UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS – TECHNOLOGY FOR INDUSTRIES

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY

*********

OVERVIEW OF PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY TEST

A. TEST FORMAT

PART NUMBER OF FORMAT

QUESTIONS
Part 1: 2 questions Answer 2 theoretical questions and backup
Theoretical
your answer with examples
questions (6pts)
Part 2: Practical 10 questions Complete 10 practical questions with
questions (4pts)
detailed explanation

1
B. SAMPLE TEST
1. Theoretical Questions
1. What is the difference between the oral sounds and the nasal sounds? Backup
your answer with examples.
2. What is intonation? State 4 main functions the intonation has. Give examples
to illustrate your point.

2. Practical Questions

1. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following

description: voiced labiodental fricative consonant?
A. [ f ] B. [ w ] C. [ ð ] D. [ v ]
2. In which word does dentalization occur?
A. Breath time B. That thing C. Cloth shop D. Tenth hat
3. Which one has NO elision?
A. Left knee B. Cooked potato C. Lots of money D. Five vans
4. A speaker said: “You’re always late.” Which intonation pattern is used in this
statement?
A. Take-off B. Dive C. Glide-Up D. Glide-Down
5. In which word, the vowel becomes shorter?
A. Need B. Neat C. Heal D. Dean
6. What does the sound /l/ become in the words ‘well’, ‘still’?
A. Velarized B. Nasalized C. Dentalized D. Devoiced
7. In which words, the sound /l/ and /r/ become devoiced?

A. cry, collect B. place, price C. try, skill D. rhino, play

8. “chemist, ghost, chaos, gallery” all contain a(n)…. at the beginning of the word.

A. velar B. fricative C. labio-dental D. affricate

9. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in voicing from
the other segments ?

A. [z, d , θ, b ] B. [ m, n, ŋ , ð ] C. [ w, j , r, l ] D. [ b, d, g, z ]

2
10. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following
description: central, mid, neutral, long vowel?

A. /ə:/ B. /ə/ C. /ʌ/ D. /a:/

C. REVISION FOR EXAM

Part 1: Theoretical Questions
1. How can we understand the diphthongs and triphthongs? And what are the
diphthongs and triphthongs? Backup your answer with examples.
2. What is the difference between the oral sounds and the nasal sounds? Backup your
answer with examples.
3. What is the difference between the consonant sounds and the vowel sounds?
Backup your answer with examples.
4. What is the difference between the voiced sounds and voiceless sounds? Backup
your answer with examples.
5. What is the order to describe the English consonants? Backup your answer with
examples.
6. What is the order to describe the English vowels (monothongs)? Backup your
answer with examples.
7. What is a phoneme? Distinguish allophones and phonemes. Backup your answer
with examples.
8. What is an allophone? Distinguish allohones and phonemes. Backup your answer
with examples.
9. What are the differences between Phonemic symbols & Phonetic symbols? Backup
your answer with examples.
10. What is the minimal pair? Take 5 examples.
11. What is stress in phonetics? Give examples to illustrate your point.
12. What are the levels of stress in phonetic? Backup your answer with examples.
13. What are the differences between strong and weak form of a word? Give examples
to illustrate your point.
14. What are the differences between sentence stress and word stress? Backup your
answer with examples.
3
15. What is the rhythm? Backup your answer with examples.
16. What is the assimilation? Backup your answer with examples.
17. What is the elision? Backup your answer with examples.
18. What is the linking between sounds? Backup your answer with examples.
19. What is intonation? State 4 main functions the intonation has. Give examples to
illustrate your point.
20. What is a tonic syllable? Take an example.
21. State the basic English tunes (name them, give their definitions and examples)
Part 2: Practical Questions
1. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following
description: voiced labiodental fricative consonant?
A. [ f ] B. [ w ] C. [ ð ] D. [ v ]
2. Which of the following words contains a palato-alveolar affricate consonant?
A. rouge B. stage C. season D. beige
3. “Pass, goose, scarce, patience, and dose” all contain a(n)….
A. palatal B. plosive C. alveolar D. affricate
4. Which of the following words doesn’t contains a back, low, neutral, long vowel?
A. heart B. guard C. draught D. rough
5. Which of the following groups contains a vowel that differs from the others?
A. [i, e, æ] B. [æ, a:, ɒ] C. [u:, ɒ, ɒ:] D. [i:, a:, ɒ:]
6. Which of the following groups contains a centring diphthong?
A. various B. load C. nation D. sleight
7. In which word /d/ become voiceless?
A. Big dog B. Good dance C. Ten durians D. Right duck
8. In which word, the vowel becomes shorter?
A. Need B. Neat C. Heal D. Dean
9. What does the sound /l/ become in the words ‘well’, ‘still’?
A. Velarized B. Nasalized C. Dentalized D. Devoiced
10. Which word has different stressed syllable from the others?
A. Precise B. Sincere C. Polite D. Happy
4
11. The 4 words below contain the sound /əʊ/. Which word has the stress on this
sound?
A. Follow B. Bonus C. Narrow D. Borrow
12. Which list of verbs has the same rule of stress. What is the rule?
A. Protest, inform, invent B. Enter, travel, agree
C. Settle, marry, succeed D. Answer, equal, design
13. In which word does linking occur?

