Free Literary Terms and Devices MCQs with Answers

• A. Language is systematic
• B. Language is arbitrary
• C. Language is dynamic
• D. Language is instinctive.

Explanation: Language is acquired rather than instinctive: children learn it from their linguistic community.

• A. Noam Chomsky
• B. Ferdinand de Saussure
• C. Edward Sapir
• D. None of the above

Explanation: This definition emphasises that language can generate a finite or infinite number of sentences from a finite set of elements, a central…

• A. Syllabic consonants
• B. Sibilants
• C. Suffixes
• D. None of the above

Explanation: In bottle, cattle, and little, the final /l/ forms the nucleus of the last syllable without a separate vowel, so it is a syllabic…

• A. Allophones
• B. Homophones
• C. Homographs
• D. Homonyms

Explanation: Red/read, right/write, and site/sight have the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings, so they are homophones.

• A. Allophones
• B. Homophones
• C. Homographs
• D. Homonyms

Explanation: Allophones are the different phonetic realisations of one phoneme that do not normally change the word's meaning.

• A. Approximants
• B. Laterals
• C. Sibilants
• D. Trills

Explanation: Semivowels such as /w/ and /j/ are produced with a narrowing of the vocal tract but without the friction of true fricatives, so they are…

• A. Two
• B. Three
• C. Four
• D. Five

Explanation: Malayalam has five basic nasal consonants, including bilabial /m/, dental or alveolar /n/, retroflex /ɳ/, palatal /ɲ/, and velar /ŋ/.

• A. Sibilant
• B. Lateral
• C. Nasal
• D. Semi__vowel

Explanation: The sound /l/ is produced with air escaping around the sides of the tongue, so it is classified as a lateral.

• A. Plosives
• B. Affricates
• C. Fricatives
• D. Trill

Explanation: /s/ and /z/ are fricatives because the airstream passes through a narrow gap, creating friction.

• A. Plosives
• B. Affricates
• C. fricatives
• D. Trill

Explanation: The sounds /p, b, t, d, k, g/ are plosives, also called stops, because the airflow is completely blocked and then released.

• A. The falling
• B. The rising
• C. The fall__rise
• D. None of the above

Explanation: A rising intonation in a WH-question can soften it and convey warmth, friendliness, or extra politeness.

• A. The falling
• B. The rising
• C. The fall__rise
• D. None of the above

Explanation: A rising tone can turn a declarative form into a question, as in “You are coming?” The rise signals that the speaker is seeking…

• A. The falling
• B. The rising
• C. The fall__rise
• D. None of the above

Explanation: A falling tone in a tag question shows that the speaker is confident the statement is true, as in “It is late, isn’t it?” A rising tone…

• A. The falling
• B. The rising
• C. The fall__rise
• D. None of the above

Explanation: Neutral WH-questions normally take falling intonation because the speaker is requesting specific information, not asking for a yes-or-no…

• A. Progressive
• B. Regressive
• C. Reciprocal
• D. None of the above

Explanation: In the American pronunciation of “issue,” /sj/ becomes /ʃ/, as in /ˈɪʃuː/.

• A. Progressive
• B. Regressive
• C. reciprocal
• D. none of the abovE

Explanation: In “dogs,” the plural ending is pronounced /z/ because the preceding /g/ is voiced, so the suffix assimilates to it.

• A. Progressive
• B. Regressive
• C. Reciprocal
• D. None of the above

Explanation: In regressive assimilation, a following sound influences the sound before it, so the influence moves backward.

• A. Four
• B. Two
• C. Three
• D. Only one

Explanation: Assimilation is commonly classified as progressive, regressive, and reciprocal, making three main types.

• A. Velar
• B. Glottal
• C. Palatal
• D. Alveolar

Explanation: The /h/ sound is produced at the glottis, the opening between the vocal cords, so it is glottal.

• A. Palatal
• B. Velar
• C. Dental
• D. Glottal

Explanation: The initial sound in “young” is /j/, a palatal approximant produced with the front of the tongue raised toward the hard palate.