Chapter 9: Psycholinguistics MCQs

 

Chapter 9: Psycholinguistics

MCQs

1.Psycholinguistics primarily studies:
A) The structure of language sounds
B) How language is acquired, processed, and represented in the brain
C) Historical changes in language
D) Language teaching methods
Answer: B

2.The natural process by which children learn their native language is called:
A) Second language acquisition
B) Language teaching
C) First language acquisition
D) Language processing
Answer: C

3.Which stage in first language acquisition is characterized by babies experimenting with sounds like cooing and babbling?
A) One-word stage
B) Two-word stage
C) Pre-linguistic stage
D) Telegraphic stage
Answer: C

4.The 'one-word stage' occurs approximately at what age?
A) 0-6 months
B) 6-9 months
C) Around 12 months
D) 2 years
Answer: C

5.Which stage in child language acquisition involves combining two words?
A) Pre-linguistic
B) Two-word stage
C) Telegraphic stage
D) Multi-word stage
Answer: B

6.Chomsky’s theory that humans have an innate ability to acquire language is called:
A) Behaviorism
B) Universal Grammar
C) Critical Period Hypothesis
D) Imitation theory
Answer: B

7.The critical period hypothesis suggests:
A) Adults learn languages better than children
B) There is an optimal time frame during childhood to acquire a language naturally
C) Language can only be learned after puberty
D) Language acquisition happens only in adulthood
Answer: B

8.Interlanguage refers to:
A) The native language of a speaker
B) A simplified language used for communication
C) A learner’s evolving linguistic system combining L1 and L2 features
D) The official language of a country
Answer: C

9.Fossilization in second language acquisition means:
A) Complete mastery of L2
B) Permanent retention of incorrect language forms
C) Losing the ability to speak the native language
D) Rapid language acquisition
Answer: B

10.              Which factor does NOT influence second language acquisition?
A) Age
B) Motivation
C) Weather
D) Exposure
Answer: C

11.              Language comprehension involves:
A) Planning what to say
B) Producing speech sounds
C) Decoding sounds or text into meaningful language
D) Writing essays
Answer: C

12.              Parsing is:
A) Producing speech
B) Analyzing sentence structure to derive meaning
C) Pronouncing phonemes
D) Writing sentences
Answer: B

13.              Which brain area is primarily responsible for speech production?
A) Wernicke’s area
B) Broca’s area
C) Occipital lobe
D) Angular gyrus
Answer: B

14.              Wernicke’s area is primarily involved in:
A) Speech production
B) Language comprehension
C) Motor control
D) Vision
Answer: B

15.              Broca’s aphasia is characterized by:
A) Fluent but meaningless speech
B) Difficulty in speech production but good comprehension
C) Total loss of comprehension and production
D) Excellent speech and comprehension
Answer: B

16.              Wernicke’s aphasia is:
A) Difficulty understanding language with fluent but nonsensical speech
B) Inability to speak but good comprehension
C) Complete language loss
D) Difficulty with reading only
Answer: A

17.              The arcuate fasciculus connects:
A) The occipital lobe and temporal lobe
B) Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas
C) The right and left hemispheres
D) The brainstem and cortex
Answer: B

18.              Speech errors, such as slips of the tongue, help researchers understand:
A) Language comprehension only
B) How language is produced and planned mentally
C) Language history
D) Writing skills
Answer: B

19.              Neurolinguistics is the study of:
A) Language teaching methods
B) Brain processes underlying language function
C) Phonetics and phonology
D) Writing systems
Answer: B

20.              Which hemisphere of the brain is dominant for language in most right-handed people?
A) Right hemisphere
B) Left hemisphere
C) Both equally
D) Occipital lobe
Answer: B

21.              Which of the following is NOT a method used to study language in the brain?
A) fMRI
B) EEG
C) PET scans
D) Phoneme analysis
Answer: D

22.              The stage where children produce two-word utterances like "want toy" is called:
A) One-word stage
B) Two-word stage
C) Babbling stage
D) Telegraphic stage
Answer: B

23.              Telegraphic speech typically lacks:
A) Content words
B) Function words like articles and prepositions
C) Verbs
D) Nouns
Answer: B

24.              Which is true about second language acquisition?
A) Adults always acquire L2 as easily as children acquire L1
B) Age affects the ability to achieve native-like fluency
C) Motivation has no impact on learning success
D) L2 learners never create interlanguages
Answer: B

