroyed the village."? ** * What is the case of * Correct Answer: a. Agentive

Explanation: While "flood" is not a typical agent, in this case, it acts as the force causing the destruction.

**5. There are many criteria to be used in order to argue that grammar is categorical. Two of these are ........... ** * There are many criteria to * Correct Answer: c. omissibility and intrusion

Explanation: * Omissibility: Grammatical categories can be omitted in certain contexts (e.g., "I will [go]"). * Intrusion: Grammatical categories cannot be arbitrarily inserted into sentences.

6. The prescriptive rule, ………. , is not obeyed in the sentence, “He wanted to simply borrow your car for an hour?” * The prescriptive rule, ………. , * Correct Answer: d. Split infinitive

Explanation: The prescriptive rule against splitting infinitives (placing an adverb between "to" and the verb) is violated in this sentence.

**7. The rules of grammar need .........., which is the capacity to be applied more than once in generating a structure. ** * The rules of grammar need * Correct Answer: d. recursiveness

Explanation: Recursiveness allows for the creation of complex sentences by embedding phrases within other phrases.

**8. The word "that" in "That John passed the test surprised me. " is a ........... ** * The word "that" in * Correct Answer: a. complemetizer

Explanation: "That" introduces a subordinate clause.

**9. If a predicate describes a relationship between two things (or people) and some other predicate describes the same relationship when two things (or people) are mentioned in the opposite order, then the two predicates are ........... ** * If a predicate describes a * Correct Answer: b. converses

Explanation: Examples include "buy" and "sell," "give" and "receive."

**10. Identify the case relations of the underlined NPs in the following sentence: "The key opened the door. ** * Identify the case relations * Correct Answer: d. Instrument/patient

Explanation: * "The key" is the instrument used to perform the action. * "The door" is the entity affected by the action.

11. In the expression "The salvation of God," the .......... case is implicit. * In the expression "The * Correct Answer: b. agent

Explanation: The expression implies that God is the agent of salvation.

**12. The constituent structure and the constituent types of which the sentence is composed are called ........... ** * The constituent structure and * Correct Answer: b. phrase structure rules

Explanation: Phrase structure rules describe how phrases are built up from smaller units.

**13. According to Generative Grammar, there are four types of transformational rules. Identify the rule which can be excluded from the set of rules given below. ** * According to Generative * Correct Answer: a. categorization

Explanation: Categorization is not typically considered a core type of transformational rule. Common types include movement, deletion, insertion, and substitution.

**14. "The complain is trivial." The syntactic factor leading to the ungrammaticality of the above sentence is word .......... ** * "The complain is trivial." * Correct Answer: b. category

Explanation: "Complain" is a verb, not a noun.

**15. Specify the statement which sounds odd to you. ** * Specify the statement which * Correct Answer: d. The nucleus of a nominal group is not identified as a noun.

Explanation: The nucleus (head) of a noun phrase is typically a noun.

**16. Consider the following sentences: The dog frightened the boy. The boy was frightened by the dog. Which of the following statements is not true with regard to the above sentences? ** * Consider the following * Correct Answer: c. They have different logical objects.

Explanation: The logical object in both sentences is "the boy."

**17. Which one of the following sentences is ambiguous? ** * Which one of the following * Correct Answer: a. Growling lions can be frightening.

Explanation: This sentence could mean: * Lions that are growling are frightening. * Lions that are capable of growling are frightening.

**18. In the sentence: “My father gave me a pen.” the expression “my father” is logically .......... ** * In the sentence: “My father * Correct Answer: d. an agent

Explanation: "My father" is the one performing the action of giving.

19. What kind of error does the following exchange have? Adult: What’s daddy doing? Child: Him this (closing his eyes, gesturing sleep) * What kind of error does * Correct Answer: b. omission

Explanation: The child omits crucial grammatical elements (subject-verb agreement).

**20. The teacher doesn't like apples. The teacher in this sentences is ………. ** * The teacher doesn't like * Correct Answer: b. experiencer

Explanation: The teacher experiences the feeling of dislike.

**21. Which of the following sentences is ambiguous? ** * Which of the following * Correct Answer: a. Jim loves his son more than his wife.

Explanation: * Does Jim love his son more than he loves his wife? * Or does Jim love his son more than his wife loves his son?

**22. Which of the following sentences are both lexically and structurally ambiguous? ** * Which of the following * Correct Answer: a. I saw him walking by the bank.

