SEMANTICS MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. Which of the followings is CORRECT about Linguistics?

a. Linguistics is the study of language meaning
b. Linguistics is the study of English
c. Linguistics is the study of all dialects
d. Linguistics is the study of language
2. Which of the followings does not belong to LINGUISTICS?
a. language skills c. semantics
b. phonology d. pragmatics
3. Which of the followings is CORRECT about Semantics?
a. Semantics is the study of language use
b. Semantics is the study of language
c. Semantics is the study of language meaning
d. Semantics is an independent subject
4. Which of the followings is CORRECT about Pragmatics?
a. Pragmatics is the study of language
b. Pragmatics is the study of language use
c. Pragmatics is an independent subject
d. Pragmatics is the study of language meaning
5. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. The objective of semantics is the literal meaning of language
b. The objective of linguistics is the meaning of language
c. The objective of semantics is the speaker’s meaning
d. The objective of semantics is the non-literal meaning of language
6. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. Pragmatics studies the relationship between language and objects
b. Pragmatics studies the relationship between language and the user
c. Pragmatics studies the speaker’s meaning
d. Pragmatics studies how and what for the speaker uses the language
7. Which of the following statements is TRUE about sentence?
a. A sentence is a group of words grammatically linked to convey a
complete meaning
b. A sentence is a group of words containing a finite verb
c. A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and a verb
d. A sentence is a group of words consisting of one clause
8. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about utterance?
a. The meaning of an utterance is the sum of meanings of the
constituent words
b. An utterance is context bound
c. The meaning of an utterance depends on the situation in which it is
uttered
d. An utterance is a sentence said in a particular situation

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 9. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. It makes sense to talk of the time and place of an utterance
b. It makes sense to talk of the time and place of a sentence
c. It doesn’t make sense to talk of a loud sentence
d. It makes sense to talk of a true sentence or utterance
10. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. The pragmatic meaning is the linguistic meaning
b. The meaning of an utterance is context – bound
c. The semantic meaning is out of context
d. The meaning of a sentence is context - free
11. The following pair: Dr. Findlay caused Janet to die
Dr. Findlay killed Janet consists of:
a. 2 utterances; 2 propositions
b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 sentences; 2 propositions
d. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
12. The following pair: “Paul opened the door”
“The door was opened by Paul” consists of:
a. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 utterances; 2 propositions
d. 2 sentences; 2 propositions
13. The following pair: “Paul loves Mary”
“Mary loves Paul” consists of:
a. 2 utterances; 2 propositions
b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 sentences; 2 propositions
d. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
14. The following pair: They loaded hay onto the truck
They loaded the truck with hay
a. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
Not sure b. 2 sentences; 1 proposition
c. 2 sentences; 2 propositions
d. 2 utterances; 1 proposition
15. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. The pragmatic meaning can be defined by the sum of semantic
features
b. The semantic meaning of a word can be analyzed into semantics
components
c. The same semantic property can be found in the meaning of
different words
d. Semantic features are the smallest units of meaning in a word
16. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

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 a. A lexical field is a group of words sharing the same part of speech
b. A semantic field is a family of words that share the same semantic
feature
c. There are different ways to organize semantically related words
into lexical field
not sure
d. A lexical field is a group of semantically related words
17. Which of the following semantic features does not belong to “cat”?
a. [+domestic] not sure c. [+male]

b. [+animal] d. [+having a tail]

18. Which of the following semantic properties belongs to “dog”?
a. [+loyal] c. [+mature]
b. [+intellect] not sure
d. [+female]
19. The relationship between ‘bachelor’ and ‘male’ is:
a. antonymy c. polysemy
b. synonymy d. hyponymy
20. The relationship between ‘cock’ and ‘male’ is:
a. hyponymy c. polysemy
b. synonymy d. antonymy
21. Which of the followings is not a type of reference?
a. referring expression c. constant reference
b. variable reference d. same reference
22. The type of reference in which the same expression is used to refer to
different objects is
a. constant reference c. variable reference
b. same reference d. no reference
23.The type of reference in which different expressions are used to refer
to the same object is
a. constant reference c. same reference
b. variable reference d. no reference
24. The type of reference in which the same expressions are used to refer
to the same object is
a. same reference c. constant reference
b. variable reference d. no reference
25. When an expression has a sense but does not refer to anything, it is
said to have
a. constant reference c. no reference
b. variable reference d. same reference
26. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. All words in a language can be used to refer but only some words
have sense
b. If 2 expressions have the same referent, they always have the same
sense

