BAI TAP TRUC TUYEN SEMANTICS – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WEEK 1
I. SEMANTICS – SEMANTIC PROPERTY / FIELD – REFERENCE – SENSE
1. Which of the followings is CORRECT about linguistics?
a. Linguistics is the study of all dialects. b. Linguistics is the study of English.
c. Linguistics is the study of language. d. Linguistics is the study of grammar.
2. Which of the followings does NOT belong to linguistics?
a. semantics b. phonology c. language skills d. pragmatics
3. Which of the following is CORRECT about semantics?
a. Semantics is an independent subject. b. Semantics is the study of language.
c. Semantics is the study of language use. d. Semantics is the study of language meaning.
4. Which of the following is CORRECT about pragmatics?
a. Pragmatics is an independent subject. b. Pragmatics is the study of language.
c. Pragmatics is the study of language use. d. Pragmatics is the study of language meaning.
5. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. The objective of linguistics is the meaning of language.
b. The objective of semantics is the literal meaning of language.
c. The objective of semantics is the speaker’s meaning.
d. The objective of semantics is the non-literal meaning of language.
6. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. Pragmatics studies the relationship between language and objects.
b. Pragmatics studies the relationship between language and the user.
c. Pragmatics studies the speaker’s meaning.
d. Pragmatics studies how and what for the speaker uses the language.
7. Which of the following statements is TRUE about sentence?
a. A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.
b. A sentence is a group of words containing a finite verb.
c. A sentence is a group of words grammatically linked to convey a complete meaning.
d. A sentence is a group of words consisting of one clause.
8. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about utterance?
a. An utterance is a sentence said in a particular situation.
b. An utterance is context bound / dependent.
c. The meaning of an utterance depends on the situation in which it is uttered.
d. The meaning of an utterance is the sum of meanings of the constituent words.
9. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. It makes sense to talk of the time and place of an utterance.
b. It makes sense to talk of the time and place of a sentence.
c. It doesn’t make sense to talk of a loud sentence.
d. It makes sense to talk of a true sentence or utterance.
10. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. the meaning of a sentence is context-free b. the meaning of an utterance is context-bound
c. the semantic meaning is out of context d. the pragmatic meaning is the linguistic meaning
11. The following pair “Dr. Findlay caused Janet to die.”
“Dr. Findlay killed Janet.” consists of:
a. 2 sentences; 2 propositions b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 utterances; 2 propositions d. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
12. The following pair “Paul opened the door.”
“The door was opened by Paul.” consists of:
a. 2 sentences; 2 propositions b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 utterances; 2 propositions d. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
13. The following pair “Paul loves Mary.”
“Mary loves Paul.” consists of:
a. 2 sentences; 2 propositions b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 utterances; 2 propositions d. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
14. The following pair They loaded hay onto the truck.
They loaded the truck with hay. consists of:
a. 2 sentences; 2 propositions b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 utterances; 2 propositions d. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
15. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. Semantic features are the smallest units of meaning in a word.
b. The semantic meaning of a word can be analyzed into semantics components.
c. The same semantic property can be found in the meaning of different words.
d. The pragmatic meaning can be defined by the sum of semantic features.
16. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. A lexical field is the organization of semantically related words into a system
b. A semantic field is a family of words that share the same semantic feature
c. There are different ways to organize semantically related words into lexical field
d. A lexical field is a group of words sharing the same part of speech
17. Which of the following semantic features does not belong to “cat”?
a. [+domestic] b. [+animal] c. [+male] d. [+having a tail]
18. Which of the following semantic properties belongs to “dog”?
a. [+female] b. [+intellect] c. [+mature] d. [+loyal]
19. The relationship between “bachelor” and “male” is:
a. synonymy b. hyponymy c. polysemy d. antonymy
20. The relationship between “cock” and “male” is:
a. synonymy b. hyponymy c. polysemy d. antonymy
21. The relationship between “room” and “toilet” is:
a. synonymy b. hyponymy c. polysemy d. whole-part
22. The relationship between “room” and “house” is:
a. synonymy b. hyponymy c. polysemy d. part- whole
23. The relationship between “furniture” and “desk” is:
a. synonymy b. hyponymy c. polysemy d. whole-part
24. The underlined part in “cooking and boiling” is a:
a. hypernym b. hyponym c. synonym d. antonym
25. The underlined part in “cooking and boiling” is a:
a. hypernym b. hyponym c. synonym d. antonym
26. The best hypernym for the lexical field “apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, mangoes” is:
a. food b. fruits c. vegetables d. greens
27. The best hypernym for the lexical field “shirts, pants, shorts, hats, pajamas, jeans, T-shirts” is:
a. goods b. textiles c. clothing d. sport-wears
28. The best hypernym for the lexical field “staring, peering, glancing, squinting,” is:
a. behaviors b. characters c. reactions d. ways of looking
29. The best hypernym for the lexical field “cleaning the house, doing washing, ironing clothes, preparing the
meals” is:
a. working b. doing housework c. activities d. doing homework
30. The best hypernym for the lexical field “cups, glasses, jugs, wineglasses, plastic cups” is:
a. things b. tools c. vessels d. glasses
31. The best hypernym for the lexical field “square, circular, triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, polygonal”
is:
a. figures b. polygonal c. forms d. plane shapes
WEEK 2
1. Which of the followings is a CORRECT description of “reference”?
a. a relationship between expressions and other expressions which have the same meaning
b. the set of all objects which can potentially be referred to by an expression
c. the relationship between a particular object in the world and an expression used in an utterance to
pick that object out.
