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Chapter I – What is Contrastive Linguistics? (10 MCQs)

1. Which of the following best describes contrastive linguistics?
A. It compares languages based on their cultural significance.
B. It involves comparing two or more languages to identify similarities and
differences.
C. It studies languages from a purely historical perspective.
D. It only focuses on the phonological differences between languages.

2. Which linguistic field focuses on grouping languages based on structural

characteristics, not genetic relatedness?
A. Historical linguistics
B. Typological linguistics
C. Descriptive linguistics
D. Cognitive linguistics

3. Contrastive linguistics originally emerged from a need related to which

application?
A. Machine translation
B. Syntax theory
C. Language teaching
D. Phonology research

4. Which of the following terms is the least marked and can broadly be used
for all kinds of cross-language comparisons?
A. Contrastive grammar
B. Contrastive analysis
C. Contrastive linguistics
D. Contrastive studies

5. According to Fisiak, applied contrastive studies differ from theoretical ones

primarily in that they are:
A. Conducted only for typological languages
B. Directional and aimed at specific applications
C. Based on historical data
D. Limited to written texts only

6. Contrastive linguistics is dependent on which of the following?

A. Literature and history
B. Theoretical and descriptive linguistics
 C. Only phonetic transcription
D. Psychological behaviorism

7. The product of contrastive studies used for teaching and learning purposes is
often referred to as:
A. Contrastive linguistics
B. Contrastive grammar
C. Typological grammar
D. Linguistic theory

8. The primary function of contrastive linguistics is to:

A. Analyze one language in depth
B. Develop universal grammar
C. Identify and explain differences and similarities between two languages
D. Translate historical texts

9. Why is there terminological confusion in contrastive linguistics, according

to the author?
A. There are too many unstudied languages
B. Lack of attention to matters of principle and theoretical grounding
C. Excessive reliance on machine learning
D. Overstandardization of language models

[Link] term is sometimes used as an alternative to "contrastive linguistics"

but is not as widely adopted?
A. Historical grammar
B. Functional linguistics
C. Cross-linguistic studies
D. Structural semantics

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 2: Basic Notions and Principles

1. Which of the following best defines contrastive linguistics?
A. The study of historical changes in languages
B. The comparison of two or more languages to find differences and similarities.
C. The application of linguistic theory to translation
D. The use of computers to analyze language corpora
2. In contrastive analysis, the tertium comparationis refers to:
A. The source language used in translation
B. The learner’s native language
C. The common ground used for comparison.
D. The target structure in error analysis

3. According to Krzeszowski, contrastive studies should ideally be:

A. Conducted exclusively in monolingual contexts
B. Bi-directional and theory-informed.
C. Avoid theoretical frameworks
D. Focus only on phonology

4. The notion of “contrast” in contrastive linguistics emphasizes:

A. Differences in dialects within the same language
B. The linguistic distance between genetically unrelated languages
C. Systematic comparison across equivalent categories.
D. Non-linguistic cultural influences

5. Krzeszowski argues that the goal of contrastive linguistics is to:

A. Provide data for artificial intelligence
B. Facilitate foreign language teaching and learning.
C. Preserve endangered languages
D. Develop universal grammar

6. One major problem in contrastive studies, as noted by Krzeszowski, is:

A. The overuse of generative grammar
B. The lack of digital corpora
C. The choice of tertium comparationis.
D. The difficulty of forming bilingual glossaries

7. A contrastive analysis between English and Polish would typically NOT focus
on:
A. Identifying equivalent tense systems
B. Exploring shared vocabulary origins.
C. Analyzing sentence structures
D. Determining phonemic inventories

8. Which principle does Krzeszowski introduce to emphasize the need for equal
treatment of languages in contrastive analysis?
A. The Contrast Principle
B. The Equal Status Principle
C. The Bi-directionality Principle.
D. The Language Neutrality Principle

9. Krzeszowski highlights the importance of linguistic equivalence, which refers

to:
A. Phonetic transcription accuracy
B. Cultural translation fidelity
C. Matching structures with similar meaning and function.
D. Replacing words with synonyms

10. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of good contrastive studies,

according to Chapter 2?
A. Systematicity
B. Subjectivity.
C. Theoretical grounding
D. Relevance to practical applications

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 3: Types and Models of Contrastive

Studies
1. Which of the following is a primary distinction between types of contrastive
studies discussed by Krzeszowski?
A. Descriptive vs. prescriptive
B. Historical vs. synchronic
C. Theoretical vs. applied.
D. Theoretical vs. empirical

2. Theoretical contrastive studies are primarily concerned with:

A. Creating textbooks for language learners
B. Describing similarities between dialects
C. Exploring linguistic systems in depth.
D. Solving translation problems

3. Applied contrastive studies are most useful in the context of:

A. Fieldwork in endangered languages
B. Language pedagogy and material design.
C. Theoretical model construction
D. Syntax-only comparison

4. A pedagogically-oriented contrastive study would most likely aim to:

A. Develop a new linguistic theory
B. Explore the cognitive basis of language
C. Identify typical errors made by learners.
D. Revise historical comparisons of languages

5. Which model of contrastive analysis does Krzeszowski associate

with structuralist linguistics?
A. The Functional-Typological Model
B. The Error Analysis Model
C. The Classic Model.
D. The Generative Model

6. In contrastive studies, predictive analysis aims to:

A. Compare phonological systems without a learning context
B. Describe how native speakers construct utterances
C. Anticipate learner difficulties before instruction.
D. Classify dialectal variation

7. Which of the following is a criticism of the predictive model of contrastive

analysis?
A. It ignores syntactic structures
B. It is too broad and unfocused
C. It often over-predicts learner errors.
D. It relies too heavily on corpus data
8. The retroactive model of contrastive analysis is based on:
A. Predicting future usage trends
B. Comparing only phonetic features
C. Analyzing learner errors after they occur.
D. Matching words in bilingual dictionaries

9. Which of the following best characterizes the bidirectional approach in

contrastive studies?
A. It focuses on differences between American and British English
B. It examines mutual influence and comparison between two languages.
C. It compares written vs. spoken forms of a language
D. It alternates between phonology and semantics

10. Krzeszowski emphasizes that an effective contrastive model should be:

A. Culturally neutral and historical
B. Prescriptive and monolingual
C. Symmetrical, explicit, and comprehensive.
D. Focused only on lexical items

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 4: Methods of Contrastive Studies

1. Which method is most closely associated with the traditional structuralist
approach in contrastive studies?
A. Corpus-based method
B. Introspective method
C. Translation equivalence method.
D. Error analysis

2. The introspective method relies on:

A. Analyzing learner-produced corpora
B. Systematic observation of natural speech
C. Native speaker intuition and judgments.
D. Machine translation tools

3. One limitation of the translation equivalence method is that:

A. It overemphasizes morphosyntax
B. It requires a multilingual corpus
C. It assumes that perfect translation is always possible.
D. It only works with synthetic languages

4. Which method involves the use of real language data stored electronically?
A. Comparative method
B. Predictive analysis
C. Corpus-based method
D. Elicitation method

5. The elicitation method is particularly useful when:

A. Corpus data is insufficient or unavailable
B. Translation pairs are easily matched
C. Phonological comparison is the goal
D. Using only machine-generated data

6. Which of the following best defines the error analysis method in contrastive
linguistics?
A. A comparison of translation theories
B. The study of learner errors to infer contrastive differences
C. Testing bilingual speakers in laboratory settings
D. Measuring pronunciation accuracy with software

7. Krzeszowski emphasizes that methods in contrastive linguistics should be:

A. Prescriptive and rigid
B. Based on historical developments
C. Chosen according to the study’s goals
D. Aligned with transformational grammar only

8. Which method is most likely to yield statistically significant data?

A. Introspective method
B. Elicitation method
C. Contrastive intuition
D. Corpus-based method

9. In contrastive studies, the comparative method usually involves:

A. Error categorization
B. Structural comparison between equivalent categories in two languages
C. Phonetic transcription by native speakers
D. Automatic parsing of digital corpora