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not sure c. Sense is relationship between expressions and other expressions
which have the same meaning
d. Reference is the set of all objects which can potentially be referred
to by an expression
27. An expression used to refer to someone or something particular is a
a. referring expression c. constant reference
b. variable reference d. same reference
28. The underlined part in ‘the boy standing at the bus stop’ has
a. variable reference not sure c. constant reference
b. same reference d. no reference
29. The underlined part in ‘I saw a boy standing at a bus stop’ is
a. same reference c. constant reference
not sure b. referring expression d. no reference
30. The underlined part in ‘I survived from the air crash thanks to a
parachute’ is
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
31. The underlined part in ‘My sweetheart is a teacher’ is
a. a referring expression b. not a referring expression
32. The underlined part in ‘Silk Black is a famous singer from Tay
Nguyen’ is
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
33. The underlined part in ‘I’m looking for a car to buy’ is
a. not a referring expression b. a referring expression
34. The underlined part in ‘Yesterday, I bought a car in a showroom on
NH street’ is
a. not a referring expression b. a referring expression
35. The underlined part in ‘A boy was in here looking for you last night’
is
a. referring expression b. not a referring expression
36. The underlined part in ‘Paul fell off the horse, wounded by an arrow’
is
a. not a referring expression b. a referring expression
37. The underlined part in ‘You cannot kill a tiger with an arrow’ is
a. not a referring expression b. a referring expression
38. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. The denotative meaning of a word is the meaning that the speaker
wants to convey
b. The denotative meaning of a word can be described in terms of a
set of semantic features
c. The denotative meaning of a word describes an object, an event, a
state or an affair
d. The connotative meaning of a word is the implied meaning that
word has beyond its literal meaning

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 39. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
a. The connotative meaning of a word can be described in terms of a
set of semantic features
b. The connotative meaning of a word shows people’s emotions and
attitudes
c. The connotative meaning of a word is the meaning that the speaker
wants to convey
d. The connotative meaning of a word is the implied meaning that
word has beyond its literal meaning
40. Which of the followings is not a term used to describe denotative
meaning?
a. literal meaning c. additional meaning
b. referential meaning d. descriptive meaning
41. Which of the followings is not a term used to describe connotative
meaning?
a. descriptive meaning c. affective meaning
b. social meaning d. additional meaning
42. Which of the followings does not belong to the denotative meaning of
“woman”?
a. talkative c. human
b. female d. mature
43. Which of the followings does not belong to the connotative meaning
of “woman”?
a. female c. talkative
b. irrational d. devoted
44. Which of the followings does not belong to the denotative meaning of
“pig”?
a. animal c. hairy
b. domestic d. lazy
45. Which of the followings does not belong to the connotative meaning
of “pig”?
a. dirty c. stupid
b. greedy d. domestic
46. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. The semantic role of a word is the role performed by that word in
relation to the verb
b. The semantic role of a word is its grammatical function in the
sentence
not sure c. The semantic role of a word is its syntactic function in the sentence
47. The figure of speech used in “She has an ear for music” is
a. metonymy c. synecdoche
b. metaphor d. personification
48. The figure of speech used in “A disease has cut his breath” is

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 a. euphemism c. synecdoche
b. metaphor d. simile
49. The figure of speech used in “I’ll make him cut his words” is
a. personification c. synecdoche
b. metonymy d. metaphor
50. The figure of speech used in “Hearing the news, the tears stream
down her face” is
a. metaphor c. metonymy
b. euphemism d. personification
51. The figure of speech used in “He washed his hand out of the matter”
is
a. personification c. synecdoche
b. metonymy d. metaphor
52. The figure of speech used in “Why don’t you recognize the power of
the purse” is
a. metonymy c. personification
b. euphemism d. synecdoche
53. The figure of speech used in “He looks as though he hasn’t had a
square meal for months” is
a. metaphor c. metonymy
b. euphemism d. personification
54. The figure of speech used in “Research says that these methods are
best” is
a. metaphor c. metonymy
b. euphemism d. synecdoche
55. The figure of speech used in “He has a kind heart” is
a. synecdoche c. metaphor
b. metonymy d. personification
56. Figuratively, the sentence “Life is a dream” may mean
a. Life is fragile c. Life is short
b. Life is vulnerable d. Life is not true
57. Figuratively, the sentence “The man is a demon for work” may mean
a. The man is evil c. The man is workaholic
b. The man is energetic and works hard d. The man is lazy
58. Figuratively, the sentence “Spare the rod, spoil the child” may mean
a. You shouldn’t use the rod with children
b. You should punish children severely
c. You should punish the child when he does wrong, you’ll spoil his
character
d. You shouldn’t love children
59. Figuratively, the sentence “When the White House calls, the
ambassador comes at once” may mean
a. When the President calls, the ambassador comes at once

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 b. When the U.S President calls, the ambassador comes at once
c. When the Government calls, the ambassador comes at once
d. When the General Officer calls, the ambassador comes at once
60. Figuratively, the sentence “My dormitory room is like a cave” may
mean
a. My dormitory room is attractive
b. My dormitory room is small but cozy
c. My dormitory room is not modern
d. My dormitory room is small and uncomfortable
61. Figuratively, the sentence “the captain was in charge of 100 horses”
may mean
a. The captain was in charge of 100 cavalries
b. The captain has to take care of 100 horses
c. The captain needs 100 horses
d. The captain has got 100 horses
62. Figuratively, the sentence “You can depend on Paul; he is a rock
when trouble comes” may mean
a. Paul has strong nerves c. Paul is pitiless
b. Paul is indifferent d. Paul is honest
63. Figuratively, the sentence “He is so hardheaded that he won’t listen to
anyone” may mean
a. He is very courageous c. He is very intelligent
b. He has a very hard head d. He is very obstinate
64. Figuratively, the sentence “Right at this minute, I could drink a barrel
of water without stopping” may mean
a. I’m very thirsty and I can drink a lot of water
b. I need a barrel of water
c. I stop drinking water
d. I can bring a barrel of water for a minute without stopping
65. Figuratively, the sentence “It is amazing what a great mind he is” may
mean
a. I’m amazed by his intellectual power
b. He is open-minded
c. He has a very big head
d. He is not intelligent at all
66. Which of the followings is CORRECT?
a. An anomalous sentence is grammatically correct but breaks the
semantic rules
b. An anomalous sentence is syntactically incorrect
c. An anomalous sentence follows semantic rules
d. An anomalous sentence is ungrammatical
67. Which of the followings is CORRECT?

