Word formation - MCQs

 Word formation

Derivation: Derivation is the process of creating new words by adding affixes (prefixes, suffixes, or infixes) to base words. It often changes the meaning and/or grammatical category of the word.

Ø  Prefixation: Adding a prefix (before the root).

Ex: unethical (un- + ethical),

decode (de- + code),

foresight (fore- + sight)

Ø  Suffixation: Adding a suffix (after the root).

Ex: importance (important + -ance),

spoonful (spoon + -ful),

teacher (teach + -er)

Ø  Infixation: Adding an affix within a word (rare in English; mostly informal).

Ex: fan-flaming-tastic,

Singa-bloody-pore

 

Back formation: Back-formation is the process of creating a new word by removing or altering actual or supposed affixes from a longer word.

Ø Characteristics:

o  Reverse of affixation

o  Changes the word’s grammatical category or meaning

o  Coined by Murray James (Scottish lexicographer)

Ø Examples:

o  donate from donation;

o  resurrect from resurrection;

o  edit from editor;

o  beg from beggar; 

o  Pea from pease (Pease is mistaken for plural);

o  burgle from burglar; 

o  diagnose from diagnosis;

From the following list, identify “backformation”: Sulk, bulk, stoke, poke, swindle, bundle.

A) Sulk, bulk, stoke, poke

B) Stoke, poke, swindle, bundle

C) Sulk, stoke, bundle

D) Bulk, poke, bundle

Correct Answer: D) Bulk, poke, bundle

(Explanation: Back formation from Bulky, Poker, Bundling)

 

Back-formation vs clipping:
Back-Formation	Clipping
Removing an affix or assumed affix	Shortening a word without changing meaning
May change meaning and word class	Retains meaning
Ex: Edit from editor; Burgle from burglar	Ex: Phone from Telephone; Gym from Gymnasium

 

Conversion (functional shift):  Conversion is the process of changing a word’s grammatical category without altering its form (no change in spelling or pronunciation).

o  Ex. Water (noun) → Water the plants (verb)

o  Google (noun) → Google it (verb)

o  Email (noun) → I will email you (verb)

o  Butter (noun) → Butter the bread (verb)

Compounding: combining words to make new words.

o  Ex. Classroom = Class + Room

o  Sunflower = Sun + Flower

o  Toothbrush = Tooth + Brush

o  Notebook = Note + Book

Types of Compounds:

o  Open compounds: Ice cream, post office

o  Closed compounds: Notebook, sunflower

o  Hyphenated compounds: Mother-in-law, check-in

Clipping (Shortening or truncation): Clipping is the shortening of a word without changing its meaning (unlike back formation, clipping restores original meaning). Clipping refers to part of a word that provides for the whole, such as the word "bike" from "motorbike", and "cooker" from "pressure cooker".

Ø  Types of Clipping:

1.   Front Clipping: Removes the beginning of the word. (the end of the word is retained)

Ex: Bike (Motorbike), Phone (Telephone)

2.   Back Clipping: Removes the end of the word. (the beginning of the word is retained.)

Ex: Ad (Advertisement), Gym (Gymnasium), Photo (Photograph), Exam (Examination); Lab (laboratory)

3.   Middle Clipping: Removes both front and back portions. (the middle of the word is retained.)

Ex: Flu (Influenza), Fridge (Refrigerator)

4.   Complex Clipping: Removes multiple parts of a word.

Ex: Cablegram (Cable + Telegram)

 

Blending (Portmanteau word): Blending combines parts of two or more words to create a new word with a merged meaning.

     Portmanteau words were first introduced by Lewis Carroll in ‘Through the looking glass’ where Humpty Dumpty explains the meanings of freshly coined words like mimsy = miserable + flimsy, silthy = slimy + lithe.

     He explains it as a big suitcase of two compartments of words with multiple meanings.