Explanation: * Lexical ambiguity: "bank" can refer to a financial institution or the edge of a river. * Structural ambiguity: "him walking" could be a reduced relative clause ("the man who was walking") or a gerund phrase.

**23. In a tree diagram, a node is a ........... ** * In a tree diagram, a * Correct Answer: d. branching point

Explanation: Nodes represent the points where branches diverge in a tree diagram.

**24. In "I expect I to pass the M.A. exam," .......... transformation has not been applied. ** * In "I expect I to pass * Correct Answer: b. Equi NP Deletion

Explanation: Equi NP Deletion would remove the redundant "I" after "expect."

**25. Transformations in the framework of Extended Standard Theory apply to .......... and result in ........... ** * Transformations in the * Correct Answer: a. deep structure, surface structure

Explanation: Transformations map the underlying deep structure of a sentence onto its surface form.

**26. In the sentence "The boy put the red brick on the wall," .........., ** * In the sentence "The boy * Correct Answer: b. "the red brick" is the theme

Explanation: "The red brick" is the entity that undergoes the action of being put.

**27. The verbs .......... have an agent and goal in English, ** * The verbs .......... have * Correct Answer: d. open, eat, fill

Explanation: These verbs require both an agent (who performs the action) and a goal (the object of the action).

**28. Transformational rules .......... ** * Transformational rules .......... * Correct Answer: d. have no place in the extended standard theory

Explanation: This statement is incorrect. Transformational rules are a central component of Extended Standard Theory, which is a framework within generative grammar.

**29. The sentence "Visiting professors can be boring" exemplifies .......... ambiguity. ** * The sentence "Visiting * Correct Answer: b. grouping

Explanation: * This sentence is structurally ambiguous. * It could mean that professors who are visiting are boring. * It could also mean that the act of visiting professors is boring.

**30. Unlike immediate constituent analysis, structural analysis .......... ** * Unlike immediate constituent * Correct Answer: d. investigates the distribution of forms

Explanation: * Immediate constituent analysis focuses on how words group together within a sentence. * Structural analysis examines how linguistic elements are distributed and function within the overall structure of the language.

**31. Structural ambiguity .......... ** * Structural ambiguity .......... * Correct Answer: d. includes grouping and function ambiguity

Explanation: * Structural ambiguity refers to different possible interpretations of the sentence structure. * Grouping ambiguity arises from different ways of grouping words (as in the "visiting professors" example). * Function ambiguity arises from the multiple roles a word can play within a sentence.

**32. In the sentence "RAIN pleases the FARMERS, but too much RAIN harms the CROPS," the capitalized words are respectively .......... ** * In the sentence "RAIN pleases * Correct Answer: d. stimulus, experiencer, cause, and patient

Explanation: * RAIN (stimulus) pleases the FARMERS (experiencer). * too much RAIN (cause) harms the CROPS (patient).

**33. In the sentence "Data analysis determines which method of teaching we will adopt," the phrases "data analysis" and "method of teaching" are respectively .......... ** * In the sentence "Data analysis * Correct Answer: b. agent and goal

Explanation: * "Data analysis" is the agent (performs the action). * "Method of teaching" is the goal (the outcome of the action).

**34. The systematic description of linguistic knowledge is referred to as .......... ** * The systematic description * Correct Answer: d. grammar

Explanation: Grammar is the formal system that describes the rules and structures of a language.

**35. The deep structure "I hurt me" changes to "I hurt myself" by the application of the .......... transformation. ** * The deep structure "I hurt * Correct Answer: c. reflexivization

Explanation: Reflexivization is a transformation that replaces an object pronoun with a reflexive pronoun (e.g., "myself," "herself," "itself") when both refer to the same entity.

**36. Which of the following sentences is ambiguous? ** * Which of the following * Correct Answer: a. I was too tired to study.

Explanation: * This sentence could mean: * I was so tired that I lacked the energy to study. * I was too tired to even consider studying.

**37. Structural analysis concerns with .......... ** * Structural analysis concerns with * Correct Answer: d. investigating the distribution of words in a language

Explanation: Structural analysis examines how words and phrases are distributed and function within the structure of the language.

**38. The property of grammar which has the capacity to be applied more than once in generating a structure is referred to as .......... ** * The property of grammar * Correct Answer: c. recursiveness

Explanation: Recursiveness allows for the creation of infinitely long and complex sentences by embedding phrases within other phrases.