10. Which combination of methods does Krzeszowski recommend for a

comprehensive contrastive study?
A. Translation and error analysis only
B. Corpus-based, introspective, and elicitation methods
C. Only introspective methods for semantic analysis
D. Historical-comparative and machine translation

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 5: Levels of Contrastive Analysis

1. Which of the following is not one of the main linguistic levels discussed in
contrastive analysis?
A. Phonological
B. Morphological
C. Cultural.
D. Syntactic

2. Phonological contrastive analysis primarily focuses on:

A. Intonation and sentence stress
B. Word formation patterns
C. Social dialects
D. Syntactic structures

3. One major goal of morphological contrastive analysis is to:

A. Compare sound systems
B. Contrast derivational and inflectional processes across languages
C. Analyze suprasegmental features
D. Describe semantic equivalence

4. Which level of contrastive analysis deals with word order and sentence
structure?
A. Morphological
B. Semantic
C. Syntactic.
D. Phonological

5. Contrastive semantic analysis often encounters problems due to:

A. Lack of corpora
B. Phoneme distribution
C. Language-specific conceptual structures
D. Grammatical gender differences

6. Which level of analysis is most useful when comparing sentence patterns such
as questions or negation?
A Syntactic
B. Morphological
C. Phonetic
D. Lexical

7. Lexical contrastive analysis focuses on:

A. Sound articulation
B Word meaning and usage across languages
C. Syntactic parsing
D. Orthographic rules

8. According to Krzeszowski, which two levels are especially prone to negative

transfer in language learning?
A. Phonetic and lexical
B. Morphological and semantic
C Phonological and syntactic
D. Semantic and pragmatic

9. Which contrastive level would most directly address the comparison of past
tense formation in English and German?
A. Phonological
B Morphological
C. Pragmatic
D. Lexical
10. Krzeszowski suggests that all levels of contrastive analysis should be:
A. Isolated and treated separately
B. Conducted only for major world languages
C Interconnected and context-sensitive
D. Based on historical data

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 6: Phonology in Contrastive Linguistics

1. In contrastive phonology, the main goal is to:
A. Teach transcription systems
B. Compare the spelling conventions of two languages
C Identify phonemic similarities and differences across languages
D. Focus only on tone and pitch features

2. Phonemes are defined as:

A. Written symbols used in alphabets
B. Minimal units of grammar
C Smallest distinctive units of sound in a language
D. Suprasegmental features like stress and intonation

3. Which of the following terms refers to sounds that occur in mutually exclusive
phonetic environments?
A Allophones
B. Homophones
C. Morphemes
D. Dialects

4. One source of negative transfer in pronunciation arises when:

A. Learners memorize vocabulary through images
B Learners apply the phonological rules of their native language to the target
language
C. Grammatical rules are inconsistently taught
D. Phonemic distinctions are ignored in writing

5. According to Krzeszowski, contrastive phonological analysis should include

both:
A. Orthographic and stylistic comparison
B Segmental and suprasegmental features
C. Acoustic and semantic properties
D. Pragmatic and idiomatic expressions

6. The segmental level of phonology deals with:

A. Entire phrases
B. Stress, rhythm, and intonation
C. Individual sounds such as vowels and consonants
D. Lexical choices

7. A minimal pair (e.g., "bit" vs. "beat") is useful in contrastive analysis to:
A. Compare morphological suffixes
B. Demonstrate semantic overlap
C. Show phonemic distinctions
D. Illustrate syntax rules

8. Suprasegmental features include:

A. Inflection and derivation
B. Word class and register
C. Stress, pitch, and intonation
D. Prefixes and suffixes

9. Which of the following tools is most commonly used in phonological contrastive

studies?
A. Historical dictionaries
B IPA transcription
C. Sentence diagramming
D. Translation glossaries

10. Krzeszowski emphasizes that contrastive phonology is especially relevant to:

A. Literary analysis
B. Language typology
C. Foreign language pronunciation teaching.
D. Corpus-based grammar comparison

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 7: Morphology in Contrastive Linguistics