Ø Ex:

o  advertorial (advertisement + editorial) – an advertisement that takes the form of a written editorial

o  affluenza (affluence + influenza) – unhealthy feelings of entitlement or lack of motivation experienced by wealthy people

o  alphanumeric (alphabetic + numeric) – consisting of letters and numbers

o  animatronics (animation + electronics) – the electronic animation of puppets or similar figures to create lifelike effects

o  anklet (ankle + bracelet) – jewelry designed to wrap around the ankle

o  athleisure (athletic + leisure) – comfortable clothing that can be worn for exercise or as casual, everyday attire

o  Bacne = back + acne – pimples on ones back.

o  Brexit = Britain + exit – withdrawal of United Kingdom from the European Union.

o  Biopic = biography + picture – a film on the life of a particular person, typically a public or historical figure.

o  Brunch = breakfast + lunch – a combination of breakfast and lunch.

o  Bollywood = Bombay + Hollywood – Film industry in Mumbai.

o  Blaxploitation = black + exploitation

o  Blushing = blood + rushing – red in face from embarrassment or shyness.

o  Chillax = chill + relax – to calm down.

o  Chortle = chuckle + snort – laugh in a noisy gleeful manner.

o  Cosplay = costume + role play – the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book.

o  Différance = Differ + Defer (Derrida, in Deconstruction);

o  Dramedy = drama + comedy – a comedy having dramatic moments.

o  Edutainment = education + entertainment

o  Electrocute = Electric + execute – injure or kill someone by electric shock.

o  email (electronic + mail)

o  Fantabulous = fantastic + fabulous

o  fortnight (fourteen + night) – two weeks of fourteen nights

o  Froyo = frozen + yogurt – a frozen dessert made of yogurt.

o  Frankenfood = Frankenstein + food – genetically modified food

o  Frenemy = friend + enemy – a friend who acts like an enemy

o  Guesstimate (guess + estimate)

o  Ginormous = gigantic + enormous – very big

o  Hangry = hunger + angry – one who is angry due to hunger.

o  Horrendous = horrible + tremendous – extremely horrifying and unpleasant.

o  internet (interconnected + network)

o  Jangle = jingle + dangle – sound made when metals hit against each other.

o  Juneteenth (June + nineteenth) 

o  Liger (lion and Tiger);

o  metaverse (meta + universe) – a virtual environment meant for social connection

o  Mockumentary = mockery + documentary – a short film that spoofs the documentary form.

o  Moped = motor + pedal – light motorcycle

o  Motel (motor and hotel),

o  Never = not + ever – not in past present or future.

o  Newscast = news + broadcast – broadcasting of news in television or radio.

o  Podcast = iPod + broadcast – a recording of audio or video that can be downloaded from the net.

o  Pokémon (pocket + monsters) – an animated Japanese media franchise

o  Popsicle (pop + icicle) – a frozen dessert, typically made with fruit juice or fruit flavor

o  Prequel = previous + sequel – a work that forms part of a back-story to the preceding work

o  romcom (romance + comedy) – a plot that blends comedy and romance

o  Screenager = screen + teenager – a teenager obsessed with screen entertainment.

o  Shopaholic = shop + alcoholic – one who is addicted to shopping.

o  Sitcom = situational + comedy – situations made into comedic stories lasting for about 30 minutes.

o  Smog = smoke + fog – a fog made heavier and darker by smoke and chemical fumes

o  Spork = spoon + fork – a spoon with fork like edge.

o  Spanglish (Spanish and English);

o  Telethon = television + marathon – a very long television programme.

o  vlog (video + log) – a video-based diary published online

o  webinar (web + seminar) – a presentation or seminar held online

o  Wikipedia = wiki + encyclopedia – online encyclopedia made by collaborative efforts.

Difference Between Compounding and Blending Compounding Blending Combining whole words Combining parts of words Sunflower (Sun + Flower) Brunch (Breakfast + Lunch)

 

Contraction or abbreviation:  Contraction shortens words by removing letters and replacing them with an apostrophe (for contractions) or using abbreviations.

Ø  Examples:

o   Don’t = Do not

o   Can’t = Cannot

o   Jr. = Junior

o   Dr. = Doctor

o   Miss = Mistress

Acronyms (Initialisms): Acronyms and initialisms are formed by taking the first letters of each word in a phrase.

• Acronyms: Pronounced as a word.

Ø Examples:

§  LASER = Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

§  NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization

§  SCUBA = Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

• Initialisms: Pronounced letter by letter.

Ø Examples:

§  BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation

§  FBI = Federal Bureau of Investigation

§  MBA = Master of Business Administration

§  HIV = Human Immunodeficiency Virus

 

Borrowing: from another language.