**39. Immediate constituent analysis refers to the approach in which a linguist studies ………. ** * Immediate constituent analysis * Correct Answer: b. how small components in the sentence form larger ones

Explanation: Immediate constituent analysis breaks down sentences into their smaller meaningful parts.

**40. A system of language analysis that recognizes the relationship among the various elements of a sentence and among the possible sentences of a language and uses, processes or rules to express these relationships. ** * A system of language * Correct Answer: b. transformational-Generative grammar

Explanation: Transformational-Generative grammar aims to model the underlying rules and structures that generate the sentences of a language.

**41. Take the following sentence into consideration: I LIKE ICECREAM MORE THAN YOU. In which YOU can be either the subject or the object of the verb LIKE. This is a case of ………. ** * Take the following sentence * Correct Answer: c. function ambiguity

Explanation: "You" could be the subject of "like" (I like ice cream more than you like ice cream) or the object of "like" (I like ice cream more than I like you).

**42. The phrase structure rules will ………. Sentences with a fixed order, so transformational rules are needed to move or change constituents. ** * The phrase structure rules * Correct Answer: a. generate

Explanation: Phrase structure rules generate the basic underlying structure of sentences.

**43. Consider the following Persian sentences: shaneh am shekast (my comb is broken) shaneh am shekast (my shoulder is broken). This is a case of ………. ** * Consider the following * Correct Answer: b. lexical ambiguity

Explanation: The word "shaneh" has multiple meanings in Persian (comb and shoulder).

**44. The sentence ‘John hit the man with an umbrella’ can be interpreted as follows: a) john hit the man who was carrying an umbrella and b) john hit the man with an umbrella as a tool. This sentence is a case of ………. ** * The sentence ‘John hit the * Correct Answer: d. structural ambiguity

Explanation: The ambiguity arises from the different possible grammatical structures of the phrase "with an umbrella."

**45. .......... is another sort of recursion, also found in all languages, according to which phrase types including S, N, V , Adj may be split up as a pair of phrases joined by words such as AND ,or OR in English. ** * .......... is another sort * Correct Answer: b. Coordination

Explanation: Coordination allows for joining multiple elements (phrases, clauses) using conjunctions like "and," "or," "but."

**46. John saw MARY but Mary didn't see him. The semantic role of 'MARY' is .......... ** * John saw MARY but * Correct Answer: a. percept

Explanation: "Mary" is the object of John's perception (what he sees).

**47. Verbs 'break', 'hit', and 'bite' share the semantic roles of .......... ** * Verbs 'break', 'hit', and * Correct Answer: a. agent and patient

Explanation: These verbs typically involve an agent (the one performing the action) and a patient (the entity affected by the action).

**48. The teacher told the kids a story. 'tell’ is a .......... ** * The teacher told the * Correct Answer: a. give-type verb

Explanation: "Tell" involves transferring information (the story) from the teacher (giver) to the kids (recipient).

**49. When a form has two or more meanings it is said to be .......... whereas if a number of possible meanings exists, it is said to be.......... ** * When a form has two * Correct Answer: a. homonymous / polysemic

Explanation: * Homonyms are words with different meanings but the same form (e.g., "bank" - financial institution, "bank" - edge of a river). * Polysemy refers to a single word with multiple related meanings (e.g., "bright" - intelligent, shining).

**50. It has been claimed that phrase structure rules are highly operative since they are said to be .......... ** * It has been claimed that * Correct Answer: c. recursive

Explanation: Phrase structure rules can be applied repeatedly to generate increasingly complex sentences.

**51. To appreciate the fact that grammar is categorical, many criteria can be use * To appreciate the fact * Correct Answer: d. ommisibility / intrusion

Explanation: * Omissibility: Grammatical categories can be omitted in certain contexts (e.g., "I will [go]"). * Intrusion: Grammatical categories cannot be arbitrarily inserted into sentences.

52. The capacity of the grammatical rules to be applied more than once in generating a structure is called ........... * The capacity of the * Correct Answer: a. recursiveness

Explanation: Recursiveness allows for the creation of infinitely long and complex sentences by embedding phrases within other phrases.

53. Take the following sentence: "That's the boy I gave my jacket to." Traditional grammarians argue that this sentence is syntactically ill-formed because it ........... * Take the following sentence: * Correct Answer: b. ends with a preposition

Explanation: Traditional grammar often discouraged ending sentences with prepositions, considering it grammatically incorrect.