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 a. An anomalous sentence may be figuratively meaningful but
semantically nonsensical
b. An anomalous sentence is literally nonsensical but figuratively
understandable
c. An anomalous sentence has more than one meaning
d. An anomalous sentence is literally and figuratively nonsensical
68. A sentence that has more than one meaning is
a. analytic c. ambiguous
b. anomalous d. synthetic
69. A sentence that is always TRUE is
a. analytic c. anomalous
b. ambiguous d. synthetic
70. A sentence that is always FALSE
a. analytic c. contradictory
b. anomalous d. synthetic
71. A sentence that is a violation of semantic rules to create nonsense is
a. anomalous c. analytic
b. ambiguous d. synthetic
72. Semantically, the sentence “Christopher is killing phonemes” is
a. anomalous c. analytic
b. ambiguous d. synthetic
73. Semantically, the sentence “The pen is empty” is
a. contradictory c. analytic
b. ambiguous d. synthetic
74. Semantically, the sentence “Babies can lift one ton” is
a. synthetic c. analytic
b. ambiguous d. anomalous
75. Semantically, the sentence “My brother is a spinster” is
a. ambiguous c. analytic
b. contradictory d. synthetic
76. Figuratively, the sentence “James sliced ideas” is
a. metaphor c. anomalous
b. ambiguous d. personification
77. Semantically, the sentence “My brother is a bachelor” is
a. analytic c. synthetic
b. ambiguous d. anomalous
78. Semantically, the sentence “Puppies are animals” is
a. anomalous c. analytic
b. ambiguous d. synthetic
79. Semantically, the sentence “Bachelors are female” is
a. analytic c. contradictory
b. ambiguous d. synthetic
80. Semantically, the sentence “Bachelors are unmarried” is

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 a. analytic c. anomalous
b. ambiguous d. synthetic
81. Figuratively, the sentence “The sorrow is chewing my bones” is
a. contradictory c. anomalous
b. ambiguous d. personification
82. Figuratively, the sentence “Ly Duc is so strong that he can lift 2 tons”
is
a. personification c. metaphor
b. hyperbole d. simile
83. Figuratively, the sentence “Oh, my back is killing me” is
a. personification c. metaphor
b. ambiguous d. anomalous
84. The type of ambiguity in “Are the chickens ready to eat” is
a. functional c. grouping
b. lexical
85. The type of ambiguity in “Do you want to try on the dress in the
window” is
a. grouping c. functional
b. lexical
86. The type of ambiguity in “I understand money matters” is
a. grouping c. functional
b. lexical
87.The type of ambiguity in “He gave her dog meat” is
a. grouping c. functional
b. lexical d. a & c
88. The type of ambiguity in “Tristan left directions for Isolde to follow”
is
a. lexical c. functional
b. grouping
89. The type of ambiguity in “Is he really that kind?” is
a. functional c. lexical
b. grouping
90. The type of ambiguity in “This is not a Raphael’s painting” is
a. lexical c. functional
b. grouping d. a & c
91. The type of ambiguity in “The police are talking about Mr.
Thompson’s murder” is
a. grouping c. functional
b. lexical d. a & c
92. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “They are moving
sidewalks”?
a. They are walking on the sidewalks
b. These sidewalks are moveable

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 c. The streets are under repair
d. The sidewalks are moving
93. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “She is a
babysister”?
a. She is a sister c. This sister is a baby
b. She is a baby d. She likes babies
94. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “The man gave the
library books”?
a. The man is a librarian
b. The man borrowed books from the library
c. The man gave someone the books of the library
d. The man is a bookworm
95. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “Paula is a girl
hunter”?
a. Paula is a good hunter
b. Paula loves girls
c. Paula is going hunting with a girl
d. Paula’s job is hunting girls
96. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “My fiancée is
reserved”?
a. I am engaged c. My fiancée is kept only for me
b. My fiancée is married
97. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “The doctor made
them well”?
a. The doctor is very talented
b. The doctor made a well for them
c. The doctor made the patients healthy
d. The doctor is very good
98. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “I considered those
errors”?
a. I made a lot of mistakes c. I found may errors
b. I examined those errors d. I corrected the errors
99. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “Dick finally
decided on the boat”?
a. Finally, Dick had to decide on the boat
b. Dick decided on the boat finally
c. Dick finally made a decision about the boat
d. Dick finally decided to buy the boat
100. Which of the followings may be one meaning of “He passed the
hammer and saw through the window”?
a. He went past the window
b. He climbed through the window
c. He saw a hammer through the window