2. Which of the followings is a CORRECT description of “sense”?
a. all words in a language may be used to refer, but only some words have sense
b. If two expressions have the same referent, they always have the same sense.
c. the sense of an expression is its relationship to semantically equivalent or semantically related
expression in the same language
3. Which of the followings is NOT a type of reference?
a. same reference b. variable reference c. constant reference d. referring expression
4. The type of reference in which the same expression is used to refer to different objects is:
a. same reference b. variable reference c. constant reference d. no reference
5. The type of reference in which different expressions are used to refer to the same object is:
a. same reference b. variable reference c. constant reference d. no reference
6. The type of reference in which the same expression always refers to the same object is:
a. same reference b. variable reference c. constant reference d. no reference
7. When an expression has a sense but does not refer to anything, it is said to be:
a. same reference b. variable reference c. constant reference d. no reference
8. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. All words in a language may be used to refer, but only some words have sense.
b. If two expressions have the same referent, they always have the same sense.
c. Sense is a relationship between expressions and other expressions which have the same meaning.
d. Reference is the set of all objects which can potentially be referred to by an expression.
9. An expression used to refer to someone or something particular is a:
a. same reference b. variable reference c. constant reference d. referring expression
10. The underlined part in “the boy standing at the bus stop” has:
a. variable reference b. same reference c. constant reference d. no reference
11. The underlined part in “I saw a boy standing at a bus stop.” is:
a. referring expression b. same reference
c. constant reference d. no reference
12. The underlined part in “I survived from the air crash thanks to a parachute.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
13. The underlined part in “My sweetheart is a teacher.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
14. The underlined part in “Silk Black is a famous singer from Tay Nguyen.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
15. The underlined part in “I’m looking for a car to buy.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
16. The underlined part in “Yesterday, I bought a car in a showroom on NH street.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
17. The underlined part in “A boy was in here looking for you last night.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
18. The underlined part in “Paul fell off the horse, wounded by an arrow.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
19. The underlined part in “You cannot kill a tiger with an arrow.” is:
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
II. TYPES OF MEANING
1. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. The denotative meaning of a word is the central meaning of that word found in a dictionary.
b. The denotative meaning of a word can be described in terms of a set of semantic features.
c. The denotative meaning of a word describes an object, an event, a state or an affair.
d. The denotative meaning of a word is the meaning that the speaker wants to convey.
2. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. The connotative meaning of a word is the implied meaning that word has beyond its literal meaning.
b. The connotative meaning of a word can be described in terms of a set of semantic features.
c. The connotative meaning of a word shows people’s emotions and attitudes.
d. The denotative meaning of a word is the meaning that the speaker wants to convey.
3. Which of the followings is NOT a term used to describe denotative meaning?
a. descriptive meaning b. referential meaning c. literal meaning d. additional meaning
4. Which of the followings is NOT a term used to describe connotative meaning?
a. descriptive meaning b. social meaning c. affective meaning d. additional meaning
5. Which of the followings does NOT belong to the denotative meaning of “woman”?
a. human b. female c. talkative d. mature
6. Which of the followings does NOT belong to the connotative meaning of “woman”?
a. irrational b. female c. talkative d. devoted
7. Which of the followings does NOT belong to the denotative meaning of “pig”?
a. animal b. domestic c. hairy d. lazy
8. Which of the followings does NOT belong to the connotative meaning of “pig”?
a. domestic b. greedy c. dirty d. stupid
9. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. The semantic role of a word is its syntactic function in the sentence.
b. The semantic role of a word is its grammatical function in the sentence.
c. The semantic role of a word is the role performed by that word in relation to the verb.
