Test Bank for Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL: A Resource Book for Teaching K-12 English Learners, 7th Edition

Chapter 2: Language and Language Acquisition 1. Semantics is the study of a. how present participles affect meaning b. how politeness is expressed in language c. linguistic meaning, including vocabulary d. how phonemes are represented by the alphabet 2. “Communicative competence” is often used instead of “language proficiency” for all EXCEPT a. to describe how people communicate with one another in particular social situations b. to emphasize not only grammatical forms but also language functions and social conventions of language use c. to show how speakers choose wording to suit their communicative purpose d. to focus on how pronunciation affects communication 3. The terms pragmatics, semantics, phonology, morphology, and syntax are referred to as: a. linguistic subsystems b. language acquisition theories c. sociolinguistic theories d. language functions 4. Language acquisition refers to: a. how students use language in our classrooms b. how children interact with their caregivers c. how children and others acquire language d. how we use language in social situations 5. One of the main problems with behaviorist theories of language acquisition is that they do not account for: a. acquisition of simple nouns b. overgeneralizations children make c. caregiver influences on children’s speech d. words learned from other children 6. From an innatist perspective children: a. produce complex sentences their caregivers use b. create speech without input from their peers c. are unable to use grammar to form their utterances d. construct grammar through a process of hypothesis testing 7. Chomsky’s innatist view of language acquisition has been criticized because it: a. fails to account for ways mothers help infants acquire language b. focuses primarily on language learning in the preschool years c. posits imitation as the main variable in child language acquisition d. suggests that infants are passive receivers of maternal language 8. According to the interactionist theory of language acquisition a. imitation plays a major role in a child’s language acquisition b. caregivers play a minor role in supporting a child’s language acquisition c. caregivers play a critical role by adjusting language to young children d. children acquire language even if they have no interaction with caregivers 9. Behaviorists studying language mainly focus on: a. conversations between the child and caregiver, including caregiver speech b. the child’s development of syntax as used in day-to-day speech acts c. the child’s verbal behaviors as responses to stimuli in the environment d. verbal behaviors based on the child’s language acquisition device 10. In which theory of language acquisition does the social environment play the main role? a. SPAM theory b. interactionist theory c. innatist theory d. behaviorist theory 11. Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition probably is closest to a. the innatist theory b. the behaviorist theory c. the compact theory d. the interactionist theory 12. Each of the following represents one of Krashen’s five hypotheses EXCEPT a. the motivation hypothesis b. the monitor hypothesis c. the acquisition-learning hypothesis d. the affective filter hypothesis 13. Krashen’s second language acquisition theories have been influential in promoting language teaching practices that focus on all EXCEPT a. communication first and foremost b. allowing students a silent period c. creating a low-anxiety environment d. grouping students by home language 14. Teachers who follow the behaviorist theory of language acquisition a. believe in correcting student errors immediately to avoid bad habits b. believe students will correct their own errors over time c. believe students will acquire correct forms naturally as meaning is negotiated d. don’t believe in correcting errors because it might damage student self-esteem 15. Comprehensible input refers to a. students’ comprehension of the social rules of classroom language use b. language used in ways that make it understandable to English learners c. language used for day-to-day classroom organization and management d. students’ comprehension of grammatical forms of their new language 16. Which of the following does NOT apply to academic language? a. language used in school subjects such as science, history, and math b. specialized vocabulary and technical terms according to subject matter c. language that conveys abstract, dense and complex concepts d. language needed to build student confidence as academic learners 17. Each of the following helps students acquire and use academic language EXCEPT a. building background knowledge on the topic of study b. teaching important vocabulary and technical terms c. explaining to parents the importance of academics d. demonstrating how academic text structures function 18. The political influence of language is illustrated by a. the worldwide proliferation of the Spanish language after 1492 b. the widespread use of Latin for scholarly purposes in 1492 c. the discovery of classical Greek scientific theories in 1492 d. the uniting of Spain and Portugal under the Catholic Kings 19. A dialect attains status as the “standard language” a. when those in power use it in public b. when the army defeats the navy c. when it becomes grammatically correct d. when slang is purged from its lexicon 20. Interlanguage refers to a. the use of English as an international language b. private language used within an ethnic group c. a learner’s developmental features in a second language d. a learner’s pronunciation in their second language Answer Key Chapter 2 1. C 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. B 6. D 7. A 8. C 9. C 10. D 11. A 12. A 13. D 14. A 15. B 16. D 17. C 18. A 19. A 20. C