1. Morphology studies:
A. The structure and formation of words
B. Sentence structure and word order
C. Sound patterns in languages
D. Language usage in social contexts

2. In morphology, an inflectional morpheme is one that:

A. Changes the lexical meaning of a word
B. Indicates grammatical information without changing word class
C. Combines two words into a compound
D. Marks pragmatic meaning like politeness

3. A derivational morpheme typically:

A. Changes the meaning or word class of a base word
B. Marks tense or number only
C. Has no impact on meaning
D. Only appears in compound nouns

4. Which of the following is NOT a typical focus of contrastive morphological

analysis?
A. Affixation patterns
B. Root morpheme comparisons
C. Sentence intonation
D. Word formation processes

5. Krzeszowski points out that one challenge in contrastive morphology is:

A. The universality of inflectional paradigms
B. The lack of morphological variation across languages
C. Structural differences in morphological complexity and transparency
D. The complete similarity in word formation between unrelated languages

6. Which type of morphology deals with the combination of two or more words
into a single form?
A. Inflectional morphology
B. Derivational morphology
C. Compounding
D. Phonological morphology

7. According to Krzeszowski, morphological contrast is important for:

A. Understanding syntactic differences only
B. Explaining lexical borrowing
C. Predicting learner difficulties in language acquisition
D. Phonetic transcription

8. Which morphological process is most likely to cause problems for second

language learners?
A. Compounding
B. Inflectional paradigms that differ significantly from their native language
C. Reduplication, when absent in the learner’s first language
D. Both B and C

9. Which of the following is an example of an inflectional morpheme in English?

A. -ness (happiness)
B. -ed (walked)
C. -un (undo)
D. re- (redo)

10. Krzeszowski suggests that morphological contrastive studies benefit most

from:
A. Ignoring syntax and semantics
B. Detailed paradigmatic descriptions and comparison
C. Focus on spoken language only
D. Universal grammar only

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 8: Syntax in Contrastive Linguistics

1. Syntax studies:
A. The sound system of languages
B. The rules governing sentence structure and word order
C. The meaning of words and phrases
D. Language use in social contexts
2. One of the main goals of syntactic contrastive analysis is to:
A. Compare phonemic inventories
B. Identify similarities and differences in sentence patterns
C. Analyze word meanings in isolation
D. Study historical language change

3. Which of the following is an example of syntactic contrast?

A. Differences in the position of adjectives in English and Spanish
B. Variation in vowel length
C. Use of polite pronouns
D. Morphological derivation of verbs

4. The term constituent in syntax refers to:

A. A minimal phoneme in a word
B. A unit that functions as a single part of a sentence
C. A cultural expression
D. A lexical borrowing

5. Krzeszowski notes that syntax is especially challenging for learners because:

A. Syntax is identical in all languages
B. Syntax involves abstract hierarchical structures unfamiliar to learners
C. Syntax only affects spoken language
D. Syntax ignores semantics

6. Which syntactic phenomenon often differs notably between languages?

A. The order of subject, verb, and object (SVO vs. SOV)
B. The shape of vowels
C. The presence of definite articles
D. Lexical borrowing rates

7. In many languages, negation is expressed differently. This difference is an

example of:
A. Phonological contrast
B. Morphological contrast
C. Syntactic contrast
D. Semantic contrast

8. Which syntactic theory is most associated with hierarchical structure and phrase
structure rules?
A. Generative grammar
B. Functionalism
C. Structuralism
D. Pragmatics

9. According to Krzeszowski, the study of syntax in contrastive linguistics should

pay special attention to:
A. Word formation only
B. Sentence patterns, transformations, and subordination
C. Pronunciation differences
D. Lexical semantics

10. Syntactic contrastive studies can benefit foreign language teaching by:
A. Providing explicit rules for word order and sentence formation
B. Teaching phonetics exclusively
C. Focusing only on vocabulary lists
D. Avoiding complex sentence structures