54. In the sentence, "The United States has been strongly criticized by the world public for conducting brutal actions against the black Americans," the logical subject is ........... * In the sentence, "The United * Correct Answer: a. the United States

Explanation: The United States is the entity that is being criticized.

55. The term "case" refers to the way a(n) .......... is used in the sentence. * The term "case" refers * Correct Answer: c. noun

Explanation: Case grammar focuses on the semantic roles of nouns within a sentence.

56. The fundamental principles of case grammar were developed by ........... * The fundamental principles * Correct Answer: d. Fillmore

Explanation: Charles Fillmore is credited with developing the theory of case grammar.

57. As an approach to the analysis and description of languages, case grammar focuses on ........... * As an approach to the * Correct Answer: c. semantic relationships within a sentence

Explanation: Case grammar emphasizes the semantic roles of nouns (agent, patient, instrument, etc.) within the sentence.

58. According to Fries, .......... meaning is conveyed by the relationship among the elements in an utterance. * According to Fries, .......... * Correct Answer: a. structural

Explanation: Fries believed that the meaning of a sentence is largely determined by the arrangement of its parts (its structure).

59. The ability to form a word or pattern on the basis of knowledge of similar words or patterns is referred to as ........... * The ability to form a * Correct Answer: c. analogy

Explanation: Analogy involves creating new forms based on existing patterns.

60. The ability to apply the grammatical rules of a language to form grammatically correct sentences and to know where and when to use those sentences is called ........... * The ability to apply the * Correct Answer: b. communicative competence

Explanation: Communicative competence encompasses not only grammatical knowledge but also the ability to use language effectively in social contexts.

61. Rules that are essential for the very existence of an activity or phenomenon may be called .......... rules. * Rules that are essential * Correct Answer: b. constitutive

Explanation: Constitutive rules define what counts as an instance of an activity or phenomenon.

62. Linguists are concerned with the .......... rules of human language. * Linguists are concerned with * Correct Answer: c. constitutive

Explanation: Linguists are interested in the rules that govern how language works, not prescriptive rules about what is "correct."

63. Prescriptive grammars usually contain .......... rules. * Prescriptive grammars usually * Correct Answer: a. regulative

Explanation: Prescriptive grammars aim to regulate language use, often based on arbitrary rules.

64. Those who object to the use of such sentences as "I do not have none" and "Jack is taller than me", advocate a .......... approach to grammar. * Those who object to the * Correct Answer: a. prescriptive

Explanation: Prescriptivists advocate for the use of specific grammatical rules and often consider certain constructions to be incorrect.

65. The categories of number, gender, person, etc. are used by .......... grammatical analysis. * The categories of number, * Correct Answer: c. traditional

Explanation: Traditional grammar often focuses on these grammatical categories.

66. The capacity of rules of grammar to be applied more than once in generating a structure is called ........... * The capacity of rules * Correct Answer: c. recursiveness

Explanation: Recursiveness allows for the creation of infinitely long and complex sentences by embedding phrases within other phrases.

67. The grammar of a language........... * The grammar of a language * Correct Answer: a. is a systematic description of linguistic knowledge

Explanation: Grammar aims to describe the underlying rules and structures of a language.

68. The case relations of noun phrases in the sentence, "The butcher cut the steak with a knife," are .......... respectively. * The case relations of * Correct Answer: d. agent, patient, and instrument

Explanation: * "The butcher" is the agent (performs the action). * "The steak" is the patient (undergoes the action). * "with a knife" specifies the instrument used.

69. The basis of most modern attempts to characterize the structure of different languages is the ........... * The basis of most * Correct Answer: c. generative-transformational grammar

Explanation: Generative-transformational grammar, with its focus on deep and surface structures, has been highly influential in modern linguistics.

70. The technique used in immediate constituent analysis is designed to indicate ........... * The technique used in * Correct Answer: d. how small constituents in a sentence go together to form larger ones

Explanation: Immediate constituent analysis breaks down sentences into their smaller meaningful parts.

71. In the sentence, "John saw the door and the key," the word "key" is a(n) ........... * In the sentence, "John * Correct Answer: c. patient

Explanation: In this context, "the key" is not directly involved in the action of seeing. It is simply mentioned alongside the door.

72. In case grammar, the noun or noun phrase which is directly affected by the action specified by the verb is called ........... * In case grammar, the * Correct Answer: c. patient

Explanation: The patient is the entity that undergoes the action of the verb.

