Question 1

Tallulah is taking a dance class,so she mentally reviews the dance steps as she drives home.She is using __________________ thought.
A) imaginal
B) motoric
C) contextual
D) propositional

Accepted Answer

Tallulah is mentally reviewing the physical dance steps she learned in class, which involves motoric thought. Imaginal thought involves mental imagery or visualization, contextual thought involves considering the context or environment, and propositional thought involves logical reasoning and language processing.

Question 2

Tremayne plans to ask his girlfriend to marry him.He wants his proposal to be perfect,so he mentally rehearses the words he will say to her.This kind of thinking is referred to as
A) imaginal.
B) motoric.
C) contextual.
D) propositional.

Accepted Answer

D

Question 3

In 1965,Fred Smith wrote a management class paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service.His professor gave him a C,because "the concept is interesting and well-formed,but in order to earn better than a C,[it] must be feasible." Smith ignored his professor's statement and founded Federal Express (FedEx),a company that is now worth more than $3 billion.Smith's professor wanted him to stick to business solutions that were proven,not come up with something "outside the box." In other words,Smith's professor was relying on a/an
A) mental set.
B) deductive approach.
C) inductive approach.
D) litmus test.

Accepted Answer

Smith's professor was relying on a mental set, which is a tendency to approach problems in a certain way based on past experiences and assumptions, instead of being open to new and innovative solutions.

Question 4

Whenever Leslie's father gets home before 6:00 p.m. ,she knows he finished work early and will probably be in a good mood.The last two times he came home early he took Leslie to dinner.Leslie hears her father's car pull into the garage at 5:30 p.m.and thinks,"We're going out to dinner!" Leslie is using
A) deductive reasoning.
B) inductive reasoning.
C) general reasoning.
D) invalid reasoning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Whenever Leslie's father gets home before 6:00...

Question 5

Akio has decided to improve her health by incorporating exercise into her lifestyle.She tells her friend Ewan that she has taken up the sport of Tae Kwon Do.Ewan laughs and says,"That's not a sport! Sports have teams!" Akio disagrees,because,she says,"Any kind of organized physical activity is a sport,even if you're the only one doing it." Who is correct,and why?
A) Neither is objectively correct.Personal experience has taught each of them a different prototype for the concept of sport.
B) Ewan,because the word sport would not be plural most of the time if it referred to individual activities.
C) Ewan,because the word sports is always short for "sports teams."
D) Akio,because the word is derived from the Middle English word disport,which means to amuse or divert oneself.

Accepted Answer

The concept of what constitutes a sport can vary based on personal experiences and cultural perceptions. Both Akio and Ewan have different understandings of what defines a sport, and neither is objectively correct.

Question 6

Human children begin to master language without any formal instruction,and languages throughout the world have common underlying structural characteristics.These two things suggest an inborn tendency to learn language that is called a
A) Language Acquisition Device (LAD).
B) Syntax Acquisition Adapter (SAA).
C) Morphophonemic tendency (MPT).
D) Language Learning Link (LLL).

Accepted Answer

The inborn tendency to learn language is called the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). This hypothesis was proposed by Noam Chomsky and suggests that humans are born with a genetic ability to learn language. This innate ability allows children to acquire language even when they are not explicitly taught grammar rules or syntax. The LAD is thought to be responsible for the underlying structure and commonalities found in languages around the world.

Question 7

You are able to read this sentence because you understand a system of symbols and rules that create messages and meanings.This system is called
A) representational reasoning.
B) Chomsky's system.
C) species symbolism.
D) language.

Accepted Answer

The system described in the sentence is language. This is the only choice that specifically references symbols, rules, and messages, all of which are key components of language. The other choices either do not relate to the description or are not specific enough to be correct.

Question 8

In French,the phrase "haven't the police found you yet?" is written "la police,ne t'a pas encore trouvé?" Since French speakers arrange words differently from English speakers,the literal translation is "the police,not you have yet found?" In other words,French and English speakers use different rules,called ________________,to govern word order.
A) morphemes
B) phonemes
C) syntax
D) displacement

Accepted Answer

Syntax refers to the rules and patterns that govern the arrangement of words in a sentence or phrase. This includes rules for word order, as well as rules for punctuation and sentence structure. While morphemes and phonemes are also important aspects of language, they do not specifically relate to word order in the way that syntax does. Displacement, on the other hand, refers to the ability of language to discuss things that are not present in the immediate environment, such as the past or future, but it does not specifically relate to word order either.

Question 9

Dalila is two years old and is able to construct simple sentences with a noun and a verb.For example,if she wants to be held,she goes to her mother,holds up her arms,and says,"Mommy,up." This type of sentence is called
A) cooing.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) babbling.
D) phoneme.

