Phonetics and Phonology 2020 Hà Nội FPT University

Phonetics and Phonology: Fundamentals Exam

60 questions

90 min

Answer key

Exam info

Subject: Phonetics and Phonology
Exam type: University
Questions: 60
Duration: 90 min
Year: 2020
Answers: ✓ With explanations
School: Đại học FPT

Questions (60)

Q 1.
Which statement best describes the main concern of phonetics?
- A.
  It describes speech sounds in terms of their articulation, physical transmission, and perception.
- B.
  It focuses exclusively on the contrastive sound units of a language.
- C.
  It studies how the meanings of sentences change over time.
- D.
  It analyzes the visual structure of writing systems.
Q 2.
A researcher records articulator movements, air-pressure variations, and a listener's response to one sound. Which three aspects of a speech sound are represented?
- A.
  Semantic, syntactic, and lexical aspects
- B.
  Phonological, lexical, and grammatical aspects
- C.
  Physiological, acoustic, and auditory aspects
- D.
  Semantic, physical, and psychological aspects
Q 3.
What is the primary focus of articulatory phonetics?
- A.
  How listeners interpret the meaning conveyed by sound waves
- B.
  How speech sounds are produced by the organs of speech
- C.
  How air-pressure variations travel through the environment
- D.
  How words acquire contrasting meanings in a language system
Q 4.
Which field studies the physical properties of speech sounds as sound waves traveling through the air?
- A.
  Auditory phonetics
- B.
  Articulatory phonetics
- C.
  Phonological semantics
- D.
  Acoustic phonetics
Q 5.
A researcher asks why one listener hears a sound as high-pitched while another hears it as low-pitched. Which branch of phonetics is most directly relevant?
- A.
  Auditory phonetics
- B.
  Articulatory phonetics
- C.
  Acoustic phonetics
- D.
  Phonological analysis
Q 6.
Which group contains only passive articulators?
- A.
  Tongue, lips, and vocal folds
- B.
  Velum, tongue, and pharynx
- C.
  Upper teeth, alveolar ridge, and hard palate
- D.
  Lips, jaw, and soft palate
Q 7.
Which set consists entirely of active articulators?
- A.
  Upper teeth, alveolar ridge, and hard palate
- B.
  Velum, lips, tongue, and vocal folds
- C.
  Alveolar ridge, hard palate, and velum
- D.
  Pharynx, upper teeth, and lips
Q 8.
Which definition best matches the vocal tract in speech production?
- A.
  The complete respiratory system, including the lungs and diaphragm
- B.
  The sensory organs used by a listener to recognize speech sounds
- C.
  The set of abstract contrastive units used in a language
- D.
  The air passages above the vocal folds that are involved in producing speech and end at the mouth and nostrils
Q 9.
Why can changing the position of the tongue or lips produce different speech sounds?
- A.
  Their movement changes the shape of the vocal tract and therefore its resonant properties.
- B.
  Their movement directly determines the semantic meaning of every word.
- C.
  Their movement changes the speaker's age and vocal identity.
- D.
  Their movement causes the vocal folds to become permanently fixed.
Q 10.
What is the central object of study in phonology?
- A.
  The historical development of written languages
- B.
  The physical movement of every articulator in the mouth
- C.
  The distinctive sound units of a language and the features that distinguish them
- D.
  The grammatical functions of words in sentences
Q 11.
Which statement correctly distinguishes a phone from a phoneme?
- A.
  A phone is an abstract unit, whereas a phoneme is a concrete sound produced by a speaker.
- B.
  A phone is a concrete speech sound, whereas a phoneme is an abstract unit that can distinguish meaning in a language.
- C.
  A phone concerns meaning, whereas a phoneme concerns only sound production.
- D.
  A phone and a phoneme are interchangeable terms for the same concept.
Q 12.
Which name is NOT presented as another label for Received Pronunciation in the course material?
- A.
  BBC English
- B.
  Queen's English
- C.
  King's English
- D.
  American English
Q 13.
In acoustic phonetics, what determines the pitch of a speech sound?
- A.
  The fundamental frequency, determined by the rate of air-pressure variation
- B.
  The position of the upper teeth
- C.
  The number of meanings associated with the sound
- D.
  The learner's age
Q 14.
What is the correct order of the three stages in the speech chain?
- A.
  Acoustic → physiological → psychological
- B.
  Physiological → psychological → acoustic
- C.
  Psychological → articulatory/physiological → acoustic/physical
- D.
  Psychological → acoustic → physiological
Q 15.
Which event belongs to the psychological stage of the speech chain?
- A.
  Sound waves reaching the listener's ears
- B.
  The nervous system transmitting a message to the speech organs
- C.
  The tongue blocking the airflow and then releasing it
- D.
  A listener assigning meaning to the received message
Q 16.
What mainly happens during the articulatory or physiological stage?
- A.
  The brain decides which meaning the listener should infer
- B.
  The vocal tract changes into the specific shape required for a sound
- C.
  The sound waves are reflected from the listener's eardrum
- D.
  Movements of the speech organs disturb the airflow and initiate the acoustic event
Q 17.
Which description best characterizes the acoustic or physical stage of speech?
- A.
  Sound waves created by articulatory movements travel through the air
- B.
  The nervous system creates an intended pattern of sound
- C.
  The lips and tongue move into their target positions
- D.
  The listener assigns a grammatical function to the utterance
Q 18.
Where is the larynx located, and what does it contain?
- A.
  At the top of the mouth, where it contains the alveolar ridge
- B.
  In the nasal cavity, where it contains the velum
- C.
  At the top of the trachea, where it contains the vocal folds or vocal cords
- D.
  Inside the oral cavity, where it contains the hard palate
Q 19.
What is the glottis?
- A.
  The upper surface of the tongue
- B.
  The opening between the vocal cords
- C.
  The main resonator of the oral cavity
- D.
  The opening between the lips
Q 20.
Which comparison of voiceless and voiced sounds is correct?
- A.
  Voiceless sounds use vibrating folds, while voiced sounds use completely relaxed folds.
- B.
  Both types are produced only when the vocal folds are tightly closed.
- C.
  Voiceless sounds are produced with friction, while voiced sounds never involve friction.
- D.
  Voiceless sounds are produced with relaxed folds, while voiced sounds involve tensed, vibrating folds.
Q 21.
What configuration of the vocal folds produces a whispered sound?
- A.
  The folds are only partially closed
- B.
  The folds are tightly pressed together
- C.
  The folds are held widely apart
- D.
  The folds are nearly touching and vibrating regularly
Q 22.
When the vocal folds are wide apart, they are normally associated with which activity?
- A.
  Producing a glottal stop
- B.
  Producing the voiced vowel /iː/
- C.
  Normal breathing and many voiceless consonants such as /p/, /f/, and /s/
- D.
  Producing the narrow-glottis fricative /h/
Q 23.
What sound or state is associated with a narrow glottis?
- A.
  Normal breathing
- B.
  The voiceless glottal fricative /h/
- C.
  Regular vocal-fold vibration in a voiced vowel
- D.
  A complete glottal closure
Q 24.
What happens when the vocal folds are touched or nearly touched?
- A.
  They remain completely motionless
- B.
  They create a glottal stop
- C.
  They produce normal breathing without friction
- D.
  They vibrate, producing a voiced sound
Q 25.
What is produced when the vocal folds are firmly pressed together?
- A.
  A glottal stop or glottal plosive
- B.
  The voiceless fricative /h/
- C.
  An ordinary voiced vowel
- D.
  A whispered sound
Q 26.
Which hierarchy correctly classifies English speech sounds?
- A.
  Speech sounds → long and short sounds → front and back vowels
- B.
  Speech sounds → monophthongs and diphthongs → vowels and consonants
- C.
  Speech sounds → vowels and consonants; vowels → monophthongs and diphthongs
- D.
  Speech sounds → semivowels, nasals, and fricatives only
Q 27.
Which statement correctly compares the production of vowels and consonants?
- A.
  Vowels require complete closure, while consonants require no obstruction
- B.
  Vowels allow a relatively free passage of air, while consonants involve a narrow or complete closure
- C.
  Vowels are always voiceless, while consonants are always voiced
- D.
  Both classes are distinguished only by the meaning of the words containing them
Q 28.
How do vowels and consonants generally differ in sonority?
- A.
  Consonants are always more sonorous than vowels
- B.
  They have identical sonority whenever voicing is unchanged
- C.
  Only vowels can be syllabic
- D.
  Vowels are generally more sonorous, while consonants are less sonorous
Q 29.
Which statement about the voicing of vowels and consonants is correct?
- A.
  Vowels are voiced, while consonants may be either voiced or voiceless
- B.
  All consonants are voiced because they contain a vowel nucleus
- C.
  Vowels can be either voiced or voiceless depending on meaning
- D.
  Voicing is determined by the position of the tongue tip
Q 30.
Which statement about syllabicity is correct?
- A.