Ø Ex: Algebra from Arabic; Tycoon from Japanese; Murder from French; Pizza from Italian; Zebra from Bantu

List of important English words borrowed from world languages

Borrowed Words in English from World Languages:

Latin

1. Agenda – "things to be done"
2. Alibi – "elsewhere"
3. Formula – "little form"
4. Index – "pointer"
5. Video – "I see"
6. Animal – from animalis
7. Bonus – from bonus (good)
8. Circa – from circa (around)
9. Data – from datum (given)
10. Et cetera (etc.) – from et cetera (and the rest)
11. Forum – from forum (public square)
12. Index – from index (list)
13. Maximum – from maximus (greatest)
14. Minimum – from minimus (smallest)
15. Radius – from radius (spoke, ray)

 

 

Greek

1. Democracy – from dēmokratía (rule by the people)
2. Philosophy – from philosophia (love of wisdom)
3. Dialogue – from dialogos (conversation)
4. Chaos – from khaos (abyss, void)
5. Psychology – from psyche (soul, mind)
6. Theatre – from theatron (a place for viewing)
7. Autonomy – from autonomos (self-governing)
8. Eureka – from heurēka (I have found it)
9. Telescope – from tele (far) + skopein (to look)
10. Academy – from Akadēmeia (Plato’s school)
11. Ethics – "character"
12. Dinosaur – "terrible lizard"

 

French

1. Ballet – from ballet (dance)
2. Buffet – from buffet (sideboard, food table)
3. Cliché – from cliché (stereotype)
4. Déjà vu – from déjà vu (already seen)
5. Entrepreneur – from entreprendre (to undertake)
6. Genre – from genre (kind, type)
7. Mansion – from maison (house)
8. Portrait – from portrait (depiction)
9. Restaurant – from restaurer (to restore)
10. Sabotage – from sabot (wooden shoe, to damage)
11. Café – "coffee shop"
12. Rendezvous – "meeting"
13. Fiancé/Fiancée – "engaged man/woman"
14. Silhouette – "shadow outline"
15. Bureau – "office"

 

Italian

1. Allegro – from allegro (cheerful, lively)
2. Bravo – from bravo (good, skilled)
3. Cappuccino – from cappuccino (coffee with milk foam)
4. Gondola – from gondola (venetian boat)
5. Pasta – from pasta (dough)
6. Piano – from piano (soft, musical instrument)
7. Soprano – from soprano (high-pitched voice)
8. Sonata – from sonata (musical composition)
9. Tornado – from tronada (storm)
10. Volcano – from Vulcano (Roman god of fire)
11. Opera – "musical drama"
12. Ghetto – "segregated area"
13. Graffiti – "street art"
14. Lava – "molten rock"
15. Spaghetti – "pasta type"
16. Mafia – "organized crime group"

 

Spanish

1. Canyon – from cañón (deep valley)
2. Fiesta – from fiesta (party, festival)
3. Guerrilla – from guerrilla (small war, resistance)
4. Lasso – from lazo (rope)
5. Macho – from macho (male, strong)
6. Patio – from patio (courtyard)
7. Plaza – from plaza (open square)
8. Ranch – from rancho (farm, house)
9. Siesta – from siesta (afternoon nap)
10. Tornado – from tronada (thunderstorm)
11. Plaza – "public square"
12. Rodeo – "cattle herding contest"
13. Hacienda – "large estate"
14. Patio – "outdoor space"
15. Vigilante – "self-appointed law enforcer"
16. Chocolate – from Nahuatl via Spanish

 

German

1. Kindergarten – from Kindergarten (children's garden)
2. Doppelgänger – from Doppelgänger (double walker)
3. Fest – from Fest (celebration)
4. Zeitgeist – from Zeitgeist (spirit of the times)
5. Poltergeist – from Poltergeist (noisy ghost)
6. Rucksack – from Rucksack (backpack)
7. Waltz – from Walzer (a type of dance)
8. Hinterland – from Hinterland (remote land)
9. Strudel – from Strudel (pastry)
10. Schadenfreude – from Schadenfreude (pleasure in others' misfortune)
11. Hamburger – "from Hamburg"
12. Wanderlust – "love of travel"
13. Poltergeist – "noisy ghost"
14. Blitz – "lightning attack"
15. Pretzel – "twisted bread"
16. Delicatessen – "fine foods store"

 

Arabic

1. Orange – "nāranj"
2. Safari – "journey"
3. Sultan – "ruler"
4. Mosque – from "masjid"
5. Coffee – from "qahwa"
6. Alcohol – from al-kuḥl (powder, distilled spirit)
7. Algebra – from al-jabr (reunion of broken parts)
8. Algorithm – from al-Khwarizmi (Persian mathematician)
9. Cotton – from qutn (plant fiber)
10. Sofa – from ṣuffah (bench, couch)
11. Zero – from ṣifr (empty)
12. Magazine – from makhazin (storehouse)
13. Admiral – from amīr al-baḥr (commander of the sea)
14. Lemon – from laymūn (citrus fruit)
15. Tariff – from ta‘rīf (price list, tax)

