SAMPLE – FINAL TEST – ENGLISH PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY
SECTION 1. TERMINOLOGY
1.1. Fill in the blank with an appropriate word or phrase to complete the description.
• Number of questions: 10
• Point for ONE correct answer: 2
• Maximum points: 20
1 A ........... vowel remains constant and does not glide.
2 .......... are the different realizations of a phoneme depending on the phonetic
environment the phoneme occurs in.
3 When two phones cannot appear in the same environment, they are in ………………
distribution.
4 A consonant articulated with the tongue curled backwards with the tip raised is
called .......... .
5 From the perceptual point of view, all stressed syllables have one characteristic
in common which is .......... .
6 .......... are formed by forcing air through a narrow constriction in the vocal tract
and then making a hissing sound.
7 .......... assimilation is the phenomenon in which the phoneme changes to become
similar to the one that comes after it.
8 .......... is the study of the possible phoneme combinations of a language.
9 The theory that English has .......... implies that stressed syllables will tend to
occur at relatively regular intervals whether they are separated by unstressed
syllables or not.
10 A ........... syllable is a single sound in isolation, e.g. /ɑː/ in the word ‘are’.
Score /20
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1.2. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE. Write T for true statements and F for
false statements in the space provided.
• Number of questions: 5
• Point for ONE correct answer: 1
• Maximum points: 5
1 The first phase in the production of a plosive consonant is called the
compression phase.
2 Vowels are shortened when followed in a syllable by a voiced consonant.
3 A segment is ambisyllabic if it belongs to two syllables in a word.
4 The head is composed of all the unstressed syllables in a tone-unit
preceding the first stressed syllable.
5 The rise-fall intonation is used to convey rather strong feelings of
approval, disapproval or surprise.
Score /5
SECTION 2. PHONETICS. CONSONANTS
• Identify the sound of the underlined part in each of the following words.
• Provide a consonantal description for the sound of the underlined part.
• Number of questions: 10
• Point for ONE correct answer: 2 [1pt for transcription, 1pt for consonantal description]
• Maximum points: 20
Phonemic transcription Consonantal description
[voiceless; velar, plosive] &
0 six /ks/
[voiceless, alveolar, fricative]
1 monk
2 basically
3 education
4 stomach
5 pause
6 champagne
7 yeast
8 charming
9 knight
10 smooth
Score /20
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SECTION 3. PHONETICS. VOWELS
• Observe the vowel quadrilateral carefully.
• Each black dot represents the location of a pure English vowel. There are totally 11 dots marked from
A to L.
• Decide on the vowel quadrilateral the location of the sound of the highlighted part in each of the
following words.
• Write your answers, A-L, on the answer sheet.
• Number of questions: 15
• Point for ONE correct answer: 1
• Maximum points: 15
1 war 6 truth 11 mother
2 regime 7 cache 12 purchase
3 bury 8 almond 13 cloche
4 women 9 comment 14 lettuce
5 nudge 10 hook 15 tortoise
Score /15
SECTION 4. SYLLABLE STRUCTURE
• Provide the phonemic transcription for each of the following words.
• Classify the phonemes by completing the table.
• Number of questions: 5
• Point for ONE correct answer: 2
• Maximum points: 10
SYLLABLE
ONSET RHYME
coda
Pre- Post-
initial peak Pre- Post- Post- Post-
initial initial final
final
final 1 final 2 final 3
1 spins
2 thanked
3 black
4 fifths
5 crumbs
Score /10
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SECTION 5. PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION
5.1. Transcribe the following words PHONETICALLY.
• Number of questions: 10
• Point for ONE correct answer: 1
• Maximum points: 10
Phonetic Transcription Phonetic Transcription
1 meeting 6 steep
2 impossible 7 genre
3 curious 8 help
4 pray 9 health
5 sink 10 precious
Score /10
5.2.
• Transcribe the following phrases to show the phonological processes involved.
• Name the processes.
• Number of questions: 5
• Point for ONE correct answer: 2
• Maximum points: 10
Transcription Phonological Processes
0 camera ˈkæmrə elision
1 these cakes
2 did you
3 good cat
4 good morning
5 more over
Score /10
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SECTION 6. INTONATION
• In English, there are 5 basic tones:
A. Fall D. Rise-Fall
B. Rise E. Level
C. Fall-Rise
• Study the following situations carefully and decide the appropriate tone for the underlined syllable.
Wherever deemed necessary, the emotion/attitude to be expressed is indicated between two asterisks *...*
• Choose the most appropriate tone (A-E) for each of the following situation.
• Number of questions: 10
• Point for ONE correct answer: 1
• Maximum points: 10
A: See you a◻gain.
1
B: Bye!
A: We all pass the test, ◻ don’t we?
2
*A is uncertain of the results*
A: Isn’t the girl lovely?
3 B: ◻ Yes.
* B really approves of A’s statement.*
A: Will you go to the party tomorrow?
4
B: ◻ Maybe. *B is not interested in the party.*
A: Would like some oranges?
8
B: ◻ Oranges?
A: I’ve heard that it’s a good school.
6
B: ◻ Yes. *B does not completely agree with what A said.*
7 A: You can use the bus, the ◻ car, or the subway.
A: This is my house.
8
B: So ◻ beautiful! *B is astonished when seeing A’s
house.*
A: Do you see John?
9
B: ◻ No. *B leaves the conversation right away.*
A: Do you like action movies?
10 B: ◻ Well, I am a big fan of action films. I never miss any
new films of this type when they come out in theatres.
Score /10
END OF TEST
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