Multiple Choice Quiz

Please choose the best answer to all of the questions.


1	Humans have the ability to communicate about things and ideas not immediate in space or time This is called
		A)	language.
		B)	displacement.
		C)	duality.
		D)	productivity.


2	What term refers to the fact that human language has two levels: units of sound and units of meaning that those units of sound are combined to create
		A)	language
		B)	displacement
		C)	duality
		D)	productivity


3	The definition of productivity is
		A)	the unit of meaning in a language
		B)	the unit of sound in a language.
		C)	the ability of human languages to generate limitless numbers of meaning.
		D)	the fact that the features of human languages bear no direct relation to their meaning but are agreed-on symbols.


4	The unit of meaning in a language is the definition of
		A)	phoneme
		B)	morpheme.
		C)	pheromone.
		D)	morphine.


5	In humans, the linguistic abilities are located in the
		A)	temporal lobe
		B)	motor cortex.
		C)	parietal lobe.
		D)	occipital lobe.


6	Human language is made up of agreed upon symbols This makes it
		A)	unpredictable.
		B)	erratic.
		C)	fickle.
		D)	arbitrary.


7	Language is
		A)	an artifact
		B)	abstract.
		C)	cultural.
		D)	all the above.


8	The first units of sound in lock and rock are variations of the same sound unit to Chinese speakers This unit of sound is called a/an
		A)	morpheme.
		B)	aspiration.
		C)	phoneme.
		D)	pheromone.


9	The rules of word order in a language are called
		A)	syntax
		B)	synthetic.
		C)	synovia.
		D)	synecdoche.


10	What does the author mean when he says human language is “open?”
		A)	Any human can communicate.
		B)	Human language is almost infinitely creative.
		C)	Any human is invited to learn English.
		D)	Human language should be shared with other primates.


11	What does the author mean when he says non-human primate language is “closed?”
		A)	The calls and other signs used by non-human primates have meaning, but those meanings are specific.
		B)	Non-human primates are incapable of learning human language.
		C)	The meanings that are attributed to non-human primate calls and signs are all negative.
		D)	Non-human primate language is based on words that end with the mouth closed such as in the word storm.


12	The one instance where chimps may have nonreferential communication involves
		A)	food.
		B)	predators.
		C)	sexual activity.
		D)	bonding with infants.


13	Asymmetrical brains and language-associated areas are found in
		A)	genus Homo.
		B)	Pongo pygmaeus.
		C)	Australopithecus.
		D)	Both A and C.


14	Natural or human-made casts of the inside of a skull are called
		A)	endocrine.
		B)	endogamy.
		C)	endocasts.
		D)	endomorphs.


15	What indirect evidence do anthropologists have to go on to determine when language came about?
		A)	The point in time that the modern-looking brain structure appears.
		B)	The shape of the bones at the base of the skull.
		C)	The point in time when our ancestors have something to talk about.
		D)	All the above.


16	What do human infants and apes have in common?
		A)	Both are weaned at about 5 years of age.
		B)	Both can drink and breathe at the same time.
		C)	Both prefer to sleep in trees.
		D)	Both can ride around by clinging to their mother’s hairy back.


17	Words that are similar in two or more languages as a result of common descent are called
		A)	cognates.
		B)	cognac.
		C)	cogitate.
		D)	cogent.


18	How many languages are spoken in the world today?
		A)	About 500
		B)	About 1000
		C)	About 2000
		D)	About 3000


19	Language is tied to a society’s
		A)	environment.
		B)	world view.
		C)	cultural system.
		D)	all the above.


20	Any writing system is the result of
		A)	the domestication of animals.
		B)	culture.
		C)	need.
		D)	language.

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