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 9: Semantics in Contrastive Linguistics

1. Semantics studies:
A. The sound systems of languages
B. The meaning of words, phrases, and sentences
C. The structure of sentences
D. The cultural context of language use

2. One challenge in contrastive semantic analysis is:

A. Different phoneme inventories
B. The lack of universal semantic categories
C. Identical syntactic structures across languages
D. Similar morphological systems
3. Which term refers to words that sound alike but have different meanings?
A. Synonyms
B. Homophones
C. Antonyms
D. Homonyms

4. Semantic fields or domains help to:

A. Group words by phonetic features
B. Organize vocabulary by related meanings
C. Categorize sentence structures
D. Identify syntactic functions

5. Which of the following is a common source of semantic errors in language

learning?
A. Incorrect verb tense usage
B. False cognates (false friends)
C. Word order confusion
D. Phonetic interference

6. The difference between denotation and connotation involves:

A. Literal meaning vs. associated feelings or ideas
B. Phonetic vs. phonological aspects
C. Word formation vs. sentence formation
D. Syntax vs. morphology

7. Polysemy refers to:

A. Words with multiple related meanings
B. Words with opposite meanings
C. Words borrowed from other languages
D. Words that rhyme

8. Krzeszowski points out that semantic contrastive analysis is important for:

A. Teaching pronunciation
B. Understanding cross-linguistic differences in meaning
C. Analyzing phoneme distribution
D. Studying dialectal variation

9. Which semantic phenomenon is especially difficult to translate accurately?

A. Phonemes
B. Idioms and metaphors
C. Verb inflections
D. Sentence negation

10. Contrastive semantics contributes to language teaching by:

A. Providing a list of sound contrasts
B. Clarifying potential areas of misunderstanding in word meaning
C. Teaching syntactic transformations
D. Focusing on orthographic rules

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 10: Pragmatics in Contrastive Linguistics

1. Pragmatics studies:
A. The structure of sentences
B. Language use in context and meaning beyond literal interpretation
C. Sound patterns in speech
D. Word formation and morphology

2. One major focus of contrastive pragmatics is:

A. Comparing phoneme inventories
B. Analyzing speech acts and conversational implicatures across languages
C. Studying sentence syntax
D. Examining inflectional morphology

3. Which of the following is an example of a speech act?

A. A phoneme
B. A question or request
C. A morpheme
D. A sentence fragment

4. Pragmatic differences between languages can lead to:

A. Identical syntactic structures
B. Misunderstandings in intercultural communication
C. Universal semantic fields
D. Same intonation patterns

5. The concept of politeness strategies in pragmatics refers to:

A. The morphological markers of respect
B. The ways speakers express respect and deference in communication
C. The phonological tone of voice
D. Word order in sentences

6. According to Krzeszowski, conversational implicature involves:

A. The explicit meaning of utterances
B. The implied meaning based on context and shared knowledge
C. The written form of language
D. Phonetic transcription

7. Which pragmatic feature varies greatly across cultures?

A. The use of definite articles
B. Non-verbal communication and gestures
C. Inflectional morphology
D. Word derivation

8. Contrastive pragmatics can help language learners:

A. Avoid pragmatic errors in social interactions
B. Master phonetic transcription
C. Memorize vocabulary lists
D. Ignore cultural context

9. Krzeszowski emphasizes that pragmatic contrastive analysis requires attention

to:
A. Only written language
B. Both linguistic forms and social context
C. Only dictionary definitions
D. Phonetic differences exclusively
10. Which of the following is an example of a pragmatic phenomenon?
A. Word order variation
B. Use of irony or sarcasm
C. Prefixation and suffixation
D. Vowel length distinction

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 11: Contrastive Linguistics and Language

Teaching
1. One primary goal of contrastive linguistics in language teaching is to:
A. Develop new phonetic alphabets
B. Predict learner errors and difficulties
C. Create universal grammar rules
D. Standardize orthographies

2. The error analysis approach in language teaching involves:

A. Identifying and explaining learner mistakes
B. Ignoring learner errors
C. Teaching only vocabulary
D. Avoiding contrastive analysis