  Every consonant forms the nucleus of a syllable
- B.
  No consonant can ever function as a syllable nucleus
- C.
  Vowels are normally syllabic, but consonants such as /l/, /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/ can also be syllabic
- D.
  Syllabicity means that the lips are rounded
Q 31.
Which set contains the seven main factors used in an articulatory description of speech sounds?
- A.
  Air stream, vocal cords, soft palate, place, manner, tongue, and lips
- B.
  Meaning, stress, intonation, accent, grammar, register, and style
- C.
  Place, manner, voicing, duration, pitch, loudness, and meaning
- D.
  Lungs, ribs, diaphragm, pharynx, velum, hard palate, and lips
Q 32.
What are cardinal vowels used for in phonetics?
- A.
  To identify the most common vowel in each word
- B.
  To record only the vowels of Received Pronunciation
- C.
  To replace all other systems of vowel classification
- D.
  As reference vowels with predetermined phonetic values for describing language sounds
Q 33.
Which statement gives the course definition of a vowel?
- A.
  It is a voiced sound with a free passage through the mouth and no audible friction
- B.
  It is a voiceless sound produced by completely closing the vocal folds
- C.
  It is any sound produced with airflow escaping through the nose
- D.
  It is a sound made by narrowing the vocal tract enough to create friction
Q 34.
What characterizes a pure vowel or monophthong?
- A.
  The articulators move noticeably from one vowel position to another
- B.
  The sound is produced by a complete closure of the mouth
- C.
  The articulatory position remains perceptibly unchanged throughout the vowel
- D.
  The sound always ends with the vowel /ə/
Q 35.
Which group contains front vowels?
- A.
  /ɜː/, /ə/, and /ʌ/
- B.
  /ɪ/, /iː/, /e/, and /æ/
- C.
  /uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔː/, /ɑː/, and /ɒ/
- D.
  /w/, /j/, /r/, and /l/
Q 36.
Which statement correctly describes central vowels?
- A.
  The front of the tongue rises toward the hard palate.
- B.
  The back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate.
- C.
  The lips are always strongly rounded.
- D.
  The center of the tongue is raised toward the palate, as in /ɜː/, /ə/, and /ʌ/.
Q 37.
How are back vowels produced?
- A.
  By raising the back of the tongue toward the soft palate
- B.
  By pressing the tongue tip against the upper teeth
- C.
  By raising the center of the tongue toward the hard palate
- D.
  By keeping the vocal folds completely closed
Q 38.
Which description matches a close or high vowel?
- A.
  The tongue is very low, leaving a very wide air passage.
- B.
  The tongue is halfway between its high and low positions.
- C.
  Part of the tongue approaches the palate without touching, creating a narrow but consonant-free passage.
- D.
  The lips are the only articulators involved in producing the sound.
Q 39.
Which group consists of mid-open or mid-close vowels?
- A.
  /ɪ/, /iː/, /uː/, and /ʊ/
- B.
  /e/, /ə/, /ɜː/, and /ɔː/
- C.
  /æ/, /ɑː/, and /ʌ/
- D.
  /ɪ/, /iː/, /e/, and /æ/
Q 40.
Which statement correctly describes an open or low vowel?
- A.
  The tongue approaches the palate without touching it.
- B.
  The tongue remains exactly halfway between high and low positions.
- C.
  The center of the tongue is raised toward the palate.
- D.
  One part of the tongue is low, leaving a relatively wide air passage, as in /æ/, /ɑː/, and /ʌ/.
Q 41.
Which group contains rounded vowels?
- A.
  /uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔː/, and /ɒ/
- B.
  /ɪ/, /iː/, /e/, and /æ/
- C.
  /ɜː/, /ə/, /ʌ/, and /ɑː/
- D.
  /p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/
Q 42.
Which set contains vowels with neutral lip shape?
- A.
  /uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔː/, and /ɒ/
- B.
  /ɪ/, /iː/, /e/, and /æ/
- C.
  /ɜː/, /ə/, /ʌ/, and /ɑː/
- D.
  /θ/, /ð/, /s/, and /z/
Q 43.
Which statement correctly describes the lip shape of unrounded vowels?
- A.
  Their lips are drawn together into a clearly round opening.
- B.
  Their lips may be spread, creating a long, narrow opening without rounding.
- C.
  Their lips remain completely immobile during production.
- D.
  Their lips are always firmly pressed against the upper teeth.
Q 44.
How does the notation of vowel length work in the course material?
- A.
  A colon indicates a short vowel, while its absence indicates a long vowel.
- B.
  A colon marks stress rather than vowel length.
- C.
  A colon indicates that a sound is voiceless.
- D.
  A colon indicates a long vowel, such as /iː/, while a vowel without it is short, such as /ɪ/.
Q 45.
Which group contains the centring diphthongs in the course classification?