10. Which of the followings is NOT a type of semantic role?
a. agent b. patient c. object d. locative
11. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “ On the river bank sat little Robert,
covered with mud.” is :
a. Instrument b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
12. The semantic role performed by the underlined NP in “This pill can help you sleep deeply.” is:
a. Instrument b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
13. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “Water boils at 1000 C.” is:
a. Instrument b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
14. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “The door opened suddenly at the first blow of
wind.” is :
a. Instrument b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
15. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “The door opened suddenly at the first blow of
wind.” is :
a. Instrument b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
16. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “They loaded the truck with hay.” is:
a. Instrument b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
17. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “Peter recognized his mistakes.” is:
a. Agent b. experiencer c. patient d. stimulus
18. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “my brother is afraid of spiders.” is:
 a. Agent b. experiencer c. patient d. stimulus
19. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “The snow melts at the morning sunshine.” is:
a. Agent b. experiencer c. patient d. stimulus
20. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “The snow melts at the morning sunshine.” is:
a. temporal b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
21. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “The beer made from rice drinks very well.” is:
a. temporal b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
22. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “The beer made from rice drinks very well.” is:
a. instrument b. cause c. patient d. stimulus
23. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “Alan was sent a special gift on her birthday.” is
a. benefactive b. agent c. patient d. recipient
24. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “At the reunion, he ran into his cousin Karl.” is:
a. temporal b. locative c. patient d. recipient
25. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “I enjoy reading books in my free time.” is
a. experiencer b. agent c. patient d. stimulus
26. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “Acid can dissolve a corpse in 5 minutes.” is
a. instrument b. agent c. patient d. cause
27. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “A bottle of acid has dissolved the corpse in 5
minutes.” is
a. instrument b. agent c. patient d. cause
28. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “Trembling with fear, she opened the letter.” is
a. instrument b. agent c. patient d. cause
29. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “Delayed by the bad weather, the plane arrived
in HN one hour late.” is
a. instrument b. agent c. patient d. cause
30. The semantic role performed by the underlined part in “Delayed by the bad weather, the plane arrived
in HN one hour late.” is
a. instrument b. agent c. patient d. cause
31. Consider the following short conversation:
Tom: “Would you like to have a coffee?”
Mary: “I have a lot of homework to do.”
Semantically, what does Mary mean?
a. “I’m afraid that I have to refuse your invitation.”
b. “I don’t like coffee.”
c. “The teacher gave me a lot of assignments to do at home.”
d. “Could you help me do homework?”
32. Pragmatically, what does Mary mean in the above conversation?
a. “I’m afraid that I have to refuse your invitation.”
b. “I don’t like coffee.”
c. “The teacher gave me a lot of assignments to do at home.”
d. “Could you help me do homework?”
33. The semantic meaning of “Oh, it’s too noisy in here!” is:
a. There is a lot of noise in here. b. Keep silent, please.
c. Do you like noise? d. This place is very exciting.
34. The figure of speech used in “She has an ear for music.” is:
a. metaphor b. metonymy c. synecdoche d. personification
35. The figure of speech used in “A disease has cut his breath.” is:
a. metaphor b. euphemism c. synecdoche d. simile
36. The figure of speech used in “I’ll make him eat his words.” is:
a. metaphor b. metonymy c. synecdoche d. personification
37. The figure of speech used in “Hearing the news, the tears stream down her face” is:
a. personification b. euphemism c. metonymy d. metaphor
38. The figure of speech used in “He washed his hands out of the matter.” is:
a. metaphor b. metonymy c. synecdoche d. personification
39. The figure of speech used in “Why don’t you recognize the power of the purse?” is:
a. personification b. euphemism c. metonymy d. synecdoche
40. The figure of speech used in “She has an ear for music” is:
a. metaphor b. metonymy c. synecdoche d. personification
41. The figure of speech used in “He looks as though he hasn’t had a square meal for months.” is:
a. personification b. euphemism c. metonymy d. metaphor
42. The figure of speech used in “He has a kind heart.” is:
a. metaphor b. metonymy c. synecdoche d. personification
43. The figure of speech used in “Research shows that these methods are best.” is:
a. personification b. euphemism c. metonymy d. synecdoche
44. Figuratively, the sentence “Life is a dream.” may mean:
a. Life is short. b. Life is vulnerable. c. Life is fragile. d. Life is not true.
45. Figuratively, the sentence “The man is a demon for work.” may mean:
a. The man is workaholic. b. The man is energetic and works very hard.
c. The man is evil . d. The man is lazy.
46. Figuratively, the sentence “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” may mean:
a. You shouldn’t use the rod with children.
b. You should punish children severely.
c. If you don’t punish the child when he does something wrong, you’ll spoil his character.
d. You shouldn’t love children.
47. Figuratively, the sentence “When the White House calls, the ambassador comes at once.” may mean:
a. When the President calls, the ambassador comes at once.
b. When the U.S. President calls, the ambassador comes at once.
c. When the Government calls, the ambassador comes at once.
d. When the General Officer calls, the ambassador comes at once.
48. Figuratively, the sentence “My dormitory room is like a cave.” may mean:
a. My dormitory room is small but cozy. b. My dormitory room is small and uncomfortable.
c. My dormitory room is not modern. d. My dormitory room is dark.
49. Figuratively, the sentence “The captain was in charge of one hundred horses.” may mean:
a. The captain has got 100 horses. b. The captain has to take care of 100 horses.
c. The captain needs 100 horses. d. The captain was in charge of 100 cavalries.
50. Figuratively, the sentence “You can depend on Paul; he is a rock when trouble comes.” may mean:
a. Paul is honest. b. Paul is indifferent. c. Paul is pitiless. d. Paul has strong nerves.
51. Figuratively, the sentence “He is so hardheaded that he won’t listen to anyone.” may mean:
a. He is very obstinate. b. He has a very hard head.
c. He is very intelligent. d. He is very courageous.