 

Hindi & Sanskrit

1. Avatar – from avatāra (incarnation)
2. Bungalow – from bangla (Bengali-style house)
3. Curry – from kari (spiced dish)
4. Jungle – from jangal (forest)
5. Loot – from lūt (stolen goods)
6. Pundit – from pandit (scholar, expert)
7. Shampoo – from chāmpo (to massage)
8. Thug – from ṭhag (deceiver, bandit)
9. Yoga – from yoga (union, discipline)
10. Veranda – from varandā (balcony, porch)
11. Guru – "teacher, master"
12. Pajamas – "nightwear"
13. Karma – "action, fate"
14. Cheetah – "spotted one"

 

Japanese

1. Tsunami – from tsunami (harbor wave)
2. Karaoke – from karaoke (empty orchestra)
3. Samurai – from samurai (warrior)
4. Sushi – from sushi (vinegar rice)
5. Tycoon – from taikun (great lord)
6. Kimono – from kimono (garment)
7. Emoji – from emoji (pictogram)
8. Haiku – from haiku (short poem)
9. Origami – from origami (paper folding)
10. Zen – from zen (meditation)
11. Manga – "comic books"
12. Rickshaw – "human-pulled cart"

 

Native American Languages (Nahuatl, Inuit, etc.)

1. Canoe – from Caribbean languages
2. Barbecue – from Taino
3. Chocolate – from Nahuatl "xocoatl"
4. Tomato – from Nahuatl "tomatl"
5. Avocado – from Nahuatl "ahuacatl"
6. Hurricane – from Taino "huracán"
7. Iguana – from Arawakan languages
8. Skunk – from Algonquian
9. Moose – from Algonquian
10. Tobacco – from Taino

 

Chinese

1. Tea – from "chá"
2. Ketchup – from "kê-tsiap" (fish sauce)
3. Typhoon – from "tai fung"
4. Gung-ho – from "gōnghé" (cooperative)
5. Chow mein – "stir-fried noodles"
6. Tofu – "bean curd"
7. Dim sum – "light snack"
8. Wok – "cooking pan"
9. Kung fu – "martial arts"
10. Feng shui – "wind-water (geomancy)"

 

Coinage: creation of new words.

Ø Ex: Xerox, aspirin, Vaseline.

Eponym: based on names of persons, place

Ø  Ex. Sandwich from Earl of sandwich stoppardian, Kafkaresque, Shakespearan; Shavian (GB Shaw); Jeans from the city of Geneva; watt, Volta, Fahrenheit.

Calque: special borrowing= loan= translation

-        Ex: Scrape sky – from  French word Gratte-ciel.

Reduplication: root/ stem is repeated with a minor or without change.

Ø  Ex. zig-zag, tick tock, bye bye, super duper.

Collocation: Grouping of words in a sentence, propounded by Micheal Halliday (founder of Systematic Functional Linguistics who defined language as set of systems).

-Made up of 2 or 3 words that are commonly used together.

Ø  Ex: Strong Tea (right), Not Powerful Tea (wrong)

  

Neologism (from Greek néo(=new) and logos="speech") is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use.

-neologisms can be found in science, fiction (notably science fiction), films and television, branding, literature, jargon, cant, linguistics, the visual arts, and popular culture.

Ø  Ex: laser (1960) from Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation; robot (1941) from Czech writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); and agitprop (1930) (a portmanteau of "agitation" and "propaganda")

Malapropism: error in speech. Mrs Malaprop is a character in Sheridan’s play The Rivals(1775)

Summary of Word Formation Processes

Process	Definition	Example
Derivation	Adding affixes to form a new word	Unhappy (un- + happy)
Back-Formation	Removing a supposed affix	Edit from Editor
Conversion	Changing word class without altering form	Google (noun) → Google it (verb)
Compounding	Combining whole words	Toothbrush = Tooth + Brush
Clipping	Shortening words	Ad from Advertisement
Blending	Combining parts of words	Brunch (Breakfast + Lunch)
Contraction	Shortening words using apostrophes	Can’t = Cannot
Acronyms	Using initials to form a new word	NATO, LASER

Changes in Word meanings (semantic shift)

Four common ways broadening, narrowing, amelioration, and pejoration

Broadening: generalization or extension.

