Crack It
Language and Linguistics Questions
Q1: What word for the catchment of a river is also the word for a bathroom sink?
Q2: What 'X' is the fear of foreigners or strangers?
Q3: What word means the order of lessons in schools and the running of trains and buses?
Q4: In the modern English alphabet which is the penultimate letter?
Q5: What word can mean touch-down of an aeroplane or the level floor between two staircases?
Q6: A person who earns just enough for basic needs is said to live 'hand to what?
Q7: What 'b' is another name for the American Buffalo?
Q8: What word for the past tense of 'rise' is also a widely cultivated flower?
Q9: Cantonese and Mandarin are languages which originated in which country?
Q10: Elderly people are described as being what in the tooth'?
Q11: What term for a young deer is also a light brown colour?
Q12: An annual event takes place how many times a year?
Q13: What word can mean a space-craft, a firework, and a severe reprimand?
Q14: The word 'tan' is an anagram of which insect?
Q15: What is the acronym for 'Double Income No Kids Yet'?
Q16: A centenary celebrates how many years of a particular event?
Q17: A performance that leads to tumultuous cheering is said to 'bring down the what?
Q18: What word is shared by the decorative display of flowers along the edge of a lawn, and a dividing line between two countries?
Q19: The word 'ape' is an anagram of which small vegetable?
Q20: When someone shows joy or elation they are said to be pleased as what?
Q21: A person who utters a string of obscenities is said to turn the air what colour?
Q22: What word that means 'to mutter' is the name of a seaside resort in Wales?
Q23: Which type of punishment shares its name with a rank in the army?
Q24: What word that means 'the same all over' is the name given to the clothes worn by the police and the armed services?
Q25: Which three-letter word means to cut grass?
Q26: What is the last letter of the Greek alphabet?
Q27: What letter in the English alphabet lies between P and R?
Q28: 'Bolster' is an anagram of which sea crustacean?
Q29: What ‘a’ is the name of this symbol ‘&’, which means ‘and’?
Q30: What is a singlet, a bachelor or a vest?
Q31: How many 'E's are there in 'argument'?
Q32: 'Achtung' is a word for warning in which European language?
Q33: Which three-letter word is known as 'the definite article'?
Q34: Which European language do the words Blitz, Kindergarten and Angst come from?
Q35: The name of which famous racehorse was the word 'murder' spelt backwards?
Q36: In what language, spoken in part of the United Kingdom, was the hymn 'Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer' originally written?
Q37: ‘Cancer stick’ is a British slang phrase for what?
Q38: What ‘c’ is a British slang word for a person who is brain-dead from an injury or on a life-support machine?
Q39: What ‘c’ is a British slang word for a poorly educated person, often used nowadays in the UK to describe young anti-social people?
Q40: What ‘c’ is a British slang word for ‘good-bye’?
Q41: In the slang phrase ‘It is dead hot in here’, the word dead means
a. slightly b. extremely c. unexpectedly d. inexplicably
Q42: What ‘d’ is a British slang word meaning ‘to cheat someone or lie to them’?
Q43: In colloquial English, what word precedes ‘head’ to form a phrase meaning a clever and intelligent person?
Q44: What ‘f’ is a British slang word for cigarette?
Q45: ‘Goggle Box’ is a slang British phrase for what widely used telecommunication medium?
Q46: ‘Foldable stuff’ is a slang British phrase for what?
Q47: In expressions, which parts of the body are people said to put up when they have a rest and are rushed off when they are busy?
Q48: The idiomatic expression that means not to allow somebody to become too friendly with you is to keep somebody at what length?
Q49: What word precedes flint to make a compound word that means ‘miserly person’?
Q50: If something is very strange or unusual, it can be said to be like nothing on which planet?
Q51: To go bananas is to become
a. extremely angry b. sedated c. baffled d. suspicious
Q52: The expression used as a jocular name for money is filthy what?
Q53: Where should one go to find the ‘ablative absolute’?
a. a book of Latin grammar
b. a film by visionary German director Fritz Lang
c. an Irish monastery
d. a plastic surgeon
Q54: What 'P' is the Spanish word for 'quick' and is used in English to mean 'at once'?
