Morphology Quiz: Test Your Linguistic Knowledge
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Which is an example of using affixation to form new words?
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Disappear
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Storeroom
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Blanket (v.) --> blanket (n.) --> blanket (adj.)
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Welcome to the Morphology Quiz! This quiz is designed to test your understanding of morphology, a fascinating aspect in linguistics that deals with the structure and formation of words. Are you ready to explore the world of prefixes, suffixes, roots, and more? Throughout this quiz, you'll encounter a variety of questions that will challenge your knowledge of how words are See moreformed and modified in the English language.
From identifying the correct prefixes and suffixes to understanding how words change in different contexts, this quiz covers it all. Whether you're a language enthusiast or a student looking to ace your linguistics exam, this morphology quiz with answers is valuable for refining your skills. So, put your morphological knowledge to the test and see how well you can see the intricate world of English word formation.
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- 2.
In the word "antidisestablishmentarianism," which morpheme indicates negation?
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Anti-
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Dis-
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Establish
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-ism
Correct Answer
A. Anti-Explanation
The morpheme "anti-" means opposition or negation. In "antidisestablishmentarianism," it signifies opposition to a concept.Rate this question:
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- 3.
______________ is a word formation process in which you put existing words together to create new words.
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Compounding
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Conversion
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Affixation
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Clipping
Correct Answer
A. CompoundingExplanation
Compounding is a word formation process where existing words are combined to create new words. This process involves putting together two or more words to form a new word with a different meaning. For example, the words "sun" and "flower" can be compounded to create the word "sunflower." This process is commonly used in English to create new words and expand the vocabulary of the language.Rate this question:
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- 4.
Which choice describes the basic properties of derivational morphemes?
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Derivational morphemes are affixes that can change the meaning or parts of speech of words.
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Derivational morphemes are affixes that change numbers or tenses.
Correct Answer
A. Derivational morphemes are affixes that can change the meaning or parts of speech of words.Explanation
The correct answer is that derivational morphemes are affixes that can change the meaning or parts of speech of words. This means that when a derivational morpheme is added to a word, it can alter its meaning or change it into a different part of speech. For example, adding the derivational morpheme "-er" to the verb"teach" creates the word"teacher," which is a noun that means “a person who performs the action of teaching.”Rate this question:
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- 5.
Which of the following is not one of the required word properties?
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Being used to convey meaning
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Having a written form
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Having speech sounds
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None of the above
Correct Answer
A. Having a written formExplanation
The property of "having a written form" is not a required property of a word. Words primarily need to convey meaning and have speech sounds (in spoken languages) to function as words. Many languages and words exist and are fully functional without a formal written system, relying solely on oral tradition and spoken communication. Thus, having a written form is not essential for a word to fulfill its role in language.Rate this question:
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- 6.
Derivation rules can be applied only once to a stem to produce new lexical items (e.g. friend --> friendly).
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True
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False
Correct Answer
A. FalseExplanation
Derivation rules can be applied multiple times to a stem to produce new lexical items. For example, from the stem "friend," we can apply the derivation rule "-ly" to create the word "friendly," and then apply another derivation rule "-ness" to create the word "friendliness." Therefore, the statement that derivation rules can only be applied once to a stem is false.Rate this question:
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- 7.
Which of the following is an example of an inflectional morpheme in English?
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Tall --> taller
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Create --> creator
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Write --> writer
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Generate --> generator
Correct Answer
A. Tall --> tallerExplanation
An inflectional morpheme is a morpheme that does not change the grammatical category or meaning of a word, but rather indicates a grammatical feature such as tense, number, or comparison. In this case, the inflectional morpheme "-er" is added to the adjective "tall" to indicate the comparative form "taller". This does not change the word's meaning or category, but rather indicates a comparison between two things.Rate this question:
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- 8.
What is morphology?
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The study of the rules governing the sounds that form words
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The study of the rules governing sentence formation
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The study of the rules governing word formation
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The study of the rules governing the relationship between word and social aspects
Correct Answer
A. The study of the rules governing word formationExplanation
Morphology is the study of the rules that govern word formation. It focuses on the structure and formation of words, including the analysis of prefixes, suffixes, and other morphemes. This field of linguistics examines how words are created and how they can be modified to convey different meanings. By studying morphology, linguists can better understand the building blocks of language and how words are formed in different languages.Rate this question:
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- 9.
Which is not an example of an "allomorph"?
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The plural morpheme in English (-s, -es, en)
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The negative morphemes in English (un-, im-, il-, in-)
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Some derivational morphemes in English (-ment, ly, -able)
Correct Answer
A. Some derivational morphemes in English (-ment, ly, -able)Explanation
Because these derivational morphemes change the part of speech of a word (for example, “-ment” changes word from a verb to a noun) and they all have different meanings, they are not allomorphs. Allomorphs are different representations of the same morpheme that all change the meaning of the word in the same way, such as making the word plural or negative. They do not change the part of speech of a word.Rate this question:
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- 10.
