English · UNIT 06 · MOCK TEST

Mock 3 – History of English & Sociolinguistics

Unit 6: Language and Linguistics · 29 questions · about 34 minutes. Press End Mock any time to see your score and the correct answers.

All 6 topic-wise mocks in this unit

0 / 29 answered 00:00

Q1.

Which definition of a social variety of language is INCORRECT?

AConvergence: using forms like the listener's to reduce social distance BRegister: a conventional way of using language suited to a context CSlang: informal words used by younger speakers and special-interest groups DJargon: words about the body, bodily functions or sex that are avoided for religious or polite reasons

Q2.

Assertion (A): All modern languages have words whose pronunciation echoes natural sounds. Reason (R): Early humans imitated sounds such as 'caw-caw' and 'coo-coo' and used them for the objects even when absent.

ABoth A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A BBoth A and R are correct but R is NOT the correct explanation of A CA is correct but R is not correct DA is not correct but R is correct

Q3.

According to Saussure, what is the minimum number of persons needed to complete the speaking-circuit?

AOne BTwo CThree DFour

Q4.

Who said that Sanskrit is 'more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either'?

ASir William Jones BPatsy M. Lightbown CFerdinand de Saussure DA. S. Hornby

Q5.

The study of how humans acquire language and use it to speak and understand is called:

ATheoretical Linguistics BSociolinguistics CApplied Linguistics DPsycholinguistics

Q6.

Identify the correct statements about langue and parole:

A. Langue is the abstract system of a language — its grammar.
B. Parole is language actually produced by users, following langue.
C. Langue is language produced by users following parole.
D. Parole is the abstract language system.
E. Langue and parole are unrelated.

AA and B only BA and C only CB and C only DD and E only

Q7.

Who used 'social fact' and 'collective consciousness' with reference to language?

A. Franz Boas
B. Leonard Bloomfield
C. Émile Durkheim
D. Noam Chomsky
E. Ferdinand de Saussure

AC and E only BA and B only CB and C only DD and B only

Q8.

Who wrote History of the European Languages?

AAlexander Murray BA. S. Diamond CWilliam Jones DLeonard Bloomfield

Q9.

Match List I with List II:

List I: Term	List II: Meaning
A. Langue	I. Meaning conveyed (concept)
B. Parole	II. Socially shared language system
C. Signifier	III. Speech
D. Signified	IV. Word (sound-image)

AA-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I BA-I, B-IV, C-III, D-II CA-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV DA-IV, B-III, C-II, D-I

Q10.

Match List I with List II:

List I: Theory	List II: Theorist
A. Polysystem theory	I. Ernst-August Gutt
B. Relevance theory (in translation)	II. Hans J. Vermeer
C. Skopos theory	III. Itamar Even-Zohar
D. Covert translation	IV. Juliane House

AA-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I BA-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV CA-I, B-IV, C-III, D-II DA-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III

Q11.

Wittgenstein's view that the limits of language are the limits of thought means that:

A. the structure of language defines its meaning
B. intended meaning defines the structure of language
C. what can be meaningfully said can be thought
D. structure and meaning are independent
E. thought precedes language

AA and C only BA and B only CD and E only DC and D only

Q12.

Match List I with List II:

List I: Item	List II: Related term / author
A. The Language Instinct	I. Steven Pinker
B. Reflections on Language	II. Noam Chomsky
C. A variety serving a specialised function in a multilingual community	III. Creole / creolisation
D. A common variety for speakers of different backgrounds	IV. Diglossia

AA-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III BA-III, B-IV, C-II, D-I CA-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV DA-IV, B-III, C-I, D-II

Q13.

Which of the following defines a pidgin?

AA lingua franca used between speakers, though it is no one's native language BA language with many varieties and dialects across the world CAn African language used to showcase native culture DA fully structured language with its own grammar and sound system, spoken in Australia

Q14.

The study of language across time, as it changes historically, is called:

ADiachronic BSynchronic CSyntagmatic DParadigmatic

Q15.

Which of the following is NOT true about Saussure's Course in General Linguistics?

AIt was published posthumously. BIt discusses langue and parole. CLangue denotes actual spoken and written communication. DIt advocates the synchronic study of language.

Q16.

Which among the following statements are true?

A. Miscegenation is a sexual relationship or marriage between people of the same race.
B. A creole is a language that develops from a pidgin and becomes a community's mother tongue.
C. Indian tribal people are popularly called Aboriginals.
D. A mulatto is a person of mixed white and black ancestry.
E. The indigenous population of Australia is called Red Indians.

A(A) and (E) only B(B) and (C) only C(C) and (D) only D(B) and (D) only

Q17.

Assertion (A): From a sociolinguistic standpoint, mainstream SLA is asocial, keeping hidden the social side of learning to interact through language. Reason (R): A sociolinguistic perspective focuses on the linguistic system and on pragmatic and discourse features, refusing to treat language as norms or to examine diversity and ideologies.

Q18.

Statement I: There is an analogy between an author's works and the experiences of his or her life. Statement II: The works may be seen as an incomplete translation of the life.

ABoth Statement I and Statement II are true BBoth Statement I and Statement II are false CStatement I is true but Statement II is false DStatement I is false but Statement II is true

Q19.

In which dialect is the English version of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville written?

AQueen's English BNorthumbrian CMidland DCockney

Q20.

Statement I: A pidgin arises when two mutually unintelligible groups communicate using the most obvious features of each other's language. Statement II: However long a pidgin is spoken, it can never become a community's mother tongue.

ABoth Statement I and Statement II are correct BBoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect CStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect DStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct

Q21.

Which features does Saussure attribute to language?

A. An interlocking structure
B. A system of constant change
C. A system of signs
D. A self-standing formation

AA and B only BA and C only CB and D only DC and D only

Q22.

Which of the following is a dead language?

AGothic BFrisian CYiddish DCantonese

Q23.

'Potato' is a sixteenth-century borrowing into English from:

ASpanish BFrench CGerman DNorwegian

Q24.

When stable bilinguals use English as a link language alongside their first language in defined contexts, English performs which function?

AComplementary BSupplementary CAuxiliary DEquative

Q25.

'Nice day again, isn't it?' is an example of:

Acode-switching Bmultiple negation Cphatic communication Dnominalisation

Q26.

Which two of the following words came into English from Czech?

A. Pistol
B. Robot
C. Sauna
D. Coach

AA and B only BA and C only CB and C only DA and D only

Q27.

Match List I with List II:

List I: Word	List II: Source
A. Caste	I. Old Norse
B. Beef	II. German
C. Blunder	III. Portuguese
D. Flak	IV. French

AA-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II BA-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II CA-II, B-IV, C-III, D-I DA-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III

Q28.

Which of the following statements about pidgins and creoles are true?

A. A pidgin becomes a creole and then a first language.
B. A creole begins as a pidgin and becomes a first language.
C. A pidgin is simple but rule-governed, while a creole has no grammatical rules.
D. Pidgins and creoles arise where speakers of mutually unintelligible languages need a common language.

AA and B only BB and D only CC and D only DA and D only

Q29.

Which statement about Saussure's langue and parole is correct?

ALangue is the language system at a particular time. BLangue is a particular instance of speech or writing. CParole is language as a system at a particular time. DParole is the study of language over time.

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