Q55: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. a metrical unit with a varying number of syllables, one of which bears a main stress
b. a unit of length, one third of a yard
Q56: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. a box or a coffer
b. part of an animal’s body that is enclosed by the ribs
Q57: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. the sharp explosive cry of a dog
b. the tough exterior covering of a woody root or stem
Q58: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. a young tree, shrub, vegetable, etc
b. machines used in industry
Q59: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. a portable timepiece designed to be worn on the wrist or carried in the pocket
b. the act of keeping awake to guard, protect, or attend
Q60: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. an embossed or impressed mark issued by a government office and placed on a deed, bill of exchange, etc as evidence of payment of tax
b. to bring down one’s foot heavily to crush something, especially as an expression of anger
Q61: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. a small uncultivated area adjoining or enclosed by a house or other building; or the garden of a private house
b. a staff; a stick; a rod
Q62: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. a pause; a halt
b. a raised platform for a speaker
Q63: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. any of various large usually entirely glossy black passerine birds
b. a member of an American Indian people of the region between the Platte and Yellowstone rivers
Q64: Double meaning: what word means both of the following?
a. any of the relatively broad flat usually green outgrowths of a vascular plant
b. a layer of fat inside an animal, especially that surrounding the kidneys of a pig
Q65: What is the fifth letter of the modern English alphabet?
Q66: What French word meaning again is often shouted at the end of a concert?
Q67: According to the Webster’s Dictionary, the bottom of the sea is often referred to as whose locker?
Q68: What name of the current events can be formed by the first letter of each of the four points on a compass?
Q69: A person who achieves something by a very narrow margin is said to have done it by the skin of their what?
Q70: The opposite of the word 'bolster' is
a. infect b. compound c. unite d. generate e. undermine
Q71: Complete each of the following with one word to come up with a reduplicative compound:
a. willy-
b. shilly-
c. wishy-
d. hocus-
e. tittle-
Q72: The name of the American state Colorado comes from Spanish, which means what colour?
Q73: What is the full name of the British physician who wrote Roget's Thesaurus?
Q74: The English word antonym can be split into two components, 'anto', which is Greek meaning opposite, and 'nym', which is Greek meaning what?
Q75: Choose the correct linguistic term to complete the sentence.
Daffodil, tulip, rose, and pansy are all ______ of the word flower.
a. synonyms b. antonyms c. hyponyms d. sememes
Q76: The sentence 'I like my mother and beef' is an example of:
a. ungrammaticality b. redundancy
c. antonomasia d. faulty parallelism
Q77: What 'p' is the professional euphemistically referred to as sanitary engineer?
Q78: What 't' is the word that collectively refers to words, topics, etc that are prohibited in polite conversation?
Q79: The sentence below has two blanks, each blank indicating that a word has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five sets of words. Choose the set of words where the first word goes into the first blank and the second word into the second blank to come up with a full meaningful sentence.
'The sparring of the two lawyers appeared ______; however, it is well known that, outside the courtroom, the friendship between the two is ______.'
a. pointless…cooperative
b. hostile…obvious
c. lighthearted…abrogated
d. heightened…concealed
e. brilliant…precluded
Q80: The sentence below has two blanks, each blank indicating that a word has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five sets of words. Choose the set of words where the first word goes into the first blank and the second word into the second blank to come up with a full meaningful sentence.
'In radio, a morning broadcasting time often ______ a larger and more ______ audience and, thus, one that is more appealing to advertisers of expensive products.'
a. demands…attractive
b. denotes…agreeable
c. indicates…prosperous
d. overlooks…practical
e. encourages…widespread
Q81: In language, some expressions such as at this point in time and every Tom, Dick, and Harry have been overused so profligately that they have become trite, hackneyed expressions. What are these expressions called in linguistics?
Q82: /ˈbi:tl/ is the phonemic transcription of which of these words?
a. bottle b. battle c. beetle d. bail
Q83: /fɪˈnes/ is the phonemic transcription of which of these words?
a. fins b. fines c. finis d. finesse
Q84: In American English and some other dialects (but not in RP), which letter in the word water may be pronounced as a flap (i.e. /ɾ/) in rapid, spontaneous speech?