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 d. He passed the hammer and the saw through the window
101. Two words having the same or almost the same denotative
meanings are
a. homonyms c. synonyms
b. antonyms d. hyponyms
102. Two words having opposite meanings are
a. antonyms c. homonyms
b. synonyms d. hyponyms
103. Two words having the same sound but different spellings and
different meanings are
a. homophones c. homonyms
b. antonyms d. hyponyms
104. Two words having the same spelling but different sounds and
different meanings are
a. homonyms c. homographs
b. homophones d. hyponyms
105. Two words having the same sound, the same spellings but different
meanings are
a. homonyms c. homophones
b. antonyms d. hyponyms
106. A word having different but related meanings are
a. homographs c. homonyms
b. polysemous d. homophones
107. The relationship between ‘to flog & to whip’ is
a. synonymy c. homophony
b. antonymy d. polysemy
108. The relationship between ‘similar & different’ is … antonymy
a. relational c. complementary
b. non-gradable d. gradable
109. The relationship between ‘love & hate’ is … antonymy
a. gradable c. complementary
b. non-gradable d. relational
110. The relationship between ‘conceal & reveal’ is … antonymy
a. relational c. non-gradable
b. gradable d. converse
111. The relationship between ‘own & belong to’ is … antonymy
a. relational c. gradable
b. non-gradable d. complementary
112. The relationship between ‘lesser & lessee’ is … antonymy
a. non-gradable c. relational
b. gradable d. complementary
113. The relationship between ‘to wind & the wind’ is
a. homography c. synonymy

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 b. homophony d. polysemy
114. The relationship between ‘a bear & to bear’ is
a. homonymy c. homophony
b. homography d. polysemy
115. The relationship between the sentences in the following pair … is
i. Paul walked to school yesterday
ii. Paul went to school yesterday
a. entailment c. contradiction
b. paraphrase d. no relation
116. The relationship between the sentences in the following pair … is
A. “David did not steal a pound of beef”
B. “David did not take a pound of beef”
a. A entails B c. paraphrase
b. B entails A d. no relation
117. The relationship between the sentences “I saw a big mouse & I saw
an animal” is
a. entailment c. contradiction
b. paraphrase d. no relation
118. The relationship between the sentences “I saw a big mouse & I saw
a big animal” is
a. no relation c. contradiction
b. entailment d. paraphrase
119. The relationship between the sentences “John killed the lion & the
lion is still alive” is
a. paraphrase c. contradiction
b. entailment d. no relation
120. The relationship between the sentences “Paul teaches English at the
Community College for a living & Paul is a teacher” is
a. entailment c. contradiction
b. paraphrase d. no relation
121. The relationship between the sentences
A. “He took all the silver in my safe” & B. “He took everything in my
safe” is
a. A entails B c. paraphrase
b. B entails A d. no relation
122. The relationship between the sentences “Vera is an only child &
Paul is Vera’s brother” is
a. paraphrase c. contradiction
b. entailment d. no relation
123. The relationship between the sentences “It is hard to lasso
elephants & Elephants are hard to lasso” is
a. paraphrase c. contradiction
b. entailment d. no relation

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124. Which of the followings is TRUE?
a. A speech act is an action performed by an utterance
b. A speech act is an action performed by the speaker himself
c. A speech act is an action performed by someone
d. A speech act is a reported speech
125. Which of the followings is not a component of a speech act?
a. speech event c. perlocutionary effect
b. the speaker’s intent d. locutionary act
126. The illocutionary act is
a. the utterance of the speaker c. the speaker’s intent
b. the effect on the hearer
127. The locutionay act is
a. the act off making a meaningful utterance
b. the speaker’s purpose
c. the relation of the hearer to the speaker’s utterance
128. The percutionary act is
a. the reaction of the hearer to the speaker’s utterance
b. the act of making a meaningful utterance
c. the speaker’s purpose
129. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. the illocutionary act is context bound
b. the perlocutionary act depends totally on the speaker
c. the illocutionary act is context free
d. the illocutionary act is the linguistic meaning of the speaker’s
utterance
130. Which of the followings is not an element of a speech event?
a. semantic roles c. semantic relationships
b. participants d. setting
131. Which of the followings is not an element of a speech event?
a. syntactic functions c. tone
b. message d. characters
132. Which of the followings may be the illocutionary meaning of “I’m
very thirsty”?
a. Could you give me something to drink?
b. How about going out for a coffee?
c. Are you thirsty?
d. Would you like some drinks?
133. Which of the followings may be the illocutionary meaning of
“Would you mind opening the door?”
a. May I open the door?
b. Would you mind opening the door?
c. Could you open the door, please?
d. Do you want me to open the door for you?

