Free Practice Quiz Question List

02 Phonetics Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 02 Phonetics, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

True or false

1 point

A speech sound is voiced when the vocal folds vibrate, not merely when the sound is loud.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Which description best fits the consonant [f]?

A
A voiced bilabial stop
B
A voiceless labiodental fricative
C
A voiced alveolar nasal
D
A voiceless velar stop

Written response

1 point

In a vowel's acoustic pattern, what term names the resonant frequency regions shaped by the vocal tract?

Fill in the blank

1 point

In the inner ear, the cochlea converts sound vibrations into .

Choose one

1 point

In many pronunciations of the vowel in goose, which combination of tongue position and lip shape is described?

A
Low and front, with unrounded lips
B
High and front, with rounded lips
C
High and back, with rounded lips
D
Low and back, with unrounded lips

Choose all

1 point

Select all accurate descriptions of these two ways to examine speech acoustically.

A
A waveform shows changes in amplitude over time.
B
A waveform directly displays energy at different frequencies over time.
C
A spectrogram shows how energy at different frequencies changes over time.
D
A spectrogram displays only the duration of a speech event.

Written response

1 point

What is the vocal-fold vibration rate in a voiced sound called?

True or false

1 point

Speech perception is a passive copy of the sound signal and is unaffected by expectations or linguistic context.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Which situation is an example of coarticulation?

A
A listener uses context to resolve an unclear sound.
B
Vocal-fold vibration produces a voiced sound.
C
The lips begin rounding for a vowel while the preceding consonant is still being produced.
D
A spectrogram displays energy across different frequencies.

Fill in the blank

1 point

In the simplified account of voiced speech, vocal-fold vibration supplies the acoustic , while the vocal tract acts as a .

Choose all

1 point

Select all statements that accurately describe IPA transcription conventions.

A
A symbol in square brackets represents a sound, not necessarily a written letter.
B
IPA symbols are intended to reproduce ordinary spelling rather than pronunciation.
C
Square brackets mark a phonetic transcription.
D
Slashes are commonly used for phonological representations.

Choose one

1 point

If a vowel's F1 is relatively higher, what general tongue-position pattern does this suggest?

A
F1 generally rises as the tongue position becomes higher.
B
F1 generally rises as the tongue position becomes lower.
C
F1 directly measures lip rounding and is unaffected by tongue position.
D
F1 is the rate of vocal-fold vibration.

Open ended

1 point

Explain how broad and narrow phonetic transcriptions differ, and describe a purpose for which a narrow transcription would be useful.

Choose one

1 point

In many English pronunciations, which description correctly compares the initial [p] in pin with the [p] in spin?

A
The [p] is unaspirated in pin and aspirated in spin.
B
The [p] is aspirated in pin and unaspirated in spin.
C
Both [p] sounds are aspirated.
D
Neither [p] sound is aspirated.

Choose one

1 point

A speaker produces [p] and [b] with the same place and manner of articulation. Which property distinguishes them?

A
Place of articulation
B
Voicing
C
Manner of articulation
D
Lip rounding

Choose one

1 point

You want to examine how energy at different frequencies changes during a spoken vowel. Which representation is best suited to that task?

A
A waveform, because it displays frequency energy over time
B
A waveform, because it identifies vocal-tract shape
C
A spectrogram, because it displays frequency energy over time
D
A spectrogram, because it directly records tongue position

True or false

1 point

A sound with greater amplitude must always be perceived as louder, regardless of its frequency or the listener’s hearing conditions.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Two vowels differ in F1, and one has a higher F1. Based on the general relationship between F1 and tongue position, what can you infer about that vowel?

A
The vowel with the higher F1 is generally produced with a lower tongue position.
B
The vowel with the higher F1 is generally produced with a higher tongue position.
C
The vowel with the higher F1 must have more lip rounding.
D
F1 directly measures the distance between the lips and teeth.

Written response

1 point

What structure in the inner ear converts sound vibrations into neural signals?

Written response

1 point

What term describes speech movements overlapping, such as beginning to round the lips for a vowel while the preceding consonant is still being produced?