Q85: Which of the three phonemes comprising the possessive pronoun his (/h/, /ɪ/, and /z/) is likely to be dropped in rapid speech?
Q86: In which of the following words does the sound /t/ utterly lack aspiration in RP?
a. top b. tuna c. stop d. batter
Q87: What 'm' is the name of a communicative interaction in which a person is speaking to a silent audience?
Q88: Add a tag question to the following statement:
I'm quite capable of surmounting this obstacle, ______?
Q89: Add a tag question to the following statement:
No one is absent today, ______?
Q90: How would the word parlour be normally spelt in American English?
Q91: What is the usual General American spelling of aeroplane?
Q92: Which syllable in the trisyllabic word cigarette receives the primary stress in RP?
Q93: In cars and many other road vehicles, the wing mirrors are the two rear-view mirrors fitted on both sides of the vehicle. What is a wing mirror called in American English?
Q94: In British English, what preposition precedes weekend in the following sentence to mean the speaker intends to meet Jack during, not before or after, the weekend?
'I'll see Jack ______ the weekend.'
Q95: In linguistics, the sentence I don't know nothing is an example of:
a. double negative b. repetition
c. tabooness d. tautology
Q96: Tyneside, the area around the River Tyne in NE England and dominated by Newcastle, has a wide range of dialect features often summed up in the label Geordie. What is the Standard British English equivalent of the following sentence from Geordie English?
Ye divent knaa, div ye?
Q97: In the pronunciation of the word Britain, what is the sound that is usually a syllabic consonant?
Q98: In RP, which of the following words, uttered in isolation, is more likely than the others to contain a fully voiced /b/ sound?
a. boy b. bleak c. abacus d. dab
Q99: What is the phonetic VPM name of the sound commonly heard in the Scottish words loch and night, for which the IPA symbol is /x/?
Q100: What is the name of the language, of which Modern Welsh is a direct descendant, that was spoken throughout most of Britain before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon invaders?
Q101: Aussie is a colloquial word for what?
Q102: In which of the following words is the voiceless palatal fricative, for which the IPA symbol is /ç/, is likely to be heard?
a. huge b. howl c. hide d. haze
Q103: Which of these words contains a triphthong in RP?
a. fear b. fight c. fur d. fire
Q104: In linguistics, describing language as it is actually used is called descriptivism. Describing language as it should be used, irrespective of how it is really used, is called what?
Q105: In a sentence like: I went to the gym to see Margaret, but she wasn't there,
the pronoun she refers to Margaret. What 'a' is the technical grammatical term for the noun to which a pronoun refers?
Q106: Which of the following scientific terms means 'within a living organism'?
a. in situ
b. in vacuo
c. in vivo
d. in vitro
Q107: Why is the following sentence ungrammatical?
I'm understanding the reason why Rebecca keeps Mark at arm's length.
Q108: In the last thirty years or so, people have noticed that a new accent, a mixture of RP and London accent, is beginning to emerge in the London-Oxford-Cambridge triangle and in some other parts of England. This variety was named what English by David Rosewarne in 1984?
Q109: In the left-hand column is a list of phrasal verbs. In the right-hand column are their meanings set at random. Match each phrasal verb with its one-word synonym.
1. go on a. quit
2. give up b. deceive
3. put off c. pretend
4. set out d. suggest
5. take in e. continue
6. find out f. postpone
7. look into g. investigate
8. put forward h. start
Q110: What 'b' is the French phrase that is used in English and is said to someone before they start eating a meal, to tell them you hope they enjoy their meal?
Q111: Which indefinite article can immediately precede the noun hour?
Q112: If someone is penniless, that means s/he:
a. has been penalised b. is broke c. is ill d. hasn't got a pen
Q113: If an article or report is written by an unbiased writer who simply records bare facts without manipulating them, the writing is said to be objective. Otherwise, if the author models the facts or embellishes the report by adding his/her personal opinions or attitudes, the writing is said to be what?
Q114: What language has the largest number of speakers in the world?
Q115: Roughly, how many people speak English around the world as their mother tongue?