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134. Which of the followings may be the illocutionary meaning of “Do
you have to stand in front of the TV”?
a. Please don’t stand in front of the TV; I’m watching it
b. Don’t stand to watch TV
c. Can’t you stand the TV?
d. Sit down
135. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. The final exam is coming near
B. If you don’t try your best, you’ll fail
a. B advises A to try his best to pass the exam
b. Many students will fail in this exam
c. A will fail even though he tries his best
d. The final exam is very difficult
136. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. Dinner is almost ready. Can you set the table, dear?
B. I’m dead tired now
a. B refuses to set the table c. B doesn’t want to have dinner
b. B is bored with such a thing d. B is extremely tired
137. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. “Meet me at Hoa Binh park at midnight”
B. “I’ll bring a bodyguard in that case”
a. Hoa Binh park is not safe at midnight
b. B refuses to go to Hoa Binh park at midnight
c. B asks A to call a bodyguard for her
d. B wants A to take her there
138. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. “May I talk with you for a few minutes, Sir?”
B. “Right now I’m busy. I’ll see you later”
a. B promises to see A later
b. B refuses to see A
c. B has no free time to see A
d. B doesn’t want to see A
139. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. “Anything new in the entertainment program for today?”
B. “There’s a good film on at Hanoi cinema”
a. B reports to A what he knows about entertainment
b. B suggests going to the cinema
c. Hanoi cinema always has good films
d. B wants A to buy him a ticket to the cinema
140. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. “Can you bring that bag home for me, please?”
B. “Oh, this bag is too heavy. I can’t carry it”
a. B refuses to carry the bag

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 b. B asks A to help him carry the bag
c. B complains about A’s buying too many things
d. The bag weighs many kilos
141. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. “I love you so much. Let’s get married”
B. “I love you too, but I haven’t graduated from the university yet”
a. B refuses to get married to A right now
b. B is busy with preparing the graduation exam
c. B failed in the graduation exam
d. B doesn’t love A any more
142. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. “We are very tired, Sir”
B. “A 20 minute break is OK”
a. B gives A the permission to take 20 minute break
b. B refuses to give A a break
c. Usually a break of 20 minutes is enough
d. B asks A to take a break
143. What may be B’s intent in the following conversation?
A. “Hey, let’s stop for lunch”
B. “I have to finish this report right now”
a. B refuses to have lunch with A
b. The boss wants the report immediately
c. B hasn’t finished the report yet
d. B promises to finish the report as soon as possible
144. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following
conversation is
A. The final exam is coming near
B. If you don’t try your best, you’ll fail
a. declarative c. expressive
b. directive d. representative
145. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following
conversation is
A. Dinner is almost ready. Can you set the table, dear?
B. I’m dead tired now
a. declarative c. commissive
b. directive d. representative
146. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following
conversation is
A. Meet me at Hoa Binh park at midnight
B. I’ll bring a bodyguard in that case
a. representative c. commissive
b. directive d. declarative

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147. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following
conversation is
A. May I talk with you for a few minutes, Sir?
B. Right now I’m busy. I’ll see you later
a. commissive c. declarative
b. directive d. representative
148. The type of speech act of B’s utterance in the following
conversation is
A. Anything new in the entertainment program for today?
B. There’s a good film on at Hanoi cinema
a. commissive c. representative
b. directive d. declarative
149. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about
cooperative maxims?
a. They are tactics to convince the hearer
b. They are principles which control the way in which a conversation
may proceed
c. They are guidelines for the efficient and effective use of language
in conversation
d. They are principles that the speaker and the hearer should follow to
make a conversation effective
150. Which of the following is not a cooperative maxim?
a. frequency c. quality
b. quantity d. relevance
151. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following
conversation?
A. “Is this your cat?”
B. (looking at the black clouds): “I think it’s going to rain.”
a. quality c. relevance
b. quantity d. manner
152. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following
conversation?
A. “I really like that dinner”
B. “I’m a vegetarian”
a. quality c. relevance
b. quantity d. manner
153. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following
conversation?
A. “Would you like a cocktail?”
B. “Well, it’s not that we don’t drink”
a. relevance c. manner
b. quantity d. quality

16
154. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following
conversation?
A. “How are you?”
B. “I’m dead”
a. quality c. relevance
b. quantity d. manner
155. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following
conversation?
A. “We’re going to the movies”
B. “I’ve got an exam tomorrow”
a. relevance c. quality
b. quantity d. manner
156. Which cooperative maxim is violated in the following
conversation?
A. “What time is it?”
B. “It is 10:44 and 35.6 seconds”
a. manner c. relevance
b. quality d. quantity
157. Which one is the best implicature for the following situation?
A. “Did you hear that Jeff has passed his oral exam?”
B. “Finally”
a. It took Jeff a long time to pass his oral exam
b. Jeff passed the oral exam and went on a vacation
c. Jeff agreed to take the oral exam again
d. Jeff didn’t take the oral exam
158. Which one is the best implicature for the following situation?
A. How do you like the new librarian at the information desk?
B. You mean Ron? He’s been here as long as I have!
a. Ron is not a new librarian
b. He has been waiting for Ron for a long time
c. Ron did a lot of work for the man
d. He needs to collect some information from Ron
159. Which one is the best implicature for the following situation?
A. Mary is going to give me a ride to the party
B. How could she? She doesn’t have her license yet
a. Mary should not be driving
b. Mary is not going to the party
c. Mary is not very kind
d. Mary is going to the airport
160. Which one is the best implicature for the following situation?
A. Would you like me to call a night escort?
B. If possible
a. She would like the man to get a night escort for her

