Language Concepts and Pedagogy Questions and Answers

Q: How many diphthongs does English use ?

English (Received Pronunciation) uses 8 diphthongs.The eight RP diphthongs fall into three groups: centring diphthongs ending in a schwa, as in near, square and cure (/ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/); closing diphthongs ending in /ɪ/, as in face, price and choice (/eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/); and closing diphthongs ending in /ʊ/, as in goat and mouth (/əʊ/, /aʊ/).Twelve is the number of pure vowels in RP, which is a common confusion. Ten and six do not match the standard inventory.

Q: When we use computers to learn a language it is called :

Using computers to learn a language is called computer assisted language learning (CALL).CALL covers any use of computers in language teaching and learning: drill and practice programs, multimedia courseware, language corpora, online communication and, more recently, mobile and web-based tools. The term became standard in the 1980s.Computer generated programs and computer based classrooms describe tools or settings rather than the field of language learning itself, and 'console based classroom' is not a recognised term.

Q: The questions given below consist of two statements, an Assertion (A) and a Reason (R). Indicate your answer from the alternatives below :Assertion (A) : Language learning is largely based on the application of what is taught or read.Reason (R) : It is only through experimentation that students become able practitioners of language.In the context of the two statements, which one of the following is correct ?

The key gives option A: both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).The two statements are matters of teaching opinion rather than settled fact, and I could not find a standard source that fixes the key. The reading that agrees with it is that learning a language depends on applying what has been taught, and that application is exactly the experimentation through which learners become able users. Experimentation with the language, trying forms out and being corrected, is the standard route from knowing a rule to using it.Option B would hold if the reason merely accompanied the assertion; C and D need a statement to be false, and neither is clearly false.

Q: Which of these languages did not influence the development of early English ?

The language that did not influence early English is Macedonian.Old English was itself a West Germanic language, brought by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Scandinavian (Old Norse) shaped it through Viking settlement in the Danelaw, giving everyday words such as sky, egg and they. Latin entered through the Roman Church after 597, with words like school and priest, and again later.Macedonian is a South Slavic language of the Balkans, with no contact with the English of the early medieval period, so it played no part in its development.

Q: Which of the following statements is NOT correct ?

The statement that is not correct is that the norms of standard written English are maintained by an international organisation in the United Kingdom.Unlike French, which has the Académie française, English has no official academy or body that regulates it. Its standards come from usage, dictionaries, style guides and publishers, and they differ between British, American and other varieties.The other statements are accepted: English is usually ranked third by native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish; it has the most speakers in the world when native and non-native speakers are combined; and it is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, with Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

Q: In a closed vowel :

In a close vowel, a part of the tongue rises to the close position.Vowels are classified by how high the tongue is raised. In a close vowel the tongue is raised as near to the roof of the mouth as it can go without causing friction, as in /i:/ of 'see' or /u:/ of 'too'. Lowering it step by step gives half-close vowels such as /e/, half-open vowels such as /ɔ:/, and open vowels such as /ɑ:/ of 'car', where the tongue is lowest.So the half-close, half-open and open positions describe the other vowel heights, not a close vowel.

Q: A morpheme belongs to :

A morpheme belongs to the grammatical system of a language.A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of grammar, such as un-, kind and -ness in 'unkindness'. The study of morphemes, morphology, is part of grammar along with syntax.The phonological system deals with sounds and phonemes, which are units of sound without meaning of their own; a morpheme is realised in sounds but is not itself a phonological unit, so the options naming phonology are wrong. Pragmatics studies meaning in context and use, not word structure.

Q: Which are the passive language skills ?

The passive skills are listening and reading.Language teaching divides the four skills into receptive (sometimes called passive) skills, in which the learner takes in and understands language, and productive (active) skills, in which the learner produces it. Listening and reading are receptive; speaking and writing are productive.'Passive' is something of a misnomer, since understanding requires active mental work, but it is the traditional label. The other options mix a receptive skill with a productive one, or name both productive skills.

Q: The earliest forms of English were brought to Great Britain by :

The earliest forms of English were brought by Anglo-Saxon settlers.From the middle of the fifth century, Germanic peoples from northern Germany and Denmark, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, settled in Britain after the Roman withdrawal. Their West Germanic dialects became Old English, the ancestor of the language; the word 'English' itself comes from the Angles.Norse (Viking) settlers arrived later, from the late eighth century, and enriched English rather than founding it. The French-speaking Normans came in 1066, and Dutch immigrants had no foundational role.

Q: The three term label for the consonant /b/ is :

The three-term label for /b/ is voiced bilabial plosive.Consonants are described by voicing, place and manner of articulation. For /b/ the vocal cords vibrate (voiced), the closure is made by both lips (bilabial), and the air is completely stopped and then released suddenly (plosive). Its voiceless partner is /p/.A nasal lets air out through the nose, as in /m/; a fricative forces air through a narrow gap, as in /f/; and an affricate combines a stop with a fricative, as in /tʃ/. None describes /b/, and /b/ is not voiceless.

21.

How many diphthongs does English use ?

A.12
B.10
C.8
D.6

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2018, SET Exam - 2018,

Answer: C

English (Received Pronunciation) uses 8 diphthongs.

The eight RP diphthongs fall into three groups: centring diphthongs ending in a schwa, as in near, square and cure (/ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/); closing diphthongs ending in /ɪ/, as in face, price and choice (/eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/); and closing diphthongs ending in /ʊ/, as in goat and mouth (/əʊ/, /aʊ/).

Twelve is the number of pure vowels in RP, which is a common confusion. Ten and six do not match the standard inventory.

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22.

When we use computers to learn a language it is called :

A.Computer generated programs
B.Computer assisted language learning
C.Computer based classroom
D.Console based classroom

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2018, SET Exam - 2018,

Answer: B

Using computers to learn a language is called computer assisted language learning (CALL).