Q116: What is the colloquial British word for a Liverpudlian?
Q117: Lexicography is the science of compiling:
a. comics b. dictionaries c. magazines d. vocabulary quizzes
Q118: The modals should, ought to, and had better all impart the meaning of advice. In addition to imparting advice, what is the implication of had better?
Q119: What is the name given to a sum of money paid to someone to keep a secret?
Q120: The suffix –ling, as in duckling, is what type of suffix?
a. transitive suffix b. generative suffix
c. diminutive suffix d. cursive suffix
Q121: What is the name given to a sum of money paid for the release of a kidnapped relative or loved one?
Q122: If a lexeme is labelled obsolete in a dictionary, that means this lexeme is:
a. informal b. no longer in use c. offensive d. vulgar
Q123: What 's' is the Old English word for poet?
Q124: What is the colloquial British word for the British Pound Sterling?
Q125: What is the colloquial American word for dollar?
Q126: What is the plural of hoof?
Q127: What is the plural of roof?
Q128: What 'o' is the linguistic/literary term for a word whose pronunciation is the same as (or is predictive of) its meaning, e.g. hiss and buzz for the sounds of the snake and the bee, respectively?
Q129: What is the American equivalent of pavement?
Q130: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb form?
a. He lied on bed.
b. He lay on bed.
c. He laid on bed.
Q131: If someone takes something to a place where there is already a huge supply of it, they are said to be taking coals to which English city?
Q132: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb form?
a. The criminal was hanged to death.
b. The criminal was hung to death.
c. The criminal was hunged to death.
Q133: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct noun?
a. I bought this pen at the stationery at the corner.
b. I bought this pen at the stationary at the corner.
Q134: What 'c' is an adjective meaning 'of, related to, or resembling' dogs?
Q135: What is the name of the science that is concerned with the study of the sound system of language and how sounds are combined together to make words?
Q136: When the British say the Continent, which part of the world are they referring to?
Q137: What is a rhotic accent?
Q138: What is the word that has the two following meanings?
1. a piece of furniture with shelves and drawers or doors, used for storing or showing things, and
2. the most important ministers of a government, who meet as a group to make decisions or to advise the head of the government.
Q139: Which of the following sentences is most natural?
a. She decorated herself with jewels.
b. She adorned herself with jewels.
c. She embellished herself with jewels.
d. She garnished herself with jewels.
Q140: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct adjective?
a. The argument must be settled by someone who is uninterested.
b. The argument must be settled by someone who is disinterested.
Q141: What is the name of the typical British bus with two levels?
Q142: Breathalyse is a blend of what two words?
Q143: In grammar, the pluperfect tense is an obsolete term for which verb tense?
Q144: What is the expression used to refer to a woman who is attractive but stupid?
Q145: What is the name of a short humorous poem with five lines and that has little or no real thematic value?
Q146: What is the silent letter in this word: doubt?
Q147: In punctuation, what is the name of the space at the beginning of a new paragraph?
Q148: Which of these sentences uses the correct causal expression?
a. His absence was due to the storm.
b. His absence was owing to the storm.
Q149: Which of these sentences has the correct word order?
a. Are you sure he's enough old?
b. Are you sure he's old enough?
Q150: Which of these sentences uses the right word?
a. The year 2004 witnessed Poland's entry into the EU.
b. The year 2004 witnessed Poland's entrance into the EU.
Q151: Which of these sentences uses the right word?
a. Missing the target was due to an error of judgement.
b. Missing the target was due to a mistake of judgement.
Q152: What is the name of the small round house made of ice where the Inuit (or Eskimos) live?
Q153: What is the name of the female sheep? (Hint: it sounds exactly like the pronunciation of a letter in the English alphabet.)
Q154: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. By working hard, you give an example to your colleagues.
b. By working hard, you set an example to your colleagues.
Q155: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. I'm looking forward to hear from you.
b. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Q156: What is the name of a large family where the parents, children, grandparents, and cousins all live together?
Q157: Which of the following sentences is correct?
a. For farther information, write to the above address.
b. For further information, write to the above address.
Q158: Which of these sentences is quite formal?
a. She's rather fat.
b. She's rather obese.