25.              Which of the following best describes language production?
A) Decoding written words
B) Understanding spoken sentences
C) Planning and articulating speech or writing
D) Memorizing vocabulary
Answer: C

26.              In language comprehension, context helps:
A) Understand ambiguous sentences
B) Produce speech
C) Write better essays
D) Memorize grammar rules
Answer: A

27.              Critical Period Hypothesis mainly concerns:
A) Language comprehension speed
B) The optimal age range for acquiring native-like language skills
C) Reading proficiency
D) Writing skills development
Answer: B

28.              Which of these is a typical feature of infant babbling?
A) Complex sentences
B) Repeated consonant-vowel sounds like “ba-ba”
C) Use of real words
D) Asking questions
Answer: B

29.              Which area of the brain is associated with reading and writing?
A) Broca’s area
B) Wernicke’s area
C) Angular gyrus
D) Hippocampus
Answer: C

30.              Lesion studies help researchers understand:
A) Brain areas necessary for language by observing deficits after injury
B) Normal language development
C) Writing systems
D) Phonological changes
Answer: A

31.              Which of these is NOT typically considered a factor affecting second language acquisition?
A) Amount of exposure
B) Social interaction
C) Height of learner
D) Motivation
Answer: C

32.              Neurolinguistics uses EEG to measure:
A) Blood flow in the brain
B) Electrical activity during language tasks
C) Brain structure
D) Muscle movement
Answer: B

33.              Which of the following best illustrates 'interlanguage'?
A) A learner mixing grammatical rules from L1 and L2
B) The first language learned by a child
C) A dialect of a language
D) Formal writing style
Answer: A

34.              Which of these is NOT a stage in child language acquisition?
A) Babbling
B) Telegraphic speech
C) Language fossilization
D) Two-word stage
Answer: C

35.              Broca’s area is located in which part of the brain?
A) Occipital lobe
B) Left frontal lobe
C) Right temporal lobe
D) Parietal lobe
Answer: B

36.              Which of the following is a typical characteristic of telegraphic speech?
A) Use of full complex sentences
B) Omission of function words
C) Use of passive voice
D) Use of complex tense forms
Answer: B

37.              Language acquisition that happens in natural settings without formal instruction is:
A) Explicit learning
B) Implicit learning
C) Fossilization
D) Language attrition
Answer: B

38.              Speech errors can tell us about:
A) The speaker’s mood only
B) The mental processes involved in formulating language
C) Language change over centuries
D) Writing ability
Answer: B

39.              Which of the following is an example of a speech production process?
A) Parsing
B) Conceptualizing the message
C) Reading silently
D) Listening comprehension
Answer: B

40.              Which part of the brain is mainly associated with understanding spoken language?
A) Broca’s area
B) Wernicke’s area
C) Motor cortex
D) Visual cortex
Answer: B

41.              Fossilization in language learning refers to:
A) Permanent retention of incorrect language features
B) Rapid language acquisition
C) Loss of L1 skills
D) The process of first language acquisition
Answer: A

42.              Which of the following techniques measures brain activity related to language through blood flow?
A) EEG
B) FMRI
C) Lesion study
D) Behavioral experiment
Answer: B

43.              In neurolinguistics, the connection between Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas is called:
A) Corpus callosum
B) Arcuate fasciculus
C) Hippocampus
D) Amygdala
Answer: B

44.              The process of converting ideas into speech is called:
A) Language comprehension
B) Language production
C) Language acquisition
D) Language attrition
Answer: B

45.              Aphasia is:
A) A language disorder due to brain damage
B) Normal language development in children
C) Second language learning method
D) A type of language game
Answer: A

46.              Which of the following is NOT true about first language acquisition?
A) It occurs naturally in children
B) It requires formal instruction
C) It has stages like babbling and telegraphic speech
D) It is influenced by an innate language faculty
Answer: B

47.              Which of the following brain imaging techniques provides excellent temporal resolution?
A) fMRI
B) PET
C) EEG
D) CT scan
Answer: C

48.              During which stage do children typically produce short, simple sentences missing function words?
A) Babbling
B) One-word stage
C) Telegraphic stage
D) Multi-word stage
Answer: C

49.              Language processing includes:
A) Only producing speech
B) Only understanding written text
C) Both comprehension and production of language
D) Memorizing vocabulary lists
Answer: C

50.              Neurolinguistics studies:
A) How language is learned through books
B) How the brain processes language
C) Language history
D) Writing systems
Answer: B