Free Practice Quiz Question List

7 Language Ideologies and Power Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 7 Language Ideologies and Power, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

Choose one

1 point

A school treats one variety as inherently more logical and expressive than all others, rather than as a set of conventions used in particular settings. Which concept best describes this belief?

A
Standardization
B
Standard language ideology
C
Style shifting
D
Linguistic stigma

Choose one

1 point

A teacher wants students to succeed in formal writing while respecting the varieties they use at home. Which approach is consistent with the material?

A
Teach the conventions expected in the formal setting while valuing students’ other language varieties.
B
Avoid teaching formal conventions because doing so always devalues home dialects.
C
Treat the formal variety as linguistically superior so students understand why it matters.
D
Assess students’ ideas less favorably when their language differs from the expected convention.

Choose one

1 point

A reviewer calls a student’s grammatical pattern “careless” without considering the student’s argument. Which question would most directly help the reviewer examine the assumption behind that judgment?

A
How many speakers use the feature?
B
Is the feature found in dictionaries?
C
What is being inferred about the speaker from this feature?
D
Can the feature be removed from the student’s speech?

Choose all

1 point

Select all statements supported by the material about how standard conventions become established and understood.

A
A standard variety’s conventions can help people communicate across institutions.
B
Institutions such as schools and publishers can help circulate standard conventions.
C
A standard variety is inherently more expressive than other varieties.
D
Conventions associated with powerful groups can come to seem universally correct.

Choose all

1 point

A hiring panel labels one candidate’s accent “unprofessional,” although both finalists communicate effectively. Select all questions that would help the panel critically examine its judgment.

A
Identify whether the judgment concerns grammar, pronunciation, word choice, or writing convention.
B
Assume that a negative evaluation of speech accurately measures a person’s effort.
C
Ask whether the language difference is being treated as evidence about the speaker.
D
Consider whether the judgment affects access, evaluation, or participation.

True or false

1 point

True or false: Standardization can support communication across regions while the prestige of a standard still reflects social history and power rather than linguistic superiority.

A
True
B
False

True or false

1 point

True or false: Beliefs about language are only personal opinions and do not connect to institutions, identity, or power.

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

What is the name of the process through which a variety’s conventions are selected, codified, and widely used in settings such as education and government?

Written response

1 point

What two-word term describes the negative social marking of language features that can reinforce broader inequalities?

Fill in the blank

1 point

A variety is considered standard when its conventions have been selected, , and widely used in settings such as education and publishing.

Fill in the blank

1 point

When a socially learned language convention is treated as proof of a person’s ability or , a language judgment is being mistaken for a broader personal evaluation.

Open ended

1 point

An employer describes one candidate’s accent as “unprofessional,” even though both candidates communicate effectively. Explain how to analyze this judgment critically. In your answer, address the language feature and context, the assumptions being made about the candidate, and a possible consequence of the judgment.

Choose one

1 point

A listener hears a regional pronunciation and assumes the speaker is uneducated. Which interpretation is best supported by the material?

A
The listener’s impression proves the speaker is an outsider.
B
The impression is a social association, not evidence of the speaker’s intelligence or the variety’s worth.
C
The pronunciation is deficient unless it matches a standard.
D
The speaker’s intelligence can be determined from the listener’s reaction.

Choose one

1 point

A school system adopts a set of language conventions for textbooks and formal assessments. Which concept best describes this kind of institutionally established variety?

A
A way of speaking that is inherently more logical than all other varieties
B
A variety whose conventions have been selected, codified, and widely used in formal settings
C
A variety spoken by every member of a country
D
A set of rules that prevents speakers from changing styles

Choose one

1 point

What is one practical benefit of standardization described in the material?

A
It proves that nonstandard varieties are less expressive.
B
It makes all speakers use the same accent.
C
It can make communication across regions and institutions easier.
D
It removes the influence of social power from language.

Choose one

1 point

A manager claims that one variety of a language is naturally better and should be the standard by which every speaker is judged. Which concept does this claim illustrate?

A
The belief that one variety is naturally superior and should be the measure of all speakers
B
The use of different styles for different audiences
C
The selection and codification of conventions for formal settings
D
The observation that varieties can differ in pronunciation

True or false

1 point

True or false: Teaching students the language conventions expected in a formal setting necessarily means treating their home dialects as inferior.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Two candidates communicate effectively, but an employer describes one accent as “unprofessional.” What is a possible consequence of this judgment?

A
It establishes that the candidate cannot communicate effectively.
B
It proves that the candidate lacks the skills required for the job.
C
It is only a personal preference and cannot affect opportunity.
D
It may shape hiring by turning a judgment about speech into a judgment about the speaker.

Written response

1 point

What is the term for the belief that one language variety is naturally superior and should be the measure of all speakers?

Written response

1 point

What plural term names beliefs and feelings about languages, varieties, accents, and the people who use them?

7 Language Ideologies and Power Online Quiz Questions

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