Q159: How many letters are there in the English alphabet?
Q160: Which of these two letters comes before the other in the English alphabet: D or G?
Q161: In American English, what is the name of the common portable device that enables us to communicate?
Q162: What is an au pair girl?
Q163: NIMBY is an acronym for what?
Q164: "Attire" is a formal word for what?
Q165: Which of these two letters comes after the other in the English alphabet, F or I?
Q166: If you're always trying to please your boss and he likes you more than any of your colleagues, your colleagues may start calling you the boss's what boy?
Q167: Name 4 countries in which English is the official language.
Q168: How many morphemes is the word unbelievable made up of?
Q169: In phonetics, what does the abbreviation RP stand for?
Q170: What is the colloquial British expression for the BBC?
Q171: Which of the following sentences is correct?
a. The accident was caused by excessive fastness.
b. This jumper is of a good quality because of colour fastness.
Q172: Which of the following sentences is more natural?
a. I felt lonely over there because I had few friends.
b. I felt lonely over there because I had a few friends.
Q173: The bottom floor of a building is called the first floor in American English. What is it called in British English?
Q174: What are trouble-makers at football matches called?
Q175: Which of these sentences means you can travel without paying any money?
a. You can travel free with this special ticket.
b. You can travel freely with this special ticket.
Q176: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. They demanded that the hostages are released.
b. They demanded that the hostages were released.
c. They demanded that the hostages be released.
Q177: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. Because of his strenuous efforts to increase the company's turnover, the new manager gained the respect of his staff.
b. Because of his strenuous efforts to increase the company's turnover, the new manager earned the respect of his staff.
Q178: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. The Friends of the Earth Society is gathering signatures for a petition.
b. The Friends of the Earth Society is collecting signatures for a petition.
Q179: What is the plural of ox?
Q180: Which of the following sentences is more common?
a. Have you ever been to Paris?
b. Have you ever gone to Paris?
Q181: The phrase your Excellency is often used as a formal and decorous way of addressing an ambassador. What is the phrase that is used to address a king?
Q182: What is the technical linguistic term for the subject it in the following sentence?
'It is essential to address the global warming issue before it is too late.'
Q183: Which of these sentences reveals the speaker's animosity to the mine-workers?
a. Fortunately, only few mine-workers died in the explosion.
b. Unfortunately, only few mine-workers died in the explosion.
Q184: Which of these sentences means that David burned to death?
a. David died soon after he caught fire.
b. David died soon after he got fired.
Q185: In medicine, a cutaneous disease is a disease in which part of the body?
Q186: What is the American equivalent of the British word childminder?
Q187: The popular sport that Americans call football is called what in British English?
Q188: The popular sport that the British call football is called what in American English?
Q189: In language, a result that is certain is called a what conclusion?
Q190: A light-fingered person is one who is likely to
a. cheat b. kill c. steal d. be light-weight
Q191: In punctuation, a full stop is a dot that marks the end of a sentence. What is the full stop called in American English?
Q192: A product that is made in such a way as to make it look like the original product and which is of a poorer quality is called a what product?
Q193: In British English, an idiomatic expression that means to refuse to talk to someone to show disapproval is to send him/her to which English county?
Q194: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct adverb?
a. I beheld a deer running graciously through the woods.
b. I beheld a deer running gracefully through the woods.
Q195: Which of the following sentences is most natural?
a. When will the wedding happen?
b. When will the wedding occur?
c. When will the wedding take place?
Q196: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. The game had no sooner begun when it started to rain.
b. No sooner had the game begun than it started to rain.
c. No sooner the game had begun than it started to rain.
Q197: What is the technical, euphemistic term for the painless killing of people who are incurably ill?
Q198: What is the name of a picture-like sign which represents a word, especially in the writing system of ancient Egypt?
Q199: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct adjective?
a. We had a nice cruise on a high ship.
b. We had a nice cruise on a tall ship.
Q200: In the UK, what is the name of a fast road with two or three lanes in each direction and which connects big cities?
Q201: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct adjective?
a. The long-awaited peace deal is going to be a historic event?
b. The long-awaited peace deal is going to be a historical event?