52. Figuratively, the sentence “Right at this minute, I could drink a barrel of water without stopping.” may
mean:
a. I need a barrel of water. b. I’m very thirsty and I can drink a lot of water.
c. I stop drinking water. d. I can bring a barrel of water for a minute without stopping.
53. Figuratively, the sentence “It is amazing what a great mind he is.” may mean:
a. he is open-minded. b. I’m amazed by his intellectual power.
c. he has a very big head. d. he is not intelligent at all.
54. Figuratively, the sentence “Alice came in gently, like a May breeze.” may mean:
a. Alice is as young, fresh, sweet and warm as a breeze of May.
b. Alice is gentle but weak. c. Alice is as fragile as a breeze. d. Alice is in a hurry.
55. Figuratively, the sentence “He is as mute as a fish.” may mean:
a. He is dumb. b. He is very quiet. c. He is very fast. d. He is talkative.
56. Figuratively, the sentence “We stopped to drink in the beautiful scenery.” may mean:
a. We stopped drinking because of the beautiful scenery.
b. We stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
c. We stopped to drink at this beautiful scenery.
d. We looked at the beautiful scenery because we have nothing to drink.
57. Figuratively, the sentence “His words can be trusted.” may mean:
a. We can trust him. b. We cannot trust him. c. He is a liar. d. He tells the truth.
58. Figuratively, the sentence “The boss gave her a hot look.” may mean:
a. The boss loves her. b. The boss looked at her angrily.
c. The boss wants her. d. The boss treated her warmly.
59. Figuratively, the sentence “He attacked every weak point in my argument.” may mean:
a. He severely criticized every weak point in my argument.
b. He could not response to my argument.
c. He is a foxy and brave fighter. d. We are playing war-games.
60. Figuratively, the sentence “I am the captain of my soul.” may mean:
a. I am the leader in this battle. b. I can decide my own life.
c. I am the only soldier. d. I am in agony.

WEEK 3

PART III. MEANING CHARACTERISTICS AND RELATIONS

1. Which of the followings is CORRECT?
a. An anomalous sentence is ungrammatical.
b. An anomalous sentence is syntactically incorrect.
c. An anomalous sentence follows semantic rules.
d. An anomalous sentence is grammatically correct but breaks the semantic rules.
2. Which of the followings is CORRECT?
a. An anomalous sentence is literally nonsensical but may be figuratively understandable.
b. An anomalous sentence may be figuratively meaningful but semantically nonsensical.
c. An anomalous sentence has more than one meanings.
d. An anomalous sentence is literally and figuratively nonsensical.
3. A sentence that has more than one meaning is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
4. A sentence that is always true because of the senses of the words is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
5. A sentence that is always false because of the senses of the words is:
a. anomalous b. contradictory c. analytic d. synthetic
6. A sentence that is a violation of semantic rules to create nonsense is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
7. Semantically, the sentence “Christopher is killing phonemes.” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
8. Semantically, the sentence “This pen is empty.” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
9. Semantically, the sentence “Babies can lift one tone.” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
10. Semantically, the sentence “My brother is a spinster.” is:
a. contradictory b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
11. Figuratively, the sentence “James sliced ideas.” Is a(n):
 a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. metaphor d. personification
12. Semantically, the sentence “My brother is a bachelor.” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
13. Semantically, the sentence “Puppies are animal.” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
14. Semantically, the sentence “Bachelors are female.” is:
a. contradictory b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
15. Semantically, the sentence “Bachelors are unmarried.” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. analytic d. synthetic
16. Figuratively, the sentence “The sorrow is chewing my bones.” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. metaphor d. personification
17. Figuratively, the sentence “Ly Duc is so strong that he can lift one tone.” is:
a. anomalous b. hyperbole c. metaphor d. personification
18. Figuratively, the sentence “Oh, my back is killing me!” is:
a. anomalous b. ambiguous c. metaphor d. personification
19. The type of ambiguity in “Are the chickens ready to eat?” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional
20. The type of ambiguity in “Do you want to try on the dress in the window?” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional
21. The type of ambiguity in “I understand money matters.” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional
22. The type of ambiguity in “He gave her dog meat.” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional d. grouping & functional
23. The type of ambiguity in “Tristan left directions for Isolde to follow.” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional
24. The type of ambiguity in “Is he really that kind?” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional
25. The type of ambiguity in “This is not a Raphael’s painting.” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional d. lexical & functional
26. The type of ambiguity in “The police are talking about Mr. Thompson’s murder.” is:
a. lexical b. grouping c. functional
27. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “They are moving sidewalks”?
a. They are walking on the sidewalks. b. These sidewalks are moveable.
c. The streets are under repair. d. The sidewalks are moving.
28. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “She is a baby sitter.”?
a. She is a baby. b. She is a sitter. c. This sitter is a baby. d. She likes babies.
29. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “The man gave the library books.”?
a. The man is a librarian . b. The man borrowed books from the library.
c. The man gave someone the books of the library. d. The man is a bookworm.
30. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “Paula is a girl hunter.”?
a. Paula is a good hunter. b. Paula loves girls.
c. Paula is going hunting with a girl. d. Paula’s job is hunting girls.
31. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “My fiancée is reserved.”?
a. I am engaged. b. My fiancée is married. c. My fiancée is kept only for me.
32. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “The doctor made them well.”?
a. The doctor is very talented. b. The doctor made a well for them.
c. The doctor made the patients healthy. d. The doctor is very good.
33. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “I considered those errors.”?
a. I made a lot of mistakes. b. I examined those errors.
c. I found many errors. d. I corrected the errors.
34. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “Dick finally decided on the boat.”?
a. Finally, Dick had to decide on the boat. b. Dick decided on the boat finally.
c. Dick finally made a decision about the boat. d. Dick finally decided to buy the boat.
35. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “He passed the hammer and saw through the
window.”?
a. He went past the window. b. He climbed through the window.
c. He saw a hammer through the window. d. He passed the hammer and the saw through the window.

WEEK 4
1. Two words having the same or almost the same denotative meaning is:
a. synonyms b. antonyms c. homonyms d. hyponyms
2. Two words having opposite meanings are:
a. synonyms b. antonyms c. homonyms d. hyponyms
3. Two words having the same sound but different spellings and different meanings are:
a. homophones b. antonyms c. homonyms d. hyponyms
4. Two words having the same spelling but different sounds and different meanings are:
a. homophones b. homographs c. homonyms d. hyponyms
5. Two words having the same sound, the same spellings but different meanings are:
a. homophones b. antonyms c. homonyms d. hyponyms
6. A word having different but related meanings is:
a. homophones b. antonyms c. homonyms d. polysemy
7. The relationship between “you & ewe” is:
a. homophony b. homography c. homonymy d. polysemy
8. The relationship between “to flog & to whip” is:
a. homophony b. antonymy c. synonymy d. polysemy
9. The relationship between “similar & different” is …………. antonymy
a. gradable b. non-gradable c. complementary d. relational
10. The relationship between “love & hate” is …………. antonymy
a. gradable b. non-gradable c. complementary d. relational
11. The relationship between “conceal & reveal” is …………. antonymy
a. gradable b. non-gradable c. relational d. converse
12. The relationship between “own & belong to” is …………... antonymy
a. gradable b. non-gradable c. relational d. complementary
13. The relationship between “lesser & lessee” is …………. antonymy
a. gradable b. non-gradable c. relational d. complementary
14. The relationship between “to wind & the wind” is:
a. homophony b. homography c. synonymy d. polysemy
15. The relationship between “a bear & to bear” is:
a. homophony b. homography c. homonymy d. polysemy

WEEK 5

1. The relationship between the sentences in the following pair…………. is:

i. Paul walked to school yesterday.
ii. Paul went to school yesterday.
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation
2. The relationship between the sentences in the following pair…………. is:
A/ “David did not steal a pound of beef.”
B/ “David did not take a pound of beef.”
a. A entails B b. B entails A c. paraphrase d. No relation
3. The relationship between the sentences “I saw a big mouse.” & “I saw an animal.” is:
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation
4. The relationship between the sentences “I saw a big mouse.” & “I saw a big animal.” is:
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation
5. The relationship between the sentences “John killed the lion.” & “The lion is still alive.” is:
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation
6. The relationship between the sentences “Paul teaches English at the Community College.” & “Paul is a
teacher.” is:
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation
7. The relationship between the sentences
A. “He took all the silver in my safe.” & B. “He took everything in my safe.” is:
a. A entails B b. B entails A c. paraphrase d. No relation
8. The relationship between the sentences “Paul teaches English for a living.” & “Paul is
an English teacher.” is:
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation
9. The relationship between the sentences “Vera is an only child.” & “Paul is Vera’s brother.” is:
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation
10. The relationship between the sentences “It is hard to lasso elephants.” & “Elephants are hard to lasso.” is:
a. paraphrase b. entailment c. contradiction d. no relation

WEEK 6

IV. PRAGMATICS
1. Which of the followings is TRUE?
a. A speech act is an action performed by the speaker himself.
b. A speech act is an action performed by someone.
c. A speech act is an action performed by an utterance.
d. A speech act is a reported speech.
2. Which of the followings is not a component of a speech act?
a. locutionary act b. the speaker’s intent c. perlocutionary effect d. speech event
3. The illocutionary act is:
a. the speaker’s intent b. the effect on the hearer c. the utterance of the speaker
4. The locutionary act is:
a. the speaker’s purpose b. the reaction of the hearer to the speaker’s utterance
c. the act of making a meaningful utterance
5. The perlocutionary act is:
a. the speaker’s purpose b. the reaction of the hearer to the speaker’s utterance
c. the act of making a meaningful utterance
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. The illocutionary act is context-free. b. The illocutionary act is context dependent.
c. The perlocutionary act depends totally on the speaker.
d. The illocutionary act is the linguistic meaning of the speaker’s utterance.