Accepted Answer

The type of sentence described is characteristic of telegraphic speech, which is common in children around the age of two. Telegraphic speech includes short, simple sentences that omit nonessential words such as articles and prepositions, much like telegrams. The other options do not accurately describe the type of sentence constructed by Dalila.

Question 10

Though he spoke no English,Miguel emigrated to the United States for a job.At first,conversations of native English speakers seemed to him to run together into one long word,but now he can hear where each word begins and ends.This process is called
A) morphophonemics.
B) phonemics.
C) speech segmentation.
D) pragmatics.

Accepted Answer

Speech segmentation refers to the ability to break down a continuous stream of speech into individual words. This is what Miguel has learned to do over time, as he can now hear where each word begins and ends in conversations. Morphophonemics and phonemics refer more to the study of sound patterns in language, while pragmatics refers to the social context of language use.

Question 11

Oliver is filling out an online job application for an administrative position with a local law firm.He has never written a professional letter before,so he writes it the same way he'd write any email.His first line reads,"Hey,how u doin? Parents say I gotta find a job,& the one on yr site looks kewl." What language rule has Oliver violated?
A) Chomsky's theory
B) pragmatics
C) speech segmentation
D) morphophonemics

Accepted Answer

Oliver has violated pragmatics by using casual, informal language inappropriate for a professional job application.

Question 12

Charlotte is a jeweller.A friend asks if she knows where violet diamonds come from.Charlotte replies that she has never seen a violet diamond,so they must not exist.Charlotte's _________________ reasoning may be in error.
A) premise
B) conceptual
C) inductive
D) deductive

Accepted Answer

Charlotte's reasoning is inductive because she is making a generalization based on limited evidence (her personal experience). She cannot conclude that violet diamonds do not exist just because she has never seen them. Inductive reasoning involves using specific examples to form a general conclusion, but it is always possible for new evidence to emerge that would challenge that conclusion.

Question 13

We develop a syllogism which states that all soccer players are men,Alex is a soccer player;therefore,Alex is a man." Is this statement logically correct?
A) We don't know,because we don't know if Alex is really a man or a woman.
B) We don't know,because we don't know if Alex is really a soccer player.
C) The facts are true,but the logic involved may not be correct.
D) The logic is correct,but the facts involved may not be true.

Accepted Answer

The syllogism is logically valid because if all soccer players are men and Alex is a soccer player, then Alex must be a man. However, the premise that all soccer players are men may not be factually true.

Question 14

The symbols used in any given language (in English the symbols in question are called letters)were developed
A) based on the shapes we make with our mouths to pronounce them.
B) based on the shapes of objects in the part of the world where the language developed.
C) based on astrological charts.
D) arbitrarily.

Accepted Answer

The symbols used in most languages, including English, were developed arbitrarily, meaning there is no inherent connection between the symbol (letter) and the sound it represents. It is simply a convention that speakers of a language agree upon in order to communicate with each other.

Question 15

Part of what makes human beings unique is that we are able to think better and communicate more effectively than other animals do.The images,ideas,concepts,and principles that we use to transfer ideas and skills to one another are called
A) surface structures.
B) deep structures.
C) mental representations.
D) syntax.

Accepted Answer

The pictures, ideas, concepts, and principles that we use to transfer ideas and skills to one another are called mental representations. Choices A, B, and D are all related to language and sentence structure, which is not specifically what the question is asking for.

Question 16

While trying to learn what a dog is,Arash mentally compares every animal to his family's new puppy.If the animal is similar enough,he decides that it is also a dog.Arash's puppy serves as a _______________ for the concept of dog.
A) proposition
B) heuristic
C) concept
D) prototype

Accepted Answer

Arash's puppy is serving as a prototype, which is the best fit for the described scenario. A prototype is an example or instantiation of a concept that is used to help categorize or understand new examples. In this case, Arash is using his puppy as a prototype for the concept of a dog, and any other animal that is similar enough to his puppy is categorized as a dog.

Question 17

Diet pills and fads generate millions of dollars in revenue each year,yet Canadians are more overweight than ever.One of the problems is that few people plan intermediate steps to move themselves from being overweight to a healthy weight.They may know that diet and exercise are key,but they fail to plan when,where,and how often to exercise,or to keep themselves motivated over the long term.In other words,they are not using the ________________ heuristic.
A) algorithm
B) representativeness
C) availability
D) subgoal analysis

Accepted Answer

The subgoal analysis heuristic involves breaking down a larger goal into smaller, more manageable subgoals. In this case, planning intermediate steps towards achieving a healthy weight would involve setting subgoals for exercise frequency, motivation, etc. This would help individuals to better plan and ultimately achieve their weight loss goals.