17
 b. She will call a night escort by herself
c. She doesn’t need an escort
d. She’s afraid the man won’t help her
161. Which one is the best implicature for the following situation?
A. Do you accept credit card?
B. Only if the charge is more than $15
a. He can’t use a credit card if he spends less than $15
b. The fee for charging is more than $15
c. The store does not accept credit cards
d. She can’t accept cash
162. Which one is the best implicature for the following situation?
A. I hope I can still register for the speech class
B. I heard there was a long waiting list
a. It may be too late for the woman to get into the speech class
b. The woman has to wait in line to register
c. The woman needs to take another class before registering for this
class
d. The woman should go by herself to sign up for the class
163. Which one is the best implicature for the following situation?
A. Dr. John, is it possible for the exam to be an open book exam?
B. Well it would be OK with me, but we have to follow the
department regulations
a. Dr. John will probably not give an open book exam
b. Dr. John will be the next department chair
c. Students can bring their books to the exam
d. It’s up to the students
164. The utterance “When did you give up teaching” presupposes
a. The hearer gave up teaching
b. The hearer doesn’t like teaching
c. The hearer is going to give up teaching
d. The hearer will be dismissed
165. The utterance “I tried to finish the test” presupposes
a. I didn’t take the test
b. I couldn’t finish the test
c. I did my best to finish the test
d. I managed to finish the test
166. The utterance “The exam is not so difficult” presupposes
a. The speaker already knows what the exam is
b. The speaker passed the exam
c. The exam is too easy
d. The exam was scored
167. The utterance “She is not happy about the chemistry course she’s
taking” presupposes

18
 a. She’s taking a chemistry course
b. She doesn’t like the chemistry course
c. She will give up the course
d. She is not good at chemistry
168. The utterance “We haven’t heard anything from Barbara”
presupposes
a. Barbara was kidnapped
b. Barbara has not come back yet
c. Barbara is missing
d. The hearer doesn’t know Barbara
169. The utterance “Can you stop playing with your cat?” presupposes
a. The hearer is playing with the cat
b. The speaker doesn’t like cats
c. The hearer likes cats
d. The speaker asks the hearer not to play with cats
170. The utterance “She was not aware that her son had an accident”
presupposes
a. Her son had an accident
b. She was very sorry for the accident
c. Her son was badly injured in the accident
d. She didn’t know the accident
171. The utterance “I wish I had not booked the tickets” presupposes
a. The speaker filed to buy the tickets
b. The speaker didn’t book the tickets
c. The speaker is going to see a film
d. The speaker booked the tickets
172. The utterance “Tom might find the chocolate cake in the kitchen”
presupposes
a. There is a chocolate cake in the kitchen
b. Tom is going to the kitchen to get the chocolate cake
c. Tom likes chocolate cakes very much
d. It’s not sure that Tom can find the chocolate cake
173. The utterance “It’s going to rain for a long time” presupposes
a. It has been raining
b. The speaker hates the rainy season
c. The rainy season hasn’t finished yet
d. The weather will be fine in a long time
174. The utterance “I tried to catch the train” presupposes
a. The speaker did his best to catch the train
b. The speaker missed the train
c. The speaker didn’t catch the train
d. The speaker misread the train schedule
175. The utterance “You’re late again” presupposes

19
 a. The hearer has been late before
b. The hearer is not serious about the time
c. The hearer is always late
d. The speaker warns the hearer not to be late again
176. The utterance “He pretended to be ill to stay at home” presupposes
a. He is a lazy boy c. He wasn’t ill
b. He stayed at home due to his illness d. He was seriously ill
177. The utterance “Mr. John’s youngest daughter is OK” presupposes
a. Mr. John has got at least 3 daughters
b. Mr. John has got one daughter
c. Mr. John has got 2 daughters
d. Mr. John’s other daughters are not beautiful
178. The utterance “They are very happy with the results of the final
exam” presupposes
a. Their final exams were scored
b. They passed the final exam
c. They are eager to know the results of the exam
d. They will celebrate their final exam results

20
Fill in each of the blanks with appropriate word

1. ………. is a branch of linguistics which deals with meaning.