Q202: Which of the following sentences is more natural?
a. Our new house is beginning to look more like a real home.
b. Our new home is beginning to look more like a real house.
Q203: In the English alphabet, which of the following letters comes before letter h? e, p, n, i
Q204: What are the two letters in the English alphabet each of which has the same pronunciation as that of an English personal pronoun?
Q205: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct adverb?
a. She was seriously hurt by his unkind words.
b. She was deeply hurt by his unkind words.
Q206: In British English, the phrase I feel sick is a reference to a malfunction in which part of the body?
Q207: A cheeky child is one who
a. is impolite b. is naughty c. is well-behaved d. has got ruddy cheeks
Q208: Incarceration is a rather formal word for
a. acquittal b. conviction c. imprisonment
Q209: What is the British equivalent of the following American phrase?
Monday through Friday
Q210: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. Please ensure that the lights are switched off before leaving the building.
b. Please insure that the lights are switched off before leaving the building.
c. Please assure that the lights are switched off before leaving the building.
Q211: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct collocate?
a. Her political career began 20 years ago.
b. Her political occupation began 20 years ago.
c. Her political vocation began 20 years ago.
Q212: The origin of the word Welsh, which the Germanic invaders used to refer to the native Celts, is wealas. What did wealas mean in the language of the invaders?
Q213: What is the name of the alphabet in which Old English was first written?
Q214: What word meaning young goat is also used to refer informally to a child?
Q215: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct noun?
a. After a week in space, the spacecraft returned to Earth.
b. After a week in space, the spacecraft returned to the ground.
c. After a week in space, the spacecraft returned to land.
Q216: A jingoistic person is one who unreasonably believes that one's country is:
a. better than all others b. worse than all others
Q217: The verb leap has two possible past-tense forms: leaped and leapt. One of these forms is commoner in British English, and the other is commoner in American English. Which is which?
Q218: Which of the following sentences is more polite/formal?
a. Do you want a cup of coffee?
b. Would you like a cup of coffee?
Q219: Cuppa or cupper is a colloquial word for what?
Q220: Which of the following sentences means that Mrs Capelli is the children's mother?
a. Like their mother, Mrs Capelli talked to the children with an air of authority.
b. As their mother, Mrs Capelli talked to the children with an air of authority.
Q221: An omnivorous animal is one that eats:
a. plant food b. animal food c. both plant and animal food
Q222: Which of the following sentences is more natural?
a. I wouldn't like to live in such a little house.
b. I wouldn't like to live in such a small house.
Q223: Which of the following sentences is most natural?
a. On my visit to England last summer, I inhabited Cambridge for a couple of days.
b. On my visit to England last summer, I lived in Cambridge for a couple of days.
c. On my visit to England last summer, I stayed in Cambridge for a couple of days.
Q224: The Scouse accent is a colloquial British term for the accent spoken in which English city?
Q225: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct preposition?
a. Bread is made from flour and water.
b. Bread is made of flour and water.
Q226: What are the names given to the meat of sheep?
Q227: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct past participle form of the verb melt?
a. She spread melted butter on the sandwich.
b. She spread molten butter on the sandwich.
Q228: If someone is said to be talking a mile a minute, they are talking:
a. very fast b. very slowly c. very loudly
Q229: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. A crossroads is where roads mix.
b. A crossroads is where roads merge.
c. A crossroads is where roads mingle.
Q230: A Moses basket is a type of basket with handles, in which a baby can sleep and be carried. What is this basket called in American English?
Q231: In language, if someone is said to be in queer street, that means s/he is:
a. in debt b. having a great time c. dead
Q232: In writing, what does the abbreviation 'i.e.' mean?
Q233: In writing, what is the Latin phrase that the abbreviation 'e.g.', which means for example, stands for?
Q234: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct adjective?
a. The next meeting will take place in the close future.
b. The next meeting will take place in the near future.
Q235: Which of the following is correct?
a. I didn't need to put on the thick coat. That's why I didn't.
b. I needn't have put on the thick coat. That's why I didn't.
Q236: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. Mary never goes to church; neither does her husband.
b. Mary never goes to church; so does her husband.