7. Which of the followings is not an element of a speech event?
a. setting b. participants c. role relationships d. semantic roles
8. Which of the followings is not an element of a speech event?
a. tone b. message c. syntactic functions d. characters
9. Which of the followings may be the illocutionary meaning of “I’m very thirsty.”?
a. Would you like some drink? b. How about going out for a coffee?
c. Are you thirsty? d. Could you give me something to drink?
10. Which of the followings may be the illocutionary meaning of “Would you mind my opening the
 door?”?
a. Could you open the door please? b. Would you mind opening the door?
c. Would you mind if I open the door? d. Do you want me to open the door for you?
11. Which of the followings may be the illocutionary meaning of “Do you have to stand in front of the
TV?”?
a. Don’t stand to watch TV b. Can’t you stand the TV?
c. please don’t stand in front of the TV; I’m watching it.

12. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?

A: The final exam is coming near.
B: If you don’t try your best, you’ll fail.
a. The final exam is very difficult. b. Many students will fail in this exam.
c. A will fail even though he tries his best. d. B advises A to try his best to pass the exam.
13. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: Dinner is almost ready. Can you set the table, dear?
B: I’m dead tired now.
a. B is extremely tired. b. B is bored with such a thing.
c. B doesn’t want to have dinner. d. B refuses to set the table.
14. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: “Meet me at Hoa Binh park at midnight.”
B: “I’ll bring a bodyguard in that case.”
a. B refuses to go to Hoa Binh park at midnight.
b. B asks A to call a bodyguard for her.
c. Hoa Binh park is not safe at midnight.
d. B wants A to take her there.
15. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: “May I talk with you for a few minutes, Sir?”
B: “Right now I’m busy. I’ll see you later.”
a. B doesn’t want to see A. b. B refuses to see A.
c. B has no free time to see A. d. B promises to see A later.
16. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: “Anything new in the entertainment program for today?”
B: “There’s a good film on at NH cinema.”
a. B reports to A what he knows about entertainment.
b. B suggests going to the cinema.
c. NH cinema always has good films.
d. B wants A to buy him a ticket to the cinema.
17. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: “Can you bring that bag home for me, please?”
B: “Oh, this bag is too heavy. I can’t carry it.”
a. B asks A to help him carry the bag. b. B refuses to carry the bag.
c. B complaints about A’s buying too many things. d. The bag weighs many kilos.
18. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: “I love you so much. Let’s get married.”
B: “I love you too, but I haven’t graduated from the university yet.”
a. B doesn’t love A anymore. b. B is busy with preparing the graduation exam.
c. B failed in the graduation exam. d. B refuses to get married with A right now.
19. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: “We are very tired, Sir”
B: “A 20-minute break is OK.”
 a. B asks A to take a break. b. B refuses to give A a break.
c. Usually a break of 20 minutes is enough. d. B gives A the permission to take a 20-minute break.
20. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A: “Hey, let’s stop for lunch.”
B: “I have to finish this report right now.”
a. The boss wants the report immediately. b. B refuses to have lunch with A.
c. B hasn’t finished the report yet. d. B promises to finish the report as soon as possible.
21. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: The final exam is coming near.
B: If you don’t try your best, you’ll fail.
a. declarative b. directive c. expressive d. representative
22. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: Dinner is almost ready. Can you set the table, dear?
B: I’m dead tired now.
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
23. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “Meet me at Hoa Binh park at midnight.”
B: “I’ll bring a bodyguard in that case.”
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
24. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “May I talk with you for a few minutes, Sir?”
B: “Right now I’m busy. I’ll see you later.”
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
25. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “Anything new in the entertainment program for today?”
B: “There’s a good film on at NH cinema.”
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
26. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “Can you bring that bag home for me, please?”
B: “Oh, this bag is too heavy. I can’t carry it.”
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
27. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “I love you so much. Let’s get married.”
B: “I love you too, but I haven’t graduated from the university yet.”
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
28. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “We are very tired, Sir.”
B: “A 20-minute break is OK.”
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
29. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “Hey, let’s stop for lunch.”
B: “I have to finish this report right now.”
a. declarative b. directive c. commissive d. representative
30. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following conversation is:
A: “To make a long story short, Ed’s girlfriend falls in love with Ed’s younger brother”
B: “Who will believe this story?!”
a. declarative b. directive c. expressive d. representative
31. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about cooperative maxims?
a. They are principles which control the way in which a conversation may proceed.
b. They are guidelines for the efficient and effective use of language in conversation.
 c. They are principles that the speaker and the hearer should follow to make a conversation affective.
d. They are tactics to convince the hearer.
32. Which of the followings is not a cooperative maxim?
a. quality b. quantity c. frequency d. relevance e. manner
33. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following conversation?
A: “Is this your car?”
B (looking at the black clouds): “I think it’s going to rain.”
a. quality b. quantity c. relevance d. manner
34. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following conversation?