2. ………. is a relation in which various words have the same written
form but have different meanings and sound forms.
3. A ………. is a sentence that is necessarily false, as a result of the
senses of the words in it.
4. ………. is a relation in which the referent of a word is totally
included in the referent of another word.
5. A ………. is an ideal string of words put together by the
grammatical rules of a language.
6. ………. is a relation in which 2 words have different (written and
sound) forms and are opposite in meaning.
7. A ………. is that part of the meaning of the utterance of a
declarative sentence which describes some state of affairs.
8. ………. is a relation in which various words have the same sound
form but have different meanings and written forms.
9. An ………. is the use by a particular speaker, on a particular
occasion, for a particular purpose, of a piece of language, such as a
sequence of sentence, or a single phrase, or even a single word.
10. The ………. of a word or an expression is the relationship
between that word or expression and the thing, the action, the
event, the state of affairs, etc it refers to.
11. ………. is a violation of semantic rules to create nonsense.
12. Semantic ………. are the smallest units of meaning in a word.
13. ………. is a relation in which various words have the same
(sound and written) form but have different meanings.
14. An ambiguity resulting from the ambiguity of a word is ……….
ambiguity.
15. ………. synonymy is a relation in which a polysemous word
shares one of its meanings with another word.
16. A sentence is considered as ………. ambiguous when its
structure permits more than one interpretation.
17. ………. is a relation in which a single word has 2 or more
slightly different but closely related meanings.
 18. An ………. sentence is one that is necessarily true, as a result of
the senses of the words in it.
19. Semantic meaning is context-free whereas ………. meaning is
context-dependent.
20. ………. is a relation in which various words have different
(written and sound) forms but have the same or nearly the same
meaning.
21. A ………. performs some act and simultaneously describes that
act.
Identify the illocutionary act (speaker’s intent) of the following
utterances and decide whether it is direct or indirect speech act
1. May I talk to Mary?
2. Clean up this mess.
3. I’m very hungry.
4. There is a good film at NH cinema.
5. Would you mind opening the window?
6. Do you have to stand in front of the TV?
7. Do you have a minute?
What’s up?
I can’t start the machine
8. Turn on the fans, please
Identify the type of ambiguity and give 2 possible paraphrases to make the
meaning clear

1. This pen is empty.

2. Are the chickens ready to eat?
3. Do you want to try on that dress in the window?
4. This old car needs new brakes and anti-freezer.
5. I understand money matters.
6. I know clever people like you.
7. The dog looked at the snake longer than the cat.
8. The police searched for the car with broken headlights.
9. I hate the hunter’s shooting.
10. We need nutritious food and drink.
11. We feed the pigs in clean clothes.
12. I need the criminal lawyer.
13. I like ice cream more than you.
14. I found a hat in the attic.
15. Leave the chairs on the veranda.
16. I met a man with a dog that had fleas.
17. Oh, that’s just a crazy lawyer’s idea.
18. The FCC intends to eliminate sex and race bias in TV advertising.
19. You should eat more nutritious food.
20. He considered the applicant hard.
21. I found her a doll.
22. They watched the hunter with the binoculars.
23. She spied the dog on the corner.
24. Joan is easy to please.
25. Molly told Angela about herself.
26. The car coasted into the garage with the lights on.
27. The dog bit several people in the crowd.
28. Tristan left directions for Isolde to follow.
29. She can’t bear children.
30. It takes a good ruler to make a straight line.
31. He saw that petrol can explode.
32. This is not a Raphael’s painting.
33. The policeman is talking about Mr. Thompson’s murder.
34. My grandfather is a small farmer.
35. He is a poor student.
36. The guard turned out a drunkard.
37. I am getting her socks.
38. The man gave the library books.
39. He accepted Wednesday.
40.Thorn taught himself during his young manhood.
41. The doctor made them well.
42. She taught the group singing.
43. The judges designated the girl winner.
44. Mary called her mother.
45. My father is a foreign language teacher.
46. My friend is an old car enthusiast.
47. The rabbit also enjoys our lettuce.
48. The members only are allowed to buy beer.
49. He promised to call me at 10 o’clock.
50. Paula is a girl hunter.
51. She is a baby sitter.
52. I found a book on HN station.
53. Everyday passengers enjoy a meal like this.
54. I considered those errors.
55. It was a plot to sell industrial secrets worth millions to the ABC
company.
56. He passed the hammer and saw through the window.
Identify the type of figure of speech used in the following sentences then
give their literal meaning

1. A camel is a ship in a desert.

2. A dead leaf fell in my lap.
3. A disease has cut his breath.
4. After she heard the good news, she was grinning like a mule eating
briars.
5. Alice came in gently, like a May breeze.
6. All of us are angels provided that we are caught at the right time.
7. All our glass is kept in the cupboard.
8. As the teacher entered the room, the whole class stood up.
9. Caught by a bad cold, he went to his fathers.
10. Caught by a cold, he said goodbye to his life.
11.Caught by the bad news, she let tears stream down her face.
12.Come to the dormitory and see what a cave I live in.
13. Could you tell me where the restroom is?
14. Death is laying his icy hand on the Queen.
15. Don’t forget to warm up your students when starting the class.
16. Don’t live in such a sea of doubt.
17. Don’t monkey about with my clothes.
18. Don’t play the goat!
19. Even a fool would know that!
20. Grey hairs should be respected.
21. Have you digested the lesson yet?
22. Have you read A. Dumas?
23. He acted as if he were my father.
24. He apes your betters.
25. He bottled up his feelings.
26. He could not bridle his anger.
27. He doesn’t move. Ginger him up.
28. He eats like a tiger.
29. He gulped down his coffee to greet the boy with a smiling face.
30. He has a kind heart.
31. He has the tongue of King.
32. He is a bookworm, staying in the library all day.
33. He is a chicken-hearted fellow.
34. He is a double-face businessman.
35. He is a man of seventy winters.
36. He is a pig.
37. He is a rock in storm.
38. He is an old fox.
39. He is as poor as a church mouse.