Ø  Ex: In old English, dog refer to one particular breed but now dog can refer many different breeds.

Ø  pipe -musical instrument -now any pipe

Ø  box- name of a tree or wood from it -now any

 

Narrowing: opposite of broadening (restriction)

Ø  In old English deer could refer any animal.

Ø  girl could mean a young person of either sex

Ø  In German, hound means dog but now one special breed.

Ø  Forest means any land, but now specific.

Ø  Brave means cowardice, now brave is different

Ø  Swim was a verb, but now a noun too.

 

Amelioration: upgrade (rise in status elevation)

Ø  Meticulous -once meant fearful or timid

Ø  sensitive capable of using one senses

Ø  sick once meant something cool now illness

Ø  minister-a servant-now civil servant of high rank

 

Pejoration: downgrading or depreciation deterioration

Ø  silly once meant happy, now foolish

Ø  gay once meant merry, now homo

Ø  Smart once meant sharp, now beauty

Ø  officious once meant hard working

Ø  Aggravate once meant increase of weight

Ø  accident once meant a chance event, now misfortune or injury

Ø  notorious once well known, now criminal

Ø  Doctor any learned, now medical

Ø  Meat- food in general, now flesh

Ø  Wife -any woman, but now particular

Ø  Wed- pledge promise, now marriage.

MCQs on Word Formation: 

1. Which of the following is NOT a common process of word formation?

A) Compounding 

B) Clipping 

C) Syntax 

D) Blending 

Answer: C) Syntax 

 

2. The process of forming a new word by joining two or more words together, such as "sunflower" or "notebook," is called:

A) Clipping 

B) Compounding 

C) Borrowing 

D) Acronym 

Answer: B) Compounding 

 

3. What type of word formation is seen in the word "brunch" (from "breakfast" and "lunch")? 

A) Clipping 

B) Blending 

C) Borrowing 

D) Coinage 

Answer: B) Blending 

 

4. The process of creating a new word by removing one or more syllables from a longer word, such as "ad" from "advertisement," is called:

A) Blending 

B) Clipping 

C) Acronym 

D) Backformation 

Answer: B) Clipping 

 

5. The word "laser" (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an example of:

A) Compounding 

B) Clipping 

C) Acronym 

D) Borrowing 

Answer: C) Acronym 

 

6. When a new word is created by taking an existing word and removing what appears to be an affix, such as "edit" from "editor," this process is called: 

A) Backformation 

B) Derivation 

C) Conversion 

D) Blending 

Answer: A) Backformation 

 

7. Which of the following words is an example of conversion (zero derivation)?

A) Google (as a verb from a noun) 

B) Motel (from "motor" + "hotel") 

C) Ad (from "advertisement") 

D) Biology (from Greek) 

Answer: A) Google (as a verb from a noun) 

 

8. Borrowing is a process in which words are taken from another language. Which of the following words is an example of borrowing? 

A) Robot (from Czech) 

B) Smog (from "smoke" + "fog") 

C) Exam (from "examination") 

D) Fridge (from "refrigerator") 

Answer: A) Robot (from Czech) 

 

9. Which process of word formation involves the addition of prefixes or suffixes to a root word? 

A) Acronym 

B) Derivation 

C) Clipping 

D) Borrowing 

Answer: B) Derivation 

 

10. The word "smog" (from "smoke" and "fog") is an example of: 

A) Borrowing 

B) Clipping 

C) Blending 

D) Coinage 

Answer: C) Blending 

 

11. Which of the following is an example of coinage? 

A) Kleenex (as a brand name used for tissues) 

B) Blog (from "web" + "log") 

C) Exam (from "examination") 

D) Biology (from Greek) 

Answer: A) Kleenex (as a brand name used for tissues) 

 

12. The formation of a new word by shortening a longer word, such as "flu" from "influenza," is known as:

A) Clipping 

B) Compounding 

C) Blending 

D) Conversion 

Answer: A) Clipping 

 

13. The process by which a word shifts from one grammatical category to another without changing form, such as "email" (noun) becoming "to email" (verb), is called:

A) Backformation 

B) Conversion 

C) Blending 

D) Borrowing 

Answer: B) Conversion 

 

14. Which of the following words is an example of backformation?

A) Donation → Donate 

B) Hotel → Motel 

C) Telephone → Phone 

D) Advertisement → Ad 

Answer: A) Donation → Donate 

 

15. Which of the following is an example of an eponym (a word derived from a person's name)? 

A) Sandwich (from the Earl of Sandwich) 

B) Internet (from "interconnected networks") 

C) Email (from "electronic mail") 

D) Radar (from "Radio Detection and Ranging") 

Answer: A) Sandwich (from the Earl of Sandwich) 

 

16. Which type of word formation involves creating a new word without using any existing words as a base, such as "Google" or "Kodak"? 

