MCQs -Phonetics and Phonology

 

MCQs on Phonetics and Phonology

1. Phonetics is primarily concerned with:

A. Meaning of words in context

B. Rules for sentence formation

C. Physical sounds of human speech

D. Word formation rules

Answer: C. Physical sounds of human speech

 

2.Which branch of linguistics studies the physical production and perception of speech sounds?

A. Phonology

B. Syntax

C. Phonetics

D. Morphology

Answer: C. Phonetics

 

3. Which branch of phonetics deals with the physical production of speech sounds?

A. Acoustic phonetics

B. Auditory phonetics

C. Articulatory phonetics

D. Phonology

Answer: C. Articulatory phonetics

 

4. The smallest unit of sound that can change the meaning of a word is called a:

A. Morpheme

B. Phoneme

C. Allophone

D. Grapheme

Answer: B. Phoneme

 

5. Which of the following is an example of a minimal pair in English?

A. Book – Books

B. Pin – Pen

C. Cat – Bat

D. Run – Ran

Answer: C. Cat – Bat

 

6.The /p/ in "spin" and the /p/ in "pin" are examples of:

A. Minimal pairs

B. Allophones

C. Phonemes

D. Digraphs

Answer: B. Allophones (Same phoneme, different realizations.)

 

7. What is an allophone?

A. A group of words with similar meanings

B. A variation of a phoneme that does not change meaning

C. A punctuation mark

D. A morpheme that stands alone

Answer: B. A variation of a phoneme that does not change meaning

 

8.Which phonetic feature distinguishes /t/ from /d/ in English?

A. Place of articulation

B. Voicing

C. Nasality

D. Vowel length

Answer: B. Voicing (/t/ is voiceless; /d/ is voiced.)

 

9. Phonology studies:

A. How speech sounds are produced

B. The organization and patterning of sounds in particular languages

C. The meaning of words in sentences

D. The spelling of difficult words

Answer: B. The organization and patterning of sounds in particular languages

 

10. The symbol /ʃ/ represents which sound in English?

A. /s/ as in "see"

B. /ʃ/ as in "ship"

C. /tʃ/ as in "chip"

D. /z/ as in "zoo"

Answer: B. /ʃ/ as in "ship"

 

11.The word "ship" has how many phonemes?

A. 2

B. 3

C. 4

D. 5

Answer: B. 3 (/ʃ/ + /ɪ/ + /p/)

 

12. Stress in English words can:

A. Be ignored completely

B. Change the meaning of words

C. Only occur on vowels

D. Occur on every syllable

Answer: B. Change the meaning of words

 

13.Stress and intonation are studied in:

A. Articulatory phonetics

B. Suprasegmental phonology

C. Syntax

D. Semantics

Answer: B. Suprasegmental phonology

 

14.Which of the following is an example of a bilabial sound?

A. /f/

B. /v/

C. /p/

D. /θ/

Answer: C. /p/ (Produced with both lips.)

 

15. The sound /ŋ/ in "sing" is a:

A. Voiced alveolar nasal

B. Voiced velar nasal

C. Voiceless glottal fricative

D. Voiced palatal approximant

Answer: B. Voiced velar nasal

 

16. Which phonological process is demonstrated in the pronunciation of "input" as /ɪmpʊt/?

A. Assimilation (nasalization)

B. Elision

C. Metathesis

D. Epenthesis

Answer: A. Assimilation (/n/ → /m/ under influence of bilabial /p/.)

 

17. The primary stress in the word "photographic" falls on which syllable?

A. Pho-

B. -to-

C. -graph-

D. -ic

Answer: C. -graph- (pho-to-GRAPH-ic.)

 

18. Which pair shows syllable-timed vs. stress-timed rhythm?

A. French vs. English

B. Spanish vs. German

C. Mandarin vs. Japanese

D. Italian vs. Russian

Answer: A. French (syllable-timeD. vs. English (stress-timed)

 

19.Which consonant is described as a voiceless alveolar fricative?

A. /s/

B. /z/

C. /t/

D. /ʃ/

Answer: A. /s/

(/s/ is voiceless, alveolar, and fricative; /z/ is voiced; /t/ is a stop; /ʃ/ is postalveolar.)

 

20. Which sound is glottal?

A. /p/

B. /h/

C. /m/

D. /l/

Answer: B. /h/

(Produced at the glottis; others are bilabial, nasal, or alveolar.)

 

21.The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA. is used to:

A. Teach spelling rules

B. Represent speech sounds accurately

C. Identify parts of speech

D. Translate sentences

Answer: B. Represent speech sounds accurately

 

22. In English, the sounds /p/ and /b/ are:

A. Allophones

B. Voiced and voiceless pairs

C. Vowels

D. Identical in articulation

Answer: B. Voiced and voiceless pairs

 

23. Which of the following is a voiceless sound?

A. /b/

B. /d/

C. /v/

D. /k/

Answer: D. /k/

 

24. The sound /ŋ/ occurs in which of the following words?

A. Ring

B. Thin

C. Singe

D. Bin

Answer: A. Ring

 

25. A diphthong is:

A. A single vowel sound

B. A combination of two vowel sounds in the same syllable

C. A nasal consonant

D. A voiced plosive

Answer: B. A combination of two vowel sounds in the same syllable

 

26. What is a syllable?

A. A group of words that forms a complete sentence

B. The smallest meaningful unit of language

C. A unit of sound with one vowel sound

D. A word that contains only consonants

Answer: C. A unit of sound with one vowel sound

 

27. Intonation refers to:

A. The loudness of speech

B. The rising and falling pitch of speech

C. The speed of speaking

D. The rhythm of writing

Answer: B. The rising and falling pitch of speech