1
40. He is green with anger.
41. He is so intelligent that no examiner has agreed to pass him so far.
42. He is so kind that he let all the housework for me to do.
43. He is the best pen of the day.
44. He looks as though he hasn’t had a square meal for months.
45. He succeeded to the crown.
46. He tries his best to win her heart.
47. He was a lion in the fight.
48. He washed his hand out of the matter.
49. He worked and worked until he breathed his last.
50. He’s got a windfall!
51. He’s got ton of money.
52. His father has just passed away.
53. His opponents tore all his arguments into pieces.
54. His question betrayed a defensive stance.
55. His words can be trusted.
56. I don’t want you to come under my roof.
57. I found the 52 pounds of books you let for me to carry. Your
kindness really moves me.
58. I haven’t seen you for ages.
59. I let my manuscripts simmer for 6 months.
60. I live on my pen.
61. I say this to put a lid on my lecture.
62. I walked past the big sad mouth which didn’t know what to say now.
63. I’ll make him eat his words.
64. I’m so hungry that I could swallow a cow.
65. I’m starving.
66. I’ve invited millions of people to my party.
67. If you are not happy with the service, go & talk to the City Hall.
68. It must cost you a fortune insuring all these valuable antiques.
69. It took me 3 hours to digest that problem.
70. John says that Peter is a dinosaur.
71. Jungle Boy: “The more I know about human beings, the more I want
to be an animal”.
72. Keeping overeating like that and pretty soon you’ll weigh a thousand
pounds.
73. Lee was as sharp as a tack this morning. He answered every
question as soon as it was asked.
74. Life is a dream.
75. Like a giant monster, the high waves tore the ship into pieces.
76. Like a lightening, he disappeared into the forest.
77. Little Susie is a picture of loveliness in her new dress.
78. Luck almost always turns back to those who dare not face difficulty.

2
79. Man does not live by bread only.
80. Members of the audience besieged him with counter-arguments.
81. Mike Tyson lives on his gloves.
82.Mother’s love for the children is a pure stream.
83. My dormitory room is like a cave.
84. My hands are as cold as ice.
85. My neighbor has an ear for gossip.
86. My reasoning left them with no ammunition.
87. Nobody wants to make friend with those who always play the goat.
88. Not wanting to hurt him, she bottled up her feelings.
89. Pay attention to that old fox.
90. Reading the letter, she let her tears stream down along her face.
91. Refused by his sweetheart, he bottled up his love.
92. Refused by his sweetheart, he put a lid on his love.
93. Research says that these methods are best.
94. Right this minute, I could drink a barrel of water without stopping.
95. She concocted a report that readers will appreciate.
96. She gave him a cold shoulder.
97. She gave him an icy stare.
98. She has a good head of business.
99. She has an ear for music.
100. She has an eye for handsome men.
101. She is a girl of 20 summers.
102. She usually sheds floods of tears whenever she is upset.
103. Spare the rod, spoil the child.
104. She is a crusty woman.
105. That sentence is as clear as mud.
106. The boss gave her a hot look.
107. The boy wolfed down his food.
108. The captain exploded with range when his soldiers disobeyed him.
109. The captain was in charge of 100 horses.
110. The disease has cut off his breath.
111. The driver let the pit know that he was stopping for repairs on the
next lap.
112. The fresh breeze cleared up the oppressive heat.
113. The headlines leaped noisily before my eyes.
114. The house is decorated by skillful hands.
115. The kettle is boiling.
116. The leaves are dancing in the morning wind.
117. The man is a demon for work.
118. The night is coming.
119. The noise drives me crazy.
120. The organization is keeping the brake in pay rises.

3
121. The pen is mightier than the sword.
122. The princess captures the hearts of the nation.
123. The river ate the bank away.
124. The ship plowed the sea.
125. The sorrow is chewing my bones.
126. The storm swallowed hundreds of ships last night.
127. The sun is beating down on the poor laborers.
128. The war has robbed 2,000 souls of the village.
129. The waves tore the ship into pieces.
130. The wind howled angrily around the house all night.
131. Their Majesty died a year ago.
132. There is no easy recipe for writing effective business letters.
133. There was a storm in Parliament last night.
134. They are so stupid that I have to drum it into them.
135. They buttered him up.
136. They combed out the city.
137. They organized a fleet of 50 sails.
138. This heat is crushing us.
139. This is a fishy business.
140. This is not a Picasso.
141. This job requires an intelligent brain.
142. Time spent on thinking up a suitable way to do something will
almost always pay handsome return.
143. To dot the j’s and cross the t’s.
144. To get it, you have to see the Head of Department.
145. Very thirsty, he gulped down the whole bottle.
146. Vietnam has got 140 gold medals so far.
147. Vietnam won the football match last year.
148. Watch out! He is foxing you.
149. We are tired to death of such movies.
150. We need a force of a thousand rifles.
151. When he finally gets going, Jack is a streak of lightning.
152. When the White House called, the ambassador came at once.
153. When you take that course, plan to study 30 hours a day.
154. Who brought fire & sword into our country?
155. Why don’t you recognize the power of the purse?
156. With friends like you, who needs enemies?
157. Without saying a word, he went to his fathers.
158. You are a mist that appears for a little while & then vanishes.
159. You can depend on Paul; he is a rock when trouble comes.
160. You can get our gold in the upper drawer.