A. Nice sugar B. Rose shop C. Put on D. Bad boy

14. Assimilation takes place in the 4 groups of words below. Which is NOT the
assimilation of place of articulation? (read aloud the answer)

A. Should win B. Ten men C. Might come D. Good night

15. Linking occurs in the 4 choices (A, B, C, D). Which one needs to add sound /j/ as
linking (intrusion)?

A. My uncle B. Do it C. Go in D. How about

16. In which word does dentalization occur?

A. Breath time B. That thing C. Cloth shop D. Tenth hat
17. Which one has NO elision?
A. Left knee B. Cooked potato C. Lots of money D. Five vans
18. Assimilation occurs in the words ‘main gate’. What is the rule?
A. Alveolar + velar → velar B. Alveolar + bilabial → bilabial
C. Nasal + plosive→ plosive D. Alveolar + palatal → palate-alveolar
19. A speaker said: “You’re always late.” Which intonation pattern is used in this
statement?
A. Take-off B. Dive C. Glide-Up D. Glide-Down
20. If you want to greet and say thank you in an unexpected way, you normally uses
the ……………….
A. Take-off B. Glide-Up C. Dive D. Glide-Down
5
21. When there are five important words in a statement with Glide-down, which
important word has the fall?
A. the first important word B. the second & third important word
C. the fourth important word D. the fifth important word
22. A speaker said: “You’re sure to go with me?” Which intonation pattern is used in
this statement?
A. Take-off B. Dive C. Glide-Up D. Glide-Down
23. A speaker said: “What a nice surprise!” Which intonation pattern is used in this
statement?
A. Take-off B. Dive C. Glide-Up D. Glide-Down
24. A speaker said: “You’ll miss the next train.” Which intonation pattern is used in
this statement?
A. Take-off B. Dive C. Glide-Up D. Glide-Down
25. Which affix when being added changes the stress of the original word?
A. _ment B. _less C. _ful D. _ic
26. In which compound word, the primary stress goes on the second element?
A. Full moon B. Car ferry C. Farm house D. Bedroom
27. Which word has different stressed syllable from the others?
A. Introduce B. Determine C. Recommend D. Entertain
28. In which word, vowel /e/ become nasalized?

A. Met B. Tenth C. Reng D. Necessary

29. In which word, /g/ is devoiced?

A. ghost B. dog C. get D. guarantee

30. In which words, the sound /l/ and /r/ become devoiced?

A. cry, collect B. place, price C. try, skill D. rhino, play

31. “chemist, ghost, chaos, gallery” all contain a(n)…. at the beginning of the word.

A. velar B. fricative C. labio-dental D. affricate

32. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in voicing from the
other segments ?

6
A. [z, d , θ, b ] B. [ m, n, ŋ , ð ] C. [ w, j , r, l ] D. [ b, d, g, z ]

33. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in manner of
articulation from the other segments?

A. [ θ, ð, s, z ] B. [ w, r, j, l ] C. [ p, b, k, d ] D. [ t, d, g, p ]

34. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following
description: central, mid, neutral, long vowel?

A. /ə:/ B. /ə/ C. /ʌ/ D. /a:/

35. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following
description: front, low, unrounded vowel?

A. /æ/ B. /e/ C. /i/ D. /ɒ:/

36. Which of the following descriptions characterizes /e/?

A. central, mid, unrounded vowel B. front, mid, unrounded vowel

C. front, mid, rounded vowel D. back, low, unrounded vowel

37. A speaker said: “Have you posted the photos on facebook yet?” Which intonation
pattern is used in this statement?

A. Take-off B. Dive C. Glide-Up D. Glide-Down