Question 1

On which of the following tasks is a bilingual child likely to have some difficulty,compared with a monolingual child?

Accepted Answer

Bilingual children may have slower language processing speeds due to managing two language systems, which can lead to slightly slower retrieval times compared to monolingual children.

Question 2

Suppose that you have a summer job in which you work with both monolingual and bilingual children,although the two groups are otherwise similar.You would expect to find that

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that bilingual children tend to outperform monolingual children on tasks that require cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, and following complex instructions. This is because bilingualism requires constant switching between languages and inhibiting one language while using the other. However, there is no evidence to suggest that bilingual children make more pragmatic errors or perform worse on metalinguistic tasks.

Question 3

Which of the following students' statement is the best summary of the research on bilingualism?

Accepted Answer

Joe's statement provides a more comprehensive summary of the research on bilingualism by acknowledging the advantages in multiple areas, as well as the slight disadvantages. The other options either only focus on one aspect or do not accurately reflect the findings of the research.

Question 4

What can we conclude about age of acquisition and mastery of a second language?

Accepted Answer

The article states that the research is not clear-cut and that the findings seem to depend on factors such as the similarity between the first language and the second language. Therefore, it is not possible to draw a definitive conclusion about the age of acquisition and mastery of a second language.

Question 5

Chapter 10 examined a study by Flege and his colleagues (1999),concerning the pronunciation skills of people who had emigrated from Korea to the United States.According to this research,

Accepted Answer

The answer of Chapter 10 examined a study by Flege...

Question 6

Suppose you have a 22-year-old friend who came to North America from Korea when he was 15 and then began to learn English.If he is like the participants in Flege's study on bilingualism,he will find that

Accepted Answer

According to Flege's study on bilingