Question 1

Which of the following findings would best support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  a language that lacks gendered pronouns is associated with an acceptance of fluid gender roles 
B)  multilingual individuals have trouble code-switching in some situations 
C)  men and women have identical internal syntax and grammar, but choose to speak differently 
D)  all languages represent the same basic ideas, just in different ways 
A)  a language that lacks gendered pronouns is associated with an acceptance of fluid gender roles 
B)  multilingual individuals have trouble code-switching in some situations 
C)  men and women have identical internal syntax and grammar, but choose to speak differently 
D)  all languages represent the same basic ideas, just in different ways

Question 2

Historical linguists are interested in __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  comparing certain languages to determine if they were derived from a common ancestral language 
B)  how people spoke in ancient times 
C)  how the role of body language differs between different historical periods 
D)  comparing how the number of basic color words increases in a society over time 
A)  comparing certain languages to determine if they were derived from a common ancestral language 
B)  how people spoke in ancient times 
C)  how the role of body language differs between different historical periods 
D)  comparing how the number of basic color words increases in a society over time

Question 3

How does the early speech pattern of children compare to creole languages?

Accepted Answer

A)  The errors children make are consistent with the grammar of creoles. 
B)  Children seem to have an innate grammar in their own language, while creole languages lack a basic grammar. 
C)  Creole languages have a simple but consistent grammar, but children's early speech errors have no particular pattern. 
D)  Creole languages have more complex grammatical structure than that seen in childhood speech. 
A)  The errors children make are consistent with the grammar of creoles. 
B)  Children seem to have an innate grammar in their own language, while creole languages lack a basic grammar. 
C)  Creole languages have a simple but consistent grammar, but children's early speech errors have no particular pattern. 
D)  Creole languages have more complex grammatical structure than that seen in childhood speech.

Question 4

A dictionary most closely approximates a language's __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  lexicon 
B)  grammar 
C)  syntax 
D)  phonology 
A)  lexicon 
B)  grammar 
C)  syntax 
D)  phonology

Question 5

The controversial Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  language affects how individuals in a society perceive and conceive reality 
B)  culture has a strong influence on how we speak languages 
C)  languages reflect the values, attitudes, and beliefs of the society 
D)  language and culture have no measurable influence on each other 
A)  language affects how individuals in a society perceive and conceive reality 
B)  culture has a strong influence on how we speak languages 
C)  languages reflect the values, attitudes, and beliefs of the society 
D)  language and culture have no measurable influence on each other

Question 6

Which feature is shared by all creole languages?

Accepted Answer

A)  the use of double negatives 
B)  a restricted set of color terms 
C)  an inclusion of gendered nouns 
D)  the use of a past tense 
A)  the use of double negatives 
B)  a restricted set of color terms 
C)  an inclusion of gendered nouns 
D)  the use of a past tense

Question 7

Compare and contrast human and nonhuman communication.

Accepted Answer

The ideal answer should include:
1. A th

Question 8

Why do men and women likely speak differently even within a shared language and culture?

Accepted Answer

A)  Boys and girls grow up in somewhat different cultures, leading to cultural differences in adulthood. 
B)  Girls are innately capable of developing a larger vocabulary than boys. 
C)  Boys are consciously taught to use dominant, forceful patterns of speech, while girls are not. 
D)  Adult men and women rarely interact outside the home, leading to subtle cultural differences in behavior and speech. 
A)  Boys and girls grow up in somewhat different cultures, leading to cultural differences in adulthood. 
B)  Girls are innately capable of developing a larger vocabulary than boys. 
C)  Boys are consciously taught to use dominant, forceful patterns of speech, while girls are not. 
D)  Adult men and women rarely interact outside the home, leading to subtle cultural differences in behavior and speech.

Question 9

Consider the value of writing and literacy to a society. What limitations can you imagine would be present in everyday life in a completely illiterate society? How does a difference in writing and literacy affect overall social inequality?

Accepted Answer

The ideal answer should include:
1. How

Question 10

Which of these is an example of a bound morpheme?

Accepted Answer

A)  er 
B)  the 
C)  bl 
D)  I 
A)  er 
B)  the 
C)  bl 
D)  I

Question 11

Why is it so difficult to pinpoint the emergence of the earliest languages?