73. Language operations are structure dependent, that is ........... * Language operations are * Correct Answer: c. every sentence has a deep and surface structure

Explanation: This principle, often attributed to Noam Chomsky, suggests that grammatical rules operate on the underlying structure of sentences, not just their surface forms.

74. Which of the following is NOT within the scope of grammar? * Which of the following is * Correct Answer: d. The set of conventions governing the actual language behavior

Explanation: While grammar influences language use, it primarily focuses on the underlying rules and structures, not necessarily the social conventions of language use.

75. What are the case relations of the underlined NPs in the following sentenced, “The student was afraid of the test.”? * What are the case relations * Correct Answer: a. Experiencer/instrument

Explanation: * "The student" is the experiencer of the emotion (fear). * "the test" is the instrument or cause of the fear.

76. Consider the sentences "The man thrown the ball kicked it" and "The man kicked the ball kicked it. Both are ........... * Consider the sentences * Correct Answer: b. ungrammatical and unacceptable

Explanation: Both sentences are grammatically incorrect.

77. .......... grammar is a generative theory of grammar which is based on semantic rather than syntax. In this grammar, semantic terms such as agentive, instrumental, locative etc. are used. * .......... grammar is a * Correct Answer: c. Case

Explanation: Case grammar focuses on the semantic roles of nouns within a sentence.

78. According to .........., grammar is the underlying sentence patterns of the spoken language. * According to .........., * Correct Answer: b. Chomsky

Explanation: Chomsky's theory of generative grammar emphasizes the underlying rules and structures that generate sentences.

79. Speakers' intuitive knowledge of the grammar of language is called ........... * Speakers' intuitive knowledge * Correct Answer: a. linguistic competence

Explanation: Linguistic competence refers to the internalized knowledge of the rules of a language.

80. In the sentences "She goes" and "He went," the relationship between subject and verb is .......... and the relationships between “he” and “she,”; “goes” and “went” are ........... * In the sentences "She * Correct Answer: b. syntactic/paradigmatic

Explanation: * The subject-verb agreement ("She goes," "He went") is a syntactic relationship. * The relationship between "he" and "she" and between "goes" and "went" are paradigmatic relationships, as they represent different forms within the same grammatical category (pronouns and verb forms, respectively).

81. The .......... relationship deals with the horizontal relationship between the linguistic items within the sentence structure and between sentences. * The .......... relationship * Correct Answer: d. syntagmatic

Explanation: * Syntagmatic relationships refer to the linear order of elements within a sentence.

82. The vertical relationship between linguistic items which are mutually interchangeable at one place within the sentence structure is called .......... relationship. * The vertical relationship * Correct Answer: c. paradigmatic

Explanation: * Paradigmatic relationships concern the choices that can be made at a particular position within a sentence. For example, different nouns can occupy the subject position.

83. Grammar is ........... * Grammar is ........... * Correct Answer: c. the formal description of linguistic competence

Explanation: Grammar aims to describe the underlying rules and structures that govern language use.

**84. In the sentence "Smith killed the man with a revolver,” and “This revolver killed the man,” What are the cases for “Smith” and “this revolver” respectively? ** * In the sentence "Smith * Correct Answer: a. Agentive/instrumental

Explanation: * "Smith" is the agent (the one performing the action). * "this revolver" is the instrument used to perform the action.

85. An isolating language is one in which . . . . . . . . * An isolating language is * Correct Answer: b. word order determines grammatical function

Explanation: In isolating languages, grammatical relationships are primarily conveyed through word order, as there are few or no inflections.

86. Which of the following statements is NOT one of the comprehensive definitions of modern grammar? * Which of the following * Correct Answer: d. The collection of the rules that tell us how to write correctly.

Explanation: This definition aligns more with prescriptive grammar, not the modern understanding of grammar as a description of linguistic knowledge.

87. The major problem with prescriptive grammar is that . . . . . . . * The major problem with * Correct Answer: c. it undermines the importance of spoken language

Explanation: Prescriptive grammar often focuses on written language and may stigmatize variations in spoken language.

88. Besides a noun, a noun phrase can generate . . . . . . only. * Besides a noun, a * Correct Answer: d. articles, adjectives, adjectival phrases, and embedded sentences

Explanation: Noun phrases can include a variety of elements, such as articles, adjectives, and even entire clauses.