Q237: In which of these sentences is Sue's habit most frequent?
a. Sue often eats out at a restaurant.
b. Sue sometimes eats out at a restaurant.
c. Sue usually eats out at a restaurant.
Q238: Nipper is a colloquial British word for what?
Q239: In phonetics, an intervocalic consonant is a consonant that occurs in which phonetic environment?
Q240: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. £25 is too much to pay.
b. £25 are too much to pay.
Q241: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. Butter liquefies in heat.
b. Butter liquidates in heat.
Q242: What is the feminine equivalent of tiger?
Q243: Which of the following sentences is most polite?
a. The club is run by an ancient lady.
b. The club is run by an elderly lady.
c. The club is run by an old lady.
Q244: Which of the following phrases suggests that the book is probably more formal and scientific?
a. A Book About Rabbits
b. A Book On Rabbits
Q245: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. Water is still dripping from the tap. Please close it firmly.
b. Water is still dripping from the tap. Please turn it off firmly.
c. Water is still dripping from the tap. Please switch it off firmly.
Q246: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. According to the weather forecast, it is snowing tomorrow.
b. According to the weather forecast, it is going to snow tomorrow.
Q247: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. The doctor commanded me to rest for a week.
b. The doctor ordered me to rest for a week.
Q248: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. We still need another two bottles.
b. We still need other two bottles.
Q249: Which of the following sentences is more natural?
a. Everyone admires her because of her childish behaviour.
b. Everyone admires her because of her childlike behaviour.
Q250: What is the full name of the largest dictionary of the English language?
Q251: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. He bought a trouser.
b. He bought two trousers.
c. He bought three pairs of trousers.
Q252: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. She may be a singer.
b. She maybe a singer.
Q253: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. It's likely to happen.
b. It's probable to happen.
Q254: What is the linguistic term used to name such pronouns as myself, yourself, himself, etc?
Q255: In the word inconceivable, the root of the word, which is conceive, is a free morpheme. What type of morphemes are un and able?
Q256: The numerals 1, 2, 3, etc are called cardinal numerals. What are the numerals 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc called?
Q257: Following are the IPA symbols for four RP sounds. Odd one out:
/s/ /z/ /tʃ/ /ɡ/
Q258: Which of these sentences means that Stuart put apples in the place of oranges?
a. Stuart replaced apples with oranges.
b. Stuart substituted apples for oranges.
Q259: Which form of pronunciation is almost always shown in British dictionaries?
Q260: In language, something that is done on the spur of the moment is something that is carried out:
a. hurriedly b. without planning c. meticulously
Q261: The 'negative' prefix that can be attached to stable is un: unstable. What is the 'negative' prefix that can be attached to stability?
Q262: Which of the following sentences makes use of the correct verb?
a. I can't find my purse. I am robbed.
b. I can't find my purse. I am stolen.
Q263: What is the usual French equivalent of the word yes?
Q264: In definitions, the word numerate specifically refers to people who have a basic understanding of which subject?
Q265: In the 17th century, European and Chinese traders developed a business language now known as what?
Q266: What is the usual British pronunciation of the letter of the alphabet that the Americans call /zi:/?
Q267: The pronoun we as used by a monarch, especially in formal pronouncements and declarations, is sometimes jocularly called the what we?
Q268: In language, which word meaning 'next to the first' is also the name of a unit of time?
Q269: According to the expression describing the behaviour of a person that is contrary to natural behaviour is to go against the what?
Q270: What is the two-word term for a language used between peoples whose main languages are different?
Q271: In language, one who is ungrateful for a gift may be said to have looked a gift-horse in the what?
Q272: In RP pronunciation, which 'r' in the word rapture, uttered in isolation, won't be heard, the first or the second one?
Q273: In language, which of these is a palindrome: kayak or canoe?
Q274: A pig-headed person is one who is:
a. recalcitrant b. docile c. timorous
Q275: In English spelling, when 'p' and 'h' are written together in a word, they usually represent the same sound as which other letter?
Q276: Phrases used especially by the Cockneys in London which do not mean literally what they say but something else they rhyme with, e.g. plates of meat for feet, are called rhyming what?