- A.
  /ɪə/, /eə/, and /ʊə/
- B.
  /eɪ/, /aɪ/, and /ɔɪ/
- C.
  /əʊ/ and /aʊ/
- D.
  /ɪ/, /iː/, and /e/
Q 46.
Which statement correctly classifies the closing diphthongs?
- A.
  All closing diphthongs end with /ə/.
- B.
  They are produced only with the lips spread.
- C.
  /eɪ/, /aɪ/, and /ɔɪ/ end with /ɪ/, while /əʊ/ and /aʊ/ end with /ʊ/.
- D.
  They maintain one constant vowel position throughout their duration.
Q 47.
Which set contains only bilabial consonants?
- A.
  /f/, /v/, /p/, and /b/
- B.
  /p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/
- C.
  /θ/, /ð/, /t/, and /d/
- D.
  /k/, /g/, /t/, and /d/
Q 48.
Which consonants are produced by placing the lower lip against the upper teeth?
- A.
  /p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/
- B.
  /θ/ and /ð/
- C.
  /t/, /d/, /s/, and /z/
- D.
  /f/ and /v/
Q 49.
Which pair consists of dental consonants?
- A.
  /θ/ and /ð/
- B.
  /t/ and /d/
- C.
  /ʃ/ and /ʒ/
- D.
  /k/ and /g/
Q 50.
Which group contains only alveolar consonants?
- A.
  /θ/ and /ð/
- B.
  /p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/
- C.
  /t/, /d/, /l/, /s/, and /z/
- D.
  /f/ and /v/
Q 51.
Which set is classified as palato-alveolar in the course material?
- A.
  /t/, /d/, /l/, /s/, and /z/
- B.
  /tʃ/, /dʒ/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, and /r/
- C.
  /k/, /g/, and /ŋ/
- D.
  /p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/
Q 52.
Which group consists of velar consonants?
- A.
  /j/
- B.
  /h/
- C.
  /p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/
- D.
  /k/, /g/, and /ŋ/
Q 53.
Which statement correctly describes a plosive and identifies its voiceless members in the course list?
- A.
  The airflow is completely stopped briefly and then released explosively; /p/, /t/, and /k/ are voiceless plosives.
- B.
  Air is narrowed continuously to create hissing; /f/, /s/, and /ʃ/ are plosives.
- C.
  All air escapes through the nose; /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/ are plosives.
- D.
  The sound is produced with a continuous glide from a close vowel; /w/ and /j/ are plosives.
Q 54.
What is the defining production feature of a fricative consonant?
- A.
  The vocal folds are firmly closed until the sound is released.
- B.
  All the air escapes through the nose and none through the mouth.
- C.
  A narrowing of the air passage causes escaping air to produce a hissing or fricative sound.
- D.
  The tongue tip vibrates rapidly in the airflow.
Q 55.
Which statement correctly describes an affricate?
- A.
  It consists only of a continuous hissing sound with no preceding closure.
- B.
  It combines a plosive closure with an immediately following fricative, as in /tʃ/ and /dʒ/.
- C.
  It is produced by a glide from a close-vowel position.
- D.
  It requires the airflow to pass entirely through the nasal cavity.
Q 56.
Which statement correctly characterizes a nasal consonant?
- A.
  The airflow is completely blocked and then released explosively.
- B.
  The air passage is narrowed enough to produce continuous friction.
- C.
  The tongue tip vibrates while the air passes through the mouth.
- D.
  Air from the lungs escapes through the nose rather than through the mouth, as in /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/.
Q 57.
How is a lateral consonant produced?
- A.
  The tongue tip is pressed against the teeth ridge or teeth while air escapes at the sides of the tongue.
- B.
  The vocal folds are tightly closed and then released abruptly.
- C.
  The back of the tongue closes against the soft palate.
- D.
  The lips touch the upper teeth and air passes through a narrow gap.
Q 58.
Which statement describes the rolled consonant in the course material?
- A.
  The lips vibrate as air passes between them.
- B.
  The vocal folds vibrate while the glottis remains completely closed.
- C.
  The tongue tip vibrates in the stream of air, as in /r/.
- D.
  The tongue begins at a close-vowel position and immediately glides elsewhere.
Q 59.
Which statement correctly defines a semivowel?
- A.
  It is a nasal sound in which the mouth is completely closed.
- B.
  It is a glide in which the speech organs begin at or near a close vowel and move toward another vowel position.
- C.
  It is a plosive followed immediately by a fricative.
- D.
  It is produced with the lips firmly closed throughout the sound.
Q 60.
Which group can function as syllabic consonants in English?
- A.
  /p/, /b/, /t/, and /d/
- B.
  /θ/, /ð/, /s/, and /z/
- C.
  /f/, /v/, /h/, and /w/
- D.
  /l/, /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/, as illustrated by words such as bottle, heroism, and seven

Answers and explanations are in mode.