Mock test - Final examination
(Comparative Linguistics)
Section 1: THEORY (30 points) (CLO 1)
Questions 1–10 (20 pts – 2 pts/each): Choose the best answer A, B, or C for each of the
questions 1–10. On your answer sheet, write the letter next to the question number.
1. In Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics, the ideational metafunction is primarily
concerned with:
A. Expressing interpersonal relationships and speaker attitudes.
B. Representing experiences and the logical organization of ideas.
C. Structuring messages to achieve cohesion and thematic progression.
2. One key feature of Chomsky’s Transformational Grammar is that:
A. It emphasizes the functional roles of sentence constituents in communication.
B. It explains how deep structure is transformed into surface structure through rules.
C. It replaces syntax entirely with discourse-level analysis.
3. What does “interlanguage” refer to in second language acquisition theory?
A. A pidgin or creole language developed between speakers of different L1s.
B. The set of language errors a learner makes due to negative transfer.
C. A dynamic, evolving linguistic system created by L2 learners with characteristics of
both L1 and L2.
4. In terms of sentence processing, which of the following best reflects the notion of
topicalization in languages like Japanese or Korean?
A. The grammatical subject is obligatorily fronted.
B. The main verb appears at the beginning of the sentence.
C. The topic is fronted for emphasis, even if it’s not the grammatical subject.
5. A key concept in contrastive analysis is positive transfer. This occurs when:
A. Learners avoid using difficult grammatical structures altogether.
B. Similarities between L1 and L2 lead to correct language use.
C. L1 rules are incorrectly applied to the L2, causing interference.
6. Which of the following is true about markedness in contrastive linguistics?
A. Unmarked forms are generally more complex and less frequent across languages.
B. Marked forms are universally the default choice in sentence construction.
C. Learners tend to acquire unmarked forms more easily than marked ones.
7. A criticism of early Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) is that:
A. It did not account for transfer at all.
B. It predicted all learner errors could be explained by L1-L2 differences, which proved
too simplistic.
C. It was only applicable to syntactic analysis and not phonology.
8. In Discourse Analysis, coherence is best defined as:
A. Logical flow and conceptual connectedness within a text.
B. Repetition of words and lexical items.
C. The presence of formal grammatical ties between sentences.
9. Which of the following speech acts would be considered a Directive, according to
Searle’s taxonomy?
A. “I apologize for being late.”
B. “Can you close the window, please?”
C. “I promise I’ll do it tomorrow.”
10. In contrastive pragmatics, what is one primary reason that speech act realization differs
across languages?
A. Phonetic constraints restrict how speech acts can be expressed.
B. Cultural norms shape expectations around directness, politeness, and context
sensitivity.
C. All languages prefer indirect strategies for face-threatening acts.
Questions 11–15 (10 pts – 2 pts/each): Fill in each blank with NO MORE THAN TWO
WORDS.
11. In discourse analysis, a sentence that introduces the main topic of a paragraph is often
referred to as the ___ sentence.
12. Errors caused by influence from a learner’s native language are examples of ___.
13. In analyzing cohesion, lexical items that repeat or are semantically related are said to
show ___.
14. Halliday describes the interpersonal metafunction as expressing speaker attitudes and
___.
15. In Grice’s conversational maxims, the maxim of ___ refers to being relevant in one’s
conversational contributions.
Section 2: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (20 points) (CLO 2)
Questions 16–17 (20 pts – 10 pts/each): Write your answers in paragraph form.
16. The chapter discusses differences in syntactic linearity across languages (e.g., English’s
linear progression vs. Japanese’s and Vietnamese’s more recursive structures).
A. Explain the implications of these differences for L2 writing development in learners
whose L1s follow a recursive or circuitous structure.
B. How does awareness of this contrast help learners and teachers improve clarity and
coherence in L2 writing?
17. Pragmatic norms in different languages guide how to perform speech acts like requests,
apologies, or complaints.
Discuss how misunderstanding these norms can lead to communication breakdown or
perceived rudeness, and why it is essential for learners to master pragmatic competence
for successful intercultural communication.
Section 3: ERROR ANALYSIS (20 points) (CLO 3)
Questions 18–19 (20 pts – 10 pts/each): Write your answers in paragraph form.
18. Consider both syntactic-level and discourse-level errors in L2 use.
A. Describe how errors at each level might appear.
B. Provide one example for each type (e.g., tense mismatch for syntax; incoherent
paragraph structure for discourse).
19. Analyze the difference between the following two English sentences:
i. The students are ready to learn.
ii. The students are easy to teach.
From a grammatical contrastive analysis viewpoint, explain how their surface similarities
mask different underlying structures and potential challenges for L2 learners.
Section 4: TEXTUAL CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS (30 points) (CLO 4)
20. Analyze the two short articles below.
A. Examine the thematic progression of the Vietnamese and English texts. Compare how each
language organizes information (Theme → Rheme patterns). (15 pts)
B. Analyze how cohesion is achieved in each text, including use of reference, substitution,
ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical ties. (15 pts)
Vietnamese Text:
(1) Chính phủ đã đưa ra kế hoạch cải tổ giáo dục quốc gia với mục tiêu tăng cường chất lượng
dạy và học. (2) Kế hoạch bao gồm đổi mới chương trình, nâng cao năng lực giáo viên, và đầu tư
vào cơ sở hạ tầng trường học. (3) Theo Bộ Giáo dục, việc triển khai sẽ bắt đầu từ năm học tới.
(4) Các chuyên gia đánh giá cao sự thay đổi này và cho rằng nó có thể tạo ra bước ngoặt lớn cho
hệ thống giáo dục Việt Nam.
English Text:
(1) The government has introduced a plan to reform the national education system, aiming to
enhance teaching and learning quality. (2) The plan involves curriculum renewal, teacher
training, and investment in school infrastructure. (3) According to the Ministry of Education,
implementation will begin next academic year. (4) Experts have welcomed the reform and
believe it could be a major turning point for the Vietnamese education system.