CALL covers any use of computers in language teaching and learning: drill and practice programs, multimedia courseware, language corpora, online communication and, more recently, mobile and web-based tools. The term became standard in the 1980s.

Computer generated programs and computer based classrooms describe tools or settings rather than the field of language learning itself, and 'console based classroom' is not a recognised term.

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23.

The questions given below consist of two statements, an Assertion (A) and a Reason (R). Indicate your answer from the alternatives below :
Assertion (A) : Language learning is largely based on the application of what is taught or read.
Reason (R) : It is only through experimentation that students become able practitioners of language.
In the context of the two statements, which one of the following is correct ?

A.Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
B.Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
C.(A) is true but (R) is false
D.(A) is false but (R) is true

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2018, SET Exam - 2018,

Answer: A

The key gives option A: both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

The two statements are matters of teaching opinion rather than settled fact, and I could not find a standard source that fixes the key. The reading that agrees with it is that learning a language depends on applying what has been taught, and that application is exactly the experimentation through which learners become able users. Experimentation with the language, trying forms out and being corrected, is the standard route from knowing a rule to using it.

Option B would hold if the reason merely accompanied the assertion; C and D need a statement to be false, and neither is clearly false.

Discuss in Forum

24.

Which of these languages did not influence the development of early English ?

A.Germanic
B.Scandinavian
C.Latin
D.Macedonian

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: D

The language that did not influence early English is Macedonian.

Old English was itself a West Germanic language, brought by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Scandinavian (Old Norse) shaped it through Viking settlement in the Danelaw, giving everyday words such as sky, egg and they. Latin entered through the Roman Church after 597, with words like school and priest, and again later.

Macedonian is a South Slavic language of the Balkans, with no contact with the English of the early medieval period, so it played no part in its development.

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25.

Which of the following statements is NOT correct ?

A.The norms of standard written English are maintained by an international organisation in the United Kingdom.
B.English is the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
C.English is the most commonly spoken language in the world if one combines native and non-native speakers.
D.English is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: A

The statement that is not correct is that the norms of standard written English are maintained by an international organisation in the United Kingdom.

Unlike French, which has the Académie française, English has no official academy or body that regulates it. Its standards come from usage, dictionaries, style guides and publishers, and they differ between British, American and other varieties.

The other statements are accepted: English is usually ranked third by native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish; it has the most speakers in the world when native and non-native speakers are combined; and it is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, with Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

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26.

In a closed vowel :

A.A part of the tongue rises to half-open position.
B.A part of the tongue rises to half close position.
C.A part of the tongue rises to open position.
D.A part of the tongue rises to the close position.

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: D

In a close vowel, a part of the tongue rises to the close position.

Vowels are classified by how high the tongue is raised. In a close vowel the tongue is raised as near to the roof of the mouth as it can go without causing friction, as in /i:/ of 'see' or /u:/ of 'too'. Lowering it step by step gives half-close vowels such as /e/, half-open vowels such as /ɔ:/, and open vowels such as /ɑ:/ of 'car', where the tongue is lowest.

So the half-close, half-open and open positions describe the other vowel heights, not a close vowel.

Discuss in Forum

27.

A morpheme belongs to :

A.The phonological system of a language
B.The grammatical and phonological systems of a language
C.The grammatical system of a language
D.The pragmatic system of a language

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: C

A morpheme belongs to the grammatical system of a language.

A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of grammar, such as un-, kind and -ness in 'unkindness'. The study of morphemes, morphology, is part of grammar along with syntax.

The phonological system deals with sounds and phonemes, which are units of sound without meaning of their own; a morpheme is realised in sounds but is not itself a phonological unit, so the options naming phonology are wrong. Pragmatics studies meaning in context and use, not word structure.

Discuss in Forum

28.

Which are the passive language skills ?

A.Reading and writing
B.Listening and reading
C.Speaking and writing
D.Listening and speaking

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: B

The passive skills are listening and reading.

Language teaching divides the four skills into receptive (sometimes called passive) skills, in which the learner takes in and understands language, and productive (active) skills, in which the learner produces it. Listening and reading are receptive; speaking and writing are productive.

'Passive' is something of a misnomer, since understanding requires active mental work, but it is the traditional label. The other options mix a receptive skill with a productive one, or name both productive skills.

Discuss in Forum

29.

The earliest forms of English were brought to Great Britain by :

A.Anglo Saxon settlers
B.Nordic tribes
C.French invaders
D.Dutch immigrants

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: A

The earliest forms of English were brought by Anglo-Saxon settlers.

From the middle of the fifth century, Germanic peoples from northern Germany and Denmark, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, settled in Britain after the Roman withdrawal. Their West Germanic dialects became Old English, the ancestor of the language; the word 'English' itself comes from the Angles.

Norse (Viking) settlers arrived later, from the late eighth century, and enriched English rather than founding it. The French-speaking Normans came in 1066, and Dutch immigrants had no foundational role.

Discuss in Forum

30.

The three term label for the consonant /b/ is :

A.Voiceless nasal fricative
B.Voiced nasal affricate
C.Voiced bilabial plosive
D.Voiceless bilabial fricative

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: C

The three-term label for /b/ is voiced bilabial plosive.

Consonants are described by voicing, place and manner of articulation. For /b/ the vocal cords vibrate (voiced), the closure is made by both lips (bilabial), and the air is completely stopped and then released suddenly (plosive). Its voiceless partner is /p/.

A nasal lets air out through the nose, as in /m/; a fricative forces air through a narrow gap, as in /f/; and an affricate combines a stop with a fricative, as in /tʃ/. None describes /b/, and /b/ is not voiceless.

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