3. Contrastive linguistics helps teachers by:

A. Providing detailed lists of phoneme correspondences
B. Highlighting potential areas of negative transfer from the native language
C. Focusing solely on translation accuracy
D. Replacing traditional grammar teaching

4. According to Krzeszowski, which of the following is a benefit of applying

contrastive linguistics in syllabus design?
A. Eliminating all language errors
B. Tailoring instruction to specific learner language backgrounds
C. Teaching only the target language without reference to the native language
D. Reducing cultural diversity in classrooms

5. Contrastive linguistics can inform the development of:

A. Pedagogical grammars and dictionaries
B. Historical language reconstructions
C. Phonological theory only
D. Purely theoretical linguistics

6. Which of the following is a limitation of contrastive linguistics in language

teaching?
A. It can oversimplify complex language phenomena
B. It always guarantees perfect learner performance
C. It ignores learner errors entirely
D. It replaces communicative teaching methods

7. The term negative transfer refers to:

A. When learners successfully apply native language rules
B. When native language habits interfere negatively with target language learning
C. The transfer of cultural norms only
D. A type of pronunciation error unrelated to native language

8. Contrastive linguistics assists in teaching:

A. Pronunciation only
B. Grammar and vocabulary with awareness of cross-linguistic differences
C. Only writing skills
D. Historical linguistics

9. Which approach does Krzeszowski caution against relying on exclusively?

A. Contrastive analysis without consideration of learner variability
B. Error analysis combined with learner feedback
C. Communicative language teaching
D. Using authentic materials

10. Overall, Krzeszowski views contrastive linguistics in language teaching as:

A. Irrelevant
B. A useful but not sole tool for understanding and improving language learning
C. A perfect solution
D. Obsolete in modern linguistics

Multiple Choice Questions – Chapter 12: The Scope and Future of Contrastive
Linguistics
1. According to Krzeszowski, the scope of contrastive linguistics primarily
includes:
A. Only phonological comparison
B. Multiple levels of language structure from phonology to pragmatics
C. Just syntax and semantics
D. Cultural studies exclusively

2. One future direction for contrastive linguistics is:

A. Ignoring sociolinguistic factors
B. Integrating corpus linguistics and computational methods
C. Focusing solely on prescriptive grammar rules
D. Eliminating pragmatic studies

3. Krzeszowski suggests that contrastive linguistics should:

A. Remain isolated from other linguistic disciplines
B. Collaborate with related fields such as psycholinguistics and language teaching
C. Concentrate only on traditional grammar
D. Disregard learner needs

4. One challenge for the future of contrastive linguistics is:

A. The uniformity of all languages
B. The vast diversity and complexity of languages and dialects
C. The simplicity of phonological systems
D. The lack of technology

5. Contrastive linguistics contributes to language typology by:

A. Ignoring structural differences
B. Documenting and explaining similarities and differences among languages
C. Creating universal vocabularies
D. Replacing traditional linguistics

6. The use of large language corpora in contrastive studies allows for:

A. Small-scale, anecdotal comparisons
B. Empirical, data-driven analyses of language use
C. Avoiding semantic analysis
D. Ignoring pragmatics

7. According to the chapter, contrastive linguistics can aid in:

A. Developing better machine translation systems
B. Eliminating all language variation
C. Replacing human language teachers
D. Preserving only written language forms

8. Which of the following is considered a multidimensional approach in contrastive

linguistics?
A. Studying phonology alone
B. Examining phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics together
C. Focusing solely on syntax and ignoring context
D. Using only translation equivalences

9. Krzeszowski envisions contrastive linguistics evolving by:

A. Rejecting interdisciplinary research
B. Embracing technology and expanding its applications
C. Sticking to traditional textbook methods
D. Avoiding empirical data

10. The chapter concludes that the future of contrastive linguistics is:
A. Limited and declining
B. Promising, with potential for broad interdisciplinary impact
C. Irrelevant to modern language studies
D. Focused only on historical linguistics