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Free Practice Quiz Question List

06 Semantics Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 06 Semantics, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
True or false
1 point

In ordinary conversation, “Can you pass the salt?” can function as a request even though its literal conventional meaning asks about ability. True or false?

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

02
Choose one
1 point

The morning star and the evening star can both refer to Venus. Which conclusion about these expressions is supported?

  1. A

    They have different extensions because they identify Venus in different ways.

  2. B

    They can have the same extension but different intensions.

  3. C

    They must have identical meanings because they refer to the same thing.

  4. D

    They have different extensions and identical intensions.

03
Written response
1 point

In a particular use, “begin” and “start” have similar meanings. What semantic relation describes this?

04
Fill in the blank
1 point

The principle that a complex expression’s meaning is determined by the meanings of its parts and their arrangement is called .

05
Choose one
1 point

In “The cat chased the dog,” which animal is the chaser, according to the sentence’s grammatical structure?

  1. A

    The cat is the chaser because it is mentioned second.

  2. B

    The dog is the one chased because it is the subject.

  3. C

    The cat is the chaser, and the dog is the one chased.

  4. D

    The sentence does not assign either animal a role.

06
Choose all
1 point

Select all correctly classified semantic relations.

  1. A

    A wheel is part of a bicycle: meronymy.

  2. B

    Hot and cold are complementary opposites.

  3. C

    Buy and sell describe converse relations.

  4. D

    “Head” of a person and “head” of a department are homonyms with unrelated meanings.

07
True or false
1 point

If Kai ate some of the cookies, it follows that Kai ate at least one cookie. True or false?

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

08
Written response
1 point

What is the term for the relation between a linguistic expression and the entity it picks out in a particular use?

09
Fill in the blank
1 point

Complete the definition: Sentence A entails sentence B if, whenever A is true, .

10
Choose all
1 point

Select all statements about reference that are supported.

  1. A

    “I” refers to the speaker in the utterance situation.

  2. B

    The referent of “today” can change with the date of speaking.

  3. C

    “I” always refers to the same individual, regardless of who speaks.

  4. D

    “That tree” can refer to an object when speaker and listener can identify it.

11
Choose one
1 point

Under a simple truth-conditional approach, what would make “The dog chased the cat” true?

  1. A

    The relevant cat chased the relevant dog.

  2. B

    The relevant dog performed a chasing event involving the relevant cat.

  3. C

    The dog and cat were present at the same time, whether or not a chase occurred.

  4. D

    The relevant dog intended to chase the cat, even if no chasing event occurred.

12
Open ended
1 point

Explain how paraphrases differ from contradictories in terms of truth conditions.

13
Written response
1 point

A sparrow is a kind of bird. What is the technical term for “sparrow” in relation to the more general category “bird”?

14
Choose one
1 point

“Head” can refer to a person’s body part or the leader of a department. Which semantic relation best describes these related senses of one word?

  1. A

    Homonymy, because the senses are unrelated.

  2. B

    Polysemy, because the senses are related.

  3. C

    Meronymy, because one sense is a part of the other.

  4. D

    Synonymy, because the two uses have identical meanings.

15
Choose one
1 point

Which statement best describes how the expression “today” refers to a date?

  1. A

    It always refers to the same calendar date.

  2. B

    Its referent depends on the date when the expression is used.

  3. C

    It refers to the speaker, regardless of the date.

  4. D

    It has no meaning unless paired with a proper name.

16
Choose one
1 point

A wheel is part of a bicycle. Which semantic relation does this illustrate?

  1. A

    Synonymy

  2. B

    Hyponymy

  3. C

    Meronymy

  4. D

    Antonymy

17
Choose one
1 point

The word “head” can refer to a person’s head or the head of a department. Which analysis best fits these related senses?

  1. A

    Polysemy, because the senses are related

  2. B

    Homonymy, because the senses are related

  3. C

    Hyponymy, because one sense is a part of the other

  4. D

    Synonymy, because the senses mean the same thing

18
Choose one
1 point

Someone says “Can you pass the salt?” at dinner. Which explanation best distinguishes the sentence’s conventional meaning from what it communicates in this context?

  1. A

    Its conventional meaning is already a request, so context is irrelevant.

  2. B

    Its conventional meaning asks about ability, but context can make it function as a request.

  3. C

    Its meaning is determined only by the listener’s response.

  4. D

    It has no conventional meaning because it is phrased as a question.

19
True or false
1 point

True or false: “Kai ate some of the cookies” entails that Kai did not eat all of them.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

20
Written response
1 point

What is the term for the relation between two sentences that entail each other and therefore have the same truth conditions?