Question 18

Kirima moved to Germany with her parents and little brother Leif when she was 13 and Leif was 4.Ten years later,both Kirima and Leif speak German and English,but Leif is more fluent with German than is Kirima and he has no accent in either language.This
A) shows that Chomsky's theory about a language acquisition device is wrong.
B) proves that males are better with foreign languages than females.
C) could have happened only if Leif's elementary education was better than Kirima's.
D) suggests that children have a sensitive period for language acquisition.

Accepted Answer

Leif's fluency in both German and English without an accent suggests that he acquired the languages during his sensitive period for language acquisition, which is typically between 0-7 years old. This supports the idea that children have a natural ability to acquire language during this time, as proposed by Chomsky's theory. Additionally, there is no evidence to suggest that Leif's elementary education was better than Kirima's, and gender has not been shown to be a significant factor in language acquisition ability.

Question 19

Kaspar and Jasmine have an opportunity to place their six-year-old son,Darius,into a bilingualism program.If they enrol him,half of his classes will be conducted in Spanish and the other half in English.Since Kaspar struggled with school,he worries that Darius will too,especially if he has to learn Spanish on top of everything else.Jasmine argues that bilingualism will actually improve Darius's other cognitive abilities.Who is correct?
A) Jasmine.Research shows that bilingualism is correlated with higher self-esteem,greater thinking flexibility,and higher performance on nonverbal intelligence tests.
B) Jasmine,but only because bilingual programs tend to hire extremely intelligent teachers.
C) Kaspar,because whenever someone learns a second language,the brain tries to overwrite the first one with the new information.
D) Kaspar,because Darius is already past the critical period to learn a second language.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that bilingualism can have positive effects on cognitive abilities such as self-esteem, flexibility in thinking, and performance on nonverbal intelligence tests. Kaspar's concern about learning two languages at the same time is not supported by research, and the critical period for language learning extends beyond early childhood.

Question 20

Dr.Katse tells students,"If I hit a glass with a feather,the glass will break.Now,imagine that I hit a glass with a feather.What happens?" Most students will say that the glass will not break,even though Dr.Katse has just told them it would,because in the real world feathers can't break glasses.This tendency to abandon logical rules in favour of personal beliefs is called
A) inductive reasoning.
B) a belief bias.
C) deductive reasoning.
D) a discourse.

Accepted Answer

The tendency to abandon logical rules in favor of personal beliefs is called a belief bias. This is because people are often more likely to believe something that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs or biases, even if it goes against logic or evidence. Inductive reasoning refers to making specific observations and drawing general conclusions based on those observations, while deductive reasoning involves starting with a general theory and using it to predict specific outcomes. Discourse refers to communication or discussion. None of these options accurately describe the phenomenon described in the scenario.

Quiz 9: Language and Thinking

Tallulah is taking a dance class,so she mentally reviews the dance steps as she drives home.She is using __________________ thought.

Tremayne plans to ask his girlfriend to marry him.He wants his proposal to be perfect,so he mentally rehearses the words he will say to her.This kind of thinking is referred to as

Human children begin to master language without any formal instruction,and languages throughout the world have common underlying structural characteristics.These two things suggest an inborn tendency to learn language that is called a

You are able to read this sentence because you understand a system of symbols and rules that create messages and meanings.This system is called

Dalila is two years old and is able to construct simple sentences with a noun and a verb.For example,if she wants to be held,she goes to her mother,holds up her arms,and says,"Mommy,up." This type of sentence is called

Though he spoke no English,Miguel emigrated to the United States for a job.At first,conversations of native English speakers seemed to him to run together into one long word,but now he can hear where each word begins and ends.This process is called

Charlotte is a jeweller.A friend asks if she knows where violet diamonds come from.Charlotte replies that she has never seen a violet diamond,so they must not exist.Charlotte's _________________ reasoning may be in error.

We develop a syllogism which states that all soccer players are men,Alex is a soccer player;therefore,Alex is a man." Is this statement logically correct?

The symbols used in any given language (in English the symbols in question are called letters) were developed

Part of what makes human beings unique is that we are able to think better and communicate more effectively than other animals do.The images,ideas,concepts,and principles that we use to transfer ideas and skills to one another are called

While trying to learn what a dog is,Arash mentally compares every animal to his family's new puppy.If the animal is similar enough,he decides that it is also a dog.Arash's puppy serves as a _______________ for the concept of dog.

Kirima moved to Germany with her parents and little brother Leif when she was 13 and Leif was 4.Ten years later,both Kirima and Leif speak German and English,but Leif is more fluent with German than is Kirima and he has no accent in either language.This