Midterm Test: Syntax & Semantics
Part A: Syntax (15 questions)
1. Which of the following is a complement in the sentence: 'She gave him a gift'?
A. She
B. him
C. a gift
D. gave
Answer: C
2. In the sentence 'The cat sat on the mat', what is the function of 'on the mat'?
A. Subject
B. Adverbial
C. Object
D. Complement
Answer: B
3. Which sentence contains a ditransitive verb?
A. She sleeps peacefully.
B. They built a house.
C. He gave her a book.
D. The dog barked loudly.
Answer: C
4. What is the head of the noun phrase 'the tall building'?
A. the
B. tall
C. building
D. tall building
Answer: C
5. Which of the following is a prepositional phrase?
A. quickly
B. under the table
C. beautiful
D. the dog
Answer: B
6. In the sentence 'He painted the wall red', what is the function of 'red'?
A. Subject
B. Object
C. Object Complement
D. Adverbial
Answer: C
7. Which test helps determine if a sequence of words forms a constituent?
A. Replacement test
B. Omission test
C. Movement test
D. All of the above
Answer: D
8. What kind of verb is used in the sentence 'She became a teacher'?
A. Transitive
B. Intransitive
C. Linking
D. Ditransitive
Answer: C
9. In 'They consider him intelligent', what is the function of 'intelligent'?
A. Subject
B. Object
C. Object Complement
D. Adverbial
Answer: C
10. Which sentence contains an intransitive verb?
A. She sleeps.
B. He reads a book.
C. They built a house.
D. She gave him a gift.
Answer: A
11. What is the main difference between a modifier and a complement?
A. Only modifiers are obligatory
B. Complements are optional
C. Modifiers are sisters of the head
D. Complements are obligatory and complete the head
Answer: D
12. In the sentence 'The man in the blue coat waved', what is the function of 'in the blue
coat'?
A. Subject
B. Modifier
C. Complement
D. Head
Answer: B
13. Which category determines the label of a phrase?
A. Modifier
B. Complement
C. Head
D. Predicate
Answer: C
14. Which structure can be formed with a coordination of phrases of the same category?
A. Only noun phrases
B. Any phrase category
C. Only verb phrases
D. Only adjective phrases
Answer: B
15. What is the label of the fronted element in a yes/no question involving an auxiliary?
A. Subject
B. VP
C. S'
D. Complementiser
Answer: D
Part B: Semantics (10 questions)
16. What is a semantic feature?
A. A synonym of a word
B. A grammatical structure
C. A component of meaning
D. A connotation
Answer: C
17. Which of the following is a referring expression?
A. Someone
B. A man
C. Mr. Johnson
D. Anybody
Answer: C
18. What is the meaning of denotation?
A. Emotional meaning
B. Grammatical role
C. Literal, core meaning
D. Figurative implication
Answer: C
19. In the sentence 'The whale is the largest mammal', the sentence is:
A. Equative
B. Descriptive
C. Generic
D. Ambiguous
Answer: C
20. Which type of reference changes depending on speaker, time, and place?
A. Literal
B. Referential
C. Constant
D. Deictic
Answer: D
21. Which of the following is NOT likely to be a co-referent expression?
A. The president
B. He
C. Barack Obama
D. A teacher
Answer: D
22. In 'This suitcase is killing me', the meaning is:
A. Literal
B. Figurative
C. Ambiguous
D. Denotative
Answer: B
23. What is the function of the complementiser 'that' in 'She said that he left'?
A. Head
B. Subject
C. Clause marker
D. Adverb
Answer: C
24. Which of the following expressions likely has constant reference?
A. This book
B. A tree
C. The sun
D. A friend
Answer: C
25. What is an example of a hyponym relationship?
A. Hot – Cold
B. Car – Vehicle
C. Fast – Quick
D. Big – Small
Answer: B