A: “I really like that dinner.”
B: “I’m a vegetarian.”
a. quality b. quantity c. relevance d. manner
35. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following conversation?
A: “Would you like a cocktail?”
B: “Well, it’s not that we don’t drink.”
a. quality b. quantity c. relevance d. manner
36. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following conversation?
A: “How are you?”
B: “I’m dead.”
a. quality b. quantity c. relevance d. manner
37. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following conversation?
A: “We’re going to the movies.”
B: “I’ve got an exam tomorrow.”
a. quality b. quantity c. relevance d. manner
38. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following conversation?
A: “What time is it?”
B: “It is 10: 44 and 35.6 seconds.”
a. quality b. quantity c. relevance d. manner

WEEK 7

1. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?

- A: Did you hear that Jeff has passed his oral exam?
- B: Finally.
a. Jeff agreed to take the oral exam again. b. Jeff passed the oral exam and went on a vacation.
c. It took Jeff a long time to pass his oral exam. d. Jeff didn’t take the oral exam.
2. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - How do you like the new librarian at the information desk?
B: - You mean Ron? He’s been here as long as I have!
a. He has been waiting for Ron for a long time. b. Ron is not a new librarian.
c. Ron did a lot of work for the man. d. He needs to collect some information from Ron.
3. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Mary is going to give me a ride to the party.
B: - How could she? She doesn’t have her license yet.
a. Mary is going to the airport. b. Mary is not going to the party.
c. Mary is not very kind. d. Mary should not drive.
4. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: -Would you like me to call a night escort?
B: - If possible.
a. She doesn’t need an escort. b. She will call a night escort by herself.
 c. She would like the man to get a night escort for her. d. She’s afraid the man won’t help her.
5. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: -Do you accept credit card?
B: - Only if the charge is more than $15.
a. The fee for charging is more than $15. b. He cannot use a credit card if he spends less than $15.
c. The store does not accept credit cards. d. She cannot accept cash.
6. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - I hope I can still register for the speech class.
B: - I heard there was a long waiting list.
a. The woman has to wait in line to register.
b. It may be too late for the woman to get into the speech class.
c. The woman needs to take another class before registering for this class.
d. The woman should go by herself to sign up for the class.
7. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Dr. John, is it possible for the exam to be an open book exam?
B: - Well it would be OK with me, but we have to follow the department regulations.
a. Students can bring their books to the exam. b. Dr. John will be the next department chair.
c. Dr. John will probably not give an open book exam d. It’s up to the students
8. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Could you take my phone calls for me while I am away?
B: - Sure, when will you be back?
a. He does not know how to take care of the phone. b. He’s going to leave too.
c. He will answer the telephone for the woman. d. He is coming back soon.
9. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Shall we sit here and talk?
B: - There is no better place than here.
a. It’s not a good place or time to talk. b. I’m thinking about making this place better.
c. This is a good place for a conversation. d. You’d better leave this place now.
10. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Maria, why did you get up so early today?
B: - I thought someone was coming over.
a. She was expecting someone to visit. b. She didn’t like to get up early.
c. She got up early and went out. d. Someone called her early in the morning.
11. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Usually Jim washes his car himself.
B: - Yeah, but this time he took his car to the carwash.
a. Jim washed his friend’s car. b. Jim’s was not very well cleaned.
c. Jim didn’t wash his car this time. d. Jim once had a job washing cars.
12. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - I was hoping to take this class last fall.
B: - Me too, but we’re lucky to get in now.
a. The school offers more classes now. b. This is a small section.
c. It’s difficult to get into this class. d. Last fall the class was better.
13. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Bob, you’d better get down to the museum tomorrow if you want to see the exhibit.
B: - Yeah, I don’t want to miss it again.
a. I will sit down and rest. b. I will pay the money.
c. I will take the boat tour. d. I will visit the exhibit.
14. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Do you usually drink so much water?
 B: - Only after this much exercise.
a. He drinks a lot of water during the day. b. He doesn’t usually drink so much water.
c. He has never been so thirsty. d. He likes soft drinks more than water.
15. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Hi, how’s it going?
B: - OK, but I can’t stand all the homework.
a. He is tired of standing up all day. b. He is finishing his homework.
c. He has a lot of school work. d. He has been working at home.
16. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Do you carry containers for a microwave oven?
B: - Umm … check the grocery store next to the gas station to see if they have any.
a. This grocery store does not accept checks.
b. Check your shopping list while you are shopping.
c. This store doesn’t have what he wants.
d. Check to see if the grocery store is next to the gas station.
17. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Mr. Blake misread the bus schedule.
B: - So he was not able to get there in time.
a. He used the wrong bus schedule. b. He’s going to get a bus schedule.
c. He likes to ride a bus. d. He missed the bus.
18. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - John has his hair cut every two weeks.
B: - But Peter has his hair cut every month.
a. John has his hair cut every month. b. John has his hair cut twice as often as Peter does.
c. John had a haircut two weeks ago. d. This month Peter hasn’t had his hair cut.
19. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Pat, are your parents still supporting you?
B: - I’m on my own now.
a. She is financially independent now. b. She needs a financial advisor.
c. She applied for a job last year. d. She’s happy with her financial plan.
20. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - How often do the buses run?
B: - Every half hour on weekdays, but I’m not sure about weekend.
a. The woman should check the bus schedule. b. The buses stop running on Fridays.
c. The bus doesn’t stop at the corner. d. The schedule on the corner is out-of-date.
21. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Did you fix that leak?
B: - I tried to.
a. B didn’t want to fix the leak. b. B couldn’t fix the leak.
c. B managed to fix the leak. d. B did his best to fix the leak.
22. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - What happened to your flowers?
B: - A dog got into the garden.
a. the dog likes flowers. b. it is B’s dog. c. B’ s flowers got destroyed. d. it is A’s dog.
23. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Who used all the printer paper?
B: - I used some of it
a. B doesn’t know who used it. b. B didn’t use all the paper.
c. B used all the printer paper. d. there “s some printer paper on the table.
24. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
 A: - This cheese looks funny. The label said not to store the cheese in the freezer.
B: - Yeah, I did see the label
a. The cheese seems strange. b. B read the label.
c. B froze the cheese. d. B didn’t freeze the cheese
25. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - What’s with your mother?
B: - Let’s go to the garden.
a. B’s mother is not at home. b. B’s mother has got some problem.
c. B cannot talk about his mother’s problem right there. d. B’s mother is all right.
26. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - Did you buy the car?
B: - It cost twice as much as I thought it would.
a. B intended to buy a car. b. B did not buy the car.
c. the car is very expensive. d. B bought the car.
27. Which one is the best implicature for the following situations?
A: - How did you do on these exams?
B: - I failed physics.
a. B didn’t take the other exams. b. B failed all the exams.
c. B took the physics exam. d. B passed the other exams.
28. The utterance “When did you give up teaching?” presupposes:
a. The hearer gave up teaching. b. The hearer doesn’t like teaching.
c. The hearer is going to give up teaching. d. The hearer will be dismissed.
29. The utterance “I tried to finish the test.” presupposes:
a. I didn’t take the test. b. I couldn’t finish the test.
c. I did my best to finish the test. d. I managed to finish the test.
30. The utterance “The exam is not so difficult.” presupposes:
a. The exam is too easy. b. The speaker passed the exam.
c. The speaker already knows what the exam is. d. The exam was scored.
31. The utterance “She is not happy about the chemistry course she’s taking.” presupposes:
a. She’s taking a chemistry course. b. She doesn’t like the chemistry course.
c. She will give up the course. d. She is not good at chemistry.
32. The utterance “We haven’t heard anything from Barbara.” presupposes:
a. Barbara is missing. b. Barbara has got some problem.
c. The hearer already knows who Barbara is. d. The hearer doesn’t know Barbara.
33. The utterance “Can you stop playing with your cat?” presupposes:
a. The hearer is playing with the cat. b. The speaker doesn’t like cats.
c. The hearer likes cats. d. The speaker asks the hearer not to play with cats.
35. The utterance “She was not aware that her son had an accident.” presupposes:
a. She didn’t know the accident. b. She was very sorry for the accident.
c. Her son was badly injured in the accident. d. Her son had an accident.
36. The utterance “I wish I had not booked the tickets.” presupposes:
a. The speaker booked the tickets. b. The speaker didn’t book the tickets.
c. The speaker is going to see a film. d. The speaker filed to buy the tickets.
37. The utterance “Tom might find the chocolate cake in the kitchen.” presupposes:
a. Tom likes chocolate cakes very much. b. Tom is going to the kitchen to get the chocolate cake.
c. There is a chocolate cake in the kitchen. d. It’s not sure that Tom can find the chocolate cake.
38. The utterance “It’s going to rain for a long time.” presupposes:
a. The rainy season hasn’t finished yet. b. The speaker hates the rainy season.
c. It has been raining. d. The weather will be fine in a long time.
39. The utterance “I tried to catch the train.” presupposes:
 a. The speaker did his best to catch the train. b. The speaker missed the train.
c. The speaker didn’t catch the train. d. The speaker misread the train schedule.
40. The utterance “You’re late again!” presupposes:
a. The hearer is not serious about the time. b. The hearer has been late before.
c. The hearer is always late. d. The speaker warns the hearer not to be late again.
41. The utterance “He pretended to be ill to stay at home.” presupposes:
a. He stayed at home because of illness. b. He wasn’t ill.
c. He is a lazy boy. d. He was seriously ill.
42. The utterance “Mr. John’s youngest daughter is OK.” presupposes:
a. Mr. John’s other daughters are not beautiful. b. Mr. John has got one daughter.
c. Mr. John has got two daughters. d. Mr. John has got at least 3 daughters.
43. The utterance “They are very happy with the results of the final exam” presupposes:
a. They passed the final exam. b. Their final exams were scored.
c. They are eager to know the results of the exam. d. They will celebrate their final exam results.