Q277: In addition to prefixes and suffixes, what is the third type of affix that can be found in some languages other than English?
Q278: Morphologically, what is the stem of the word workability?
Q279: Which of the following sentences is grammatical?
a. That's very impossible.
b. That's absolutely impossible.
c. That's much impossible.
Q280: In articulatory phonetics, bilabial sounds are those produced when which two articulators get in contact with each other?
Q281: A variety of language which is different from others in pronunciation only is an accent, whereas a variety of a language which is different from others not only in pronunciation but also in such matters as vocabulary, grammar, spelling and word-order is called what?
Q282: In phonetics, what is the name of the sound produced when the vocal folds are tightly closed?
Q283: The phonological rule that dictates that a vowel be shortened when it precedes a voiceless consonant is called what clipping?
Q284: What is the IPA symbol of the initial sound in the word human in RP?
Q285: Which letter in the word modern can be a syllabic consonant?
Q286: The rhotic sound that may be inserted casually by a speaker of British English between the word Africa and the word and in the phrase Africa and Asia is called what?
Q287: In phonetics, what is the term for a sound which consists of a movement or glide from one vowel to another?
Q288: In phonetics, what is the term for a group of two or more consonants without an intervenient vowel between them?
Q289: Determine the words that begin with an alveolar consonant:
a. Zink b. nip c. lip d. sip e. fib f. dip
Q290: Old English is alternatively called what?
Q291: What is the Modern word for Old-English eke?
Q292: The opposite of the verb hedge is
a. attack repeatedly
b. risk commitment
c. seek advantage
d. lose pressure
e. become interested
Q293: If something looks peculiarly and unpleasantly different from its surroundings, for example a very tall building in a small village, it can be said to be sticking out like a sore what?
Q294: Which boy's name follows smart to refer to someone who pretends to know everything?
Q295: In mobile phones, text messaging is abbreviated as SMS, which stands for what?
Q296: What is the name of a specialised dictionary that gives the synonyms and sometimes also antonyms of words but does not necessarily provide definitions?
Q297: What is the term for a (usually accidental) transposition of the initial sounds, or other parts, of two or more spoken words, such as fighting liars from lighting fires?
Q298: Match each of the following loan words with the language from which the English language borrowed it. More than one word can go with one language.
assassin Arabic
shalom Hebrew
bazaar Congolese
kangaroo Algonquian
chipmunk Inupiaq
bungalow Finnish
sauna Old Norse
ombudsman Spanish
safari Hindi
barbecue Aboriginal Australian
igloo Turkish
wigwam
marimba
zero
shish kebab
Q299: In the English teaching profession, what does the acronym TESOL stand for?
Q300: What is the currently out-of-use English word for library?
Q301: The word felicity, which means happiness, originates from which language?
Q302: In morphology, the prefixes 'mal-' (as in maltreat), 'mis-' (as in mismanagement), and 'pseudo-' (as in pseudo-intellectual) usually add which of the following senses to the words that they are attached to?
a. negation b. reversal c. disparagement d. location and distance
Q303: Lexemes can be made to change their word-class by means of affixation. For example, write is a verb, whereas writer is a noun. But a different way of doing so is to use the same word in a different word-class from its usual class. For example, final is an adjective, which may also be used as a noun, as in the World Cup Finals. What is the latter process of changing word-class called?
Q304: What 'p' is the linguistic term coined by English writer Lewis Carroll for a new word in language that is a linguistic blend of words, created by combining parts of their phones (sounds), as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog?
Q305: The view that an earlier meaning of a lexeme, or its original meaning, is its 'true' or 'correct' meaning is sometimes referred to as the what fallacy?
Q306: Which of these sentences is grammatical?
a. We’ve arranged the talk to be held on Wednesday.
b. We’ve arranged for the talk to be held on Wednesday.
c. We’ve arranged the talk to be hold on Wednesday.
Q307: Add a tag question to the following statement:
Nobody was watching me, ?
Q308: Which of these sentences is grammatical?
a. Do you need work so hard?
b. Need you work so hard?
c. Do you to need to work so hard?