Which choice shows the correct representation of the hierarchical structure of words?
Correct Answer
A. -
- 11.
What is a morpheme?
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The smallest unit of a particular language
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The minimal pair of a chosen phrase
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The smallest meaningful unit of a word
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The minimal item of a linguistic unit
Correct Answer
A. The smallest meaningful unit of a wordExplanation
A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of a word. It is a combination of sounds that has a specific meaning in a language. For example, in the word "cats," there are two morphemes: "cat," which refers to the animal, and "s," which indicates plurality. Each morpheme carries its own meaning and cannot be further divided into smaller meaningful units. Therefore, the correct answer is "The smallest meaningful unit of a word."Rate this question:
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- 12.
How many morphemes does the word "antiestablishment" have?
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3
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4
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5
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6
Correct Answer
A. 3Explanation
The word "antiestablishment" has three morphemes: "anti," "establish," and "ment." The prefix "anti" means against, "establish" is the root word, and the suffix "ment" is added to form a noun. Each of these morphemes carries its own meaning and contributes to the overall meaning of the word.Rate this question:
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- 13.
What is the main difference between free and bound morphemes?
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Free morphemes are dependent and must be attached to another morpheme whereas bound morphemes are independent.
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Free morphemes belong in the open class and all bound morphemes belong in the closed class.
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Free morphemes can stand alone, but bound morphemes have to be attached to a base morpheme/root.
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Both free and bound morphemes are words that have the ability to express meaning on their own.
Correct Answer
A. Free morphemes can stand alone, but bound morphemes have to be attached to a base morpheme/root.Explanation
Free morphemes can stand alone and have meaning on their own, while bound morphemes cannot stand alone and must be attached to a base morpheme or root to convey meaning. This is the main difference between free and bound morphemes.Rate this question:
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- 14.
The closed class is the functional category of words that are not derivable.
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True
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False
Correct Answer
A. TrueExplanation
The closed class refers to functional categories, such as prepositions, conjunctions, and pronouns, that cannot be derived from other words. These categories are considered closed because they have a limited number of members and do not easily admit new words. Therefore, the statement that the closed class is the functional category of words that are not derivable is true.Rate this question:
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- 15.
Which is not an example of derivational morphemes?
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Walk --> walked
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Entertain --> entertainment
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Move --> remove
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Paint --> painter
Correct Answer
A. Walk --> walkedExplanation
The given examples show various derivational morphemes that change the meaning or part of speech of the base word. In the case of "walk --> walked," the suffix "-ed" is added to form the past tense of the verb "walk." The meaning of the word does not change, nor does the part of speech.Rate this question:
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- 16.
Which choice shows an example of an inflectional morpheme?
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Replace --> replacement
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Reform --> reformation
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Regret --> regrets
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Realize-->realization
Correct Answer
A. Regret --> regretsExplanation
The example "regret --> regrets" shows an inflectional morpheme because the addition of the "-s" at the end of "regret" indicates the plural form of the word. Inflectional morphemes are used to express grammatical relationships, such as tense, number, or possession, without changing the core meaning or part of speech of the word. In this case, the addition of "-s" indicates that the word "regret" is being pluralized, but the meaning and part of speech are not changing.Rate this question:
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- 17.
What type of morpheme is used to create new words or change the word class?
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Inflectional
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Derivational
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Grammatical
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Lexical
Correct Answer
A. DerivationalExplanation
Derivational morphemes create new words or change the word class. For example, adding "-ly" to "quick" changes it from an adjective to an adverb.Rate this question:
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- 18.
In the word "books," what does the morpheme "-s" represent?
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Derivation
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Inflection
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Compound
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Reduplication
Correct Answer
A. InflectionExplanation
The morpheme "-s" in "books" is an inflectional morpheme that indicates the plural form of the noun.Rate this question:
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- 19.
What is the process of creating a word by combining two parts of existing words, such as "brunch" from "breakfast" and "lunch"?
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Blending
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Clipping
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Compounding
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Affixation
Correct Answer
A. BlendingExplanation
Blending involves merging parts of two words to form a new one, as seen in "brunch" (breakfast + lunch). It is different from compounding, which combines entire words.Rate this question:
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- 20.
What is the process called when a word is shortened and a new word is formed, like "phone" from "telephone"?
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Clipping
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Blending
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Reduplication
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Back-formation
Correct Answer
A. ClippingExplanation
Clipping involves shortening a longer word without changing its meaning. In this case, "telephone" is shortened to "phone," making it more efficient in casual use.Rate this question:
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Current Version
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Dec 09, 2024Quiz Edited by
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Expert Reviewed by
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Sep 13, 2018Quiz Created by
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