Mock exam 2020

This year, the format of the exam will vary significantly due to the COVID-19
pandemic: it will consist of 10 multiple choice questions that you will have to answer in
1 hour. The details of the exam are as follows:

• Number of multiple-choice questions: 10.

• Time: 1 hour (60 minutes).
• Maximum score: 8 points.
• Value of correct answer: +0,8 points per correct answer.
• Value of incorrect answer: -0,20 points per correct answer.
• Value of blank answer: 0 points per blank answer.
• Exam sections:
A. Ambiguity: 2 questions.
B. Ungrammaticality: 4 questions.
C. X-bar Theory: 4 questions.

(A) AMBIGUITY (2 questions)

1. Considering the syntactic representation below for the sentence “John saw
the man with binoculars”, who had the binoculars?

a. John.
b. The man.
c. Neither.
d. Both.
2. Which of the following tree is the correct syntactic representation of the
sentence “John saw the man with binoculars”?
a.

b.

c. Both.
d. Neither.
 (B) UNGRAMMATICALITY (4 questions)

3. Why is the sentence “*He did not report what broken was after the
accident” ungrammatical?

a. There is an illegal V-to-T movement of the verb broken. Comentado [IITG1]: In English, lexical verbs like "broken"
b. There is a violation of X-Theory in the formation of the embedded CP. can never raise up to T.
c. There is an illegal do-support in the matrix clause.
d. The DP what lacks Case, so there is a Case Filter violation.
4. Why is the sentence “*It seems Sonny to love Cher” ungrammatical?

a. EPP is violated in the matrix clause.

b. The DP "Sonny" cannot be Case-marked, so it is a Case Filter violation. Comentado [IITG2]: The T head "to" is non-finite, so that it
c. The DP "Cher" cannot be Case-marked, so it is a Case Filter violation. cannot assign nominative Case to the DP "Sonny".
d. The movement of DP "Sonny" is illegal.
5. Why is the sentence “*Bill was bitten the dog” ungrammatical?

a. The DP "Bill" cannot be Case-marked, so it is a Case Filter violation.

b. The DP “the dog" cannot be Case-marked, so it is a Case Filter violation. Comentado [IITG3]: There no Case-assigning head that can
c. The DP-movement of "Bill" is illegal. assign Case to it.
 d. The V-to-T movement of "was" is illegal.
6. Why is the sentence “*Donny is likely that left” ungrammatical in English?

a. The DP "Donny" lacks Case, so it is a Case Filter violation.

b. There is an X-bar Theory violation in the formation of the AdjP.
c. The movement of the DP "Donny" to the matrix [spec,TP] is illegal. Comentado [IITG4]: The DP "Donny" has already been
d. The movement of the DP "Donny" to the embedded [spec,TP] is illegal. Case-marked, so it cannot further move to the matrix
[spec,TP]
 (C) X-BAR THEORY (4 questions)

7. Which of the following representations of “Where did he say John goes

when he is tired?” is correct?
a.
Comentado [IITG5]: THIS IS THE CORRECT ONE
b.
Comentado [IITG6]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE "WHEN" IS MISSING IN THE EMBEDDED
CLAUSE
c.
Comentado [IITG7]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE THE AdvP "WHERE" IS GENERATED
DIRECTLY IN SPEC,CP
 d.
Comentado [IITG8]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE THE ADVP "WHERE" IS GENERATED
WHERE THE ADVERB "WHEN" SHOUDL BE IN MOST
EMBEDDED SENTENCE

8. Which of the following representations of “The money was hidden in the

drawer” is correct?
a.
Comentado [IITG9]: THIS ONE IS CORRECT
b.
Comentado [IITG10]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE THE DP "THE MONEY" IS GENERATED
DIRECTLY UNDER T INSTEAD OF AS COMPLEMENT
OF THE VERB, WHERE IT RECEIVES THETA

c.
Comentado [IITG11]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE V "WAS" HAS TO RAISE UP TO T: MISSING
V-TO-T MOVEMENT

d.
Comentado [IITG12]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE OF THE ILLEGAL WH-MOVEMENT OF THE
DP "THE MONEY"
9. Which of the following representations of “Have you always hated peanut
butter?” is correct?
a.
Comentado [IITG13]: THIS ONE IS CORRECT

b.
Comentado [IITG14]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE THE V "HAVE" MUST V-TO-T MOVE AND
ØPRESENT CANNOT T-TO-C MOVE BY ITSELF
BECAUSE IT HAS NO PHONOLOGICAL CONTENT
c.
Comentado [IITG15]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE THE DP "YOU" HAS BEEN MERGED
DIRECTLY IN [SPEC,TP] AND IT MUST BE MERGED
IN [SPEC,VP-ACTIVE], WHERE IT RECEIVES THETA

d.
Comentado [IITG16]: THIS ONE IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE V "HAVE" HAS TO V-TO-T MOVE AND
THEN T-TO-C MOVE (THE SENTENCE IS A
QUESTION)
10. Which of the following representations of “Will you bring your spouse?” is
correct?
a.
Comentado [IITG17]: THIS IS CORRECT

b.
Comentado [IITG18]: THIS OPTION IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE "WILL" IS MERGED DIRECTLY UNDER C
AND T CANNOT BE ØPRESENT
c.
Comentado [IITG19]: THIS OPTION IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE THE DP SUBJECT "YOU" IS DIRECTLY
MERGED IN [SPEC,TP] AND IT MUST BE MERGED IN
[SPEC, VP-ACTIVE], WHERE IT IS THETA-MARKED

d.
Comentado [IITG20]: THIS OPTION IS NOT CORRECT
BECAUSE (1) WILL IS DIRECTLY MERGED UNDER C
AND IT IS A T-PARTICLE (MODAL) AND (2) THE
VERB "BRING" CANNOT RAISE TO V-ACTIVE AND
HENCE UP TO T, SO THERE IS AN ILLEGAL V-TO-V-
TO-T MOVEMENT