A) Acronym 

B) Coinage 

C) Clipping 

D) Backformation 

Answer: B) Coinage 

 

17. The word "blog" is formed from "web" and "log." What process does this represent?

A) Borrowing 

B) Blending 

C) Clipping 

D) Conversion 

Answer: B) Blending 

 

18. Which word formation process does "television" → "televise" illustrate? 

A) Clipping 

B) Acronym 

C) Backformation 

D) Conversion 

Answer: C) Backformation 

 

19. The word "jeans" was borrowed from which language?

A) French 

B) Italian 

C) Spanish 

D) German 

Answer: B) Italian 

 

20. Which of the following words is an example of reduplication (repeating sounds to create a new word)?

A) Ping-pong 

B) Blog 

C) Brunch 

D) Robot 

Answer: A) Ping-pong

 

Set-2 - Word Formation MCQs

1. Which word formation process creates completely new words without borrowing from other languages or existing words?

A) Clipping

B) Blending

C) Coinage

D) Acronym

Answer: C) Coinage

 

2. Which of the following is an example of coinage?

A) Aspirin

B) Biology

C) Mathematics

D) Biology

Answer: A) Aspirin

 

3. The word "zipper" was created as a new term for a fastening device. What type of word formation does this represent?

A) Borrowing

B) Coinage

C) Blending

D) Clipping

Answer: B) Coinage

 

4. Which of the following words is NOT an example of coinage?

A) Google

B) Kleenex

C) Restaurant

D) Xerox

Answer: C) Restaurant

 

5. What process best describes the formation of the word "escalator," which was originally a brand name?

A) Borrowing

B) Acronym

C) Coinage

D) Blending

Answer: C) Coinage

 

6. The creation of words such as "Kodak" and "Xerox," which were originally brand names, is an example of:

A) Derivation

B) Borrowing

C) Coinage

D) Blending

Answer: C) Coinage

 

7. The word "Google" has become a verb meaning "to search online." This process is called:

A) Borrowing

B) Coinage

C) Conversion

D) Clipping

Answer: C) Conversion

 

8. What is the process of shortening a longer word, such as "ad" from "advertisement"?

A) Acronym

B) Clipping

C) Backformation

D) Blending

Answer: B) Clipping

 

9. Which of the following words was formed through blending?

A) Smog (Smoke + Fog)

B) Laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation)

C) Phone (from Telephone)

D) Robot (from Czech)

Answer: A) Smog (Smoke + Fog)

 

10. The word "email" is an example of which word formation process?

A) Blending

B) Borrowing

C) Acronym

D) Coinage

Answer: A) Blending (Electronic + Mail)

 

11. The word "piano" was borrowed from which language?

A) Spanish

B) French

C) Italian

D) German

Answer: C) Italian

 

12. Which of the following words is NOT borrowed from French?

A) Ballet

B) Café

C) Chocolate

D) Tomato

Answer: D) Tomato (borrowed from Nahuatl)

 

13. The word "tsunami" was borrowed from which language?

A) Chinese

B) Japanese

C) Korean

D) Hindi

Answer: B) Japanese

 

14. Which of the following words is an example of borrowing from Arabic?

A) Alcohol

B) Robot

C) Shampoo

D) Cartoon

Answer: A) Alcohol

 

15. The word "safari" was borrowed from which language?

A) Arabic

B) Swahili

C) French

D) Italian

Answer: B) Swahili

 

16. The word "guru" was borrowed from which language?

A) Sanskrit

B) Latin

C) Arabic

D) Russian

Answer: A) Sanskrit

 

17. The word "bungalow" was borrowed from which language?

A) Portuguese

B) Hindi

C) Latin

D) Greek

Answer: B) Hindi

 

18. The word "robot" was borrowed from which language?

A) German

B) Czech

C) French

D) Spanish

Answer: B) Czech

 

19. The word "tattoo" was borrowed from which language?

A) Polynesian (Tahitian)

B) Spanish

C) Greek

D) Russian

Answer: A) Polynesian (Tahitian)

 

20. The word "chocolate" was borrowed from which language?

A) Italian

B) Nahuatl

C) Greek

D) French

Answer: B) Nahuatl