Accepted Answer

A)  Written language only appeared about 5,000 years ago. 
B)  Modern apes have a rudimentary language, so it must date to at least the divergence of the human and ape lineages. 
C)  There are clear structural differences in the brains of people who speak and people who don't, but we have no fossilized evidence of brain structure. 
D)  Every culture reports that they have been able to speak since the beginning of time. 
A)  Written language only appeared about 5,000 years ago. 
B)  Modern apes have a rudimentary language, so it must date to at least the divergence of the human and ape lineages. 
C)  There are clear structural differences in the brains of people who speak and people who don't, but we have no fossilized evidence of brain structure. 
D)  Every culture reports that they have been able to speak since the beginning of time.

Question 12

To what language family does English belong?

Accepted Answer

A)  Indo-European 
B)  Indo-Iranian 
C)  Latin 
D)  Sanskrit 
A)  Indo-European 
B)  Indo-Iranian 
C)  Latin 
D)  Sanskrit

Question 13

Which society would probably have the fewest basic color terms?

Accepted Answer

A)  a society whose people have darker eyes 
B)  a society located near the north pole 
C)  a relatively "primitive" society 
D)  a more complex society 
A)  a society whose people have darker eyes 
B)  a society located near the north pole 
C)  a relatively "primitive" society 
D)  a more complex society

Question 14

Which of the following types of nonverbal communication appears to be culturally universal?

Accepted Answer

A)  facial expressions 
B)  the distance between two speakers 
C)  movement of the hands while speaking 
D)  amount of eye contact 
A)  facial expressions 
B)  the distance between two speakers 
C)  movement of the hands while speaking 
D)  amount of eye contact

Question 15

Why can we not use the languages of nonliterate societies to learn about the origins of language?

Accepted Answer

A)  Their languages are not simpler or less developed than our own. 
B)  Their written histories do not go far enough back in time. 
C)  They were often developed more recently than written languages. 
D)  Languages of nonliterate societies change too quickly to be any use for study. 
A)  Their languages are not simpler or less developed than our own. 
B)  Their written histories do not go far enough back in time. 
C)  They were often developed more recently than written languages. 
D)  Languages of nonliterate societies change too quickly to be any use for study.

Which of the following findings would best support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

Historical linguists are interested in __________.

How does the early speech pattern of children compare to creole languages?

A dictionary most closely approximates a language's __________.

The controversial Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that __________.

Which feature is shared by all creole languages?

Compare and contrast human and nonhuman communication.

Why do men and women likely speak differently even within a shared language and culture?

Consider the value of writing and literacy to a society. What limitations can you imagine would be present in everyday life in a completely illiterate society? How does a difference in writing and literacy affect overall social inequality?

Which of these is an example of a bound morpheme?

Why is it so difficult to pinpoint the emergence of the earliest languages?

To what language family does English belong?

Which society would probably have the fewest basic color terms?

Which of the following types of nonverbal communication appears to be culturally universal?

Why can we not use the languages of nonliterate societies to learn about the origins of language?

What Is Anthropology

Culture and Culture Change

Culture and the Individual

Understanding and Explaining Culture

Getting Food

Economic Systems

Social Stratification: Class, Ethnicity, and Racism

Sex and Gender

Marriage and the Family

Marital Residence and Kinship

Associations and Interest Groups

Political Life: Social Order and Disorder

Religion and Magic

The Arts

Practicing and Applying Anthropology

Health and Illness

Global Problems

Filters

Exam 5: Communication and Language

Which of the following findings would best support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

Historical linguists are interested in __________.

How does the early speech pattern of children compare to creole languages?

A dictionary most closely approximates a language's __________.

The controversial Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that __________.

Which feature is shared by all creole languages?

Compare and contrast human and nonhuman communication.

Why do men and women likely speak differently even within a shared language and culture?

Consider the value of writing and literacy to a society. What limitations can you imagine would be present in everyday life in a completely illiterate society? How does a difference in writing and literacy affect overall social inequality?

Which of these is an example of a bound morpheme?

Why is it so difficult to pinpoint the emergence of the earliest languages?

To what language family does English belong?

Which society would probably have the fewest basic color terms?

Which of the following types of nonverbal communication appears to be culturally universal?

Why can we not use the languages of nonliterate societies to learn about the origins of language?

What Is Anthropology

Culture and Culture Change

Culture and the Individual

Understanding and Explaining Culture

Getting Food

Economic Systems

Social Stratification: Class, Ethnicity, and Racism

Sex and Gender

Marriage and the Family

Marital Residence and Kinship

Associations and Interest Groups

Political Life: Social Order and Disorder

Religion and Magic

The Arts

Practicing and Applying Anthropology

Health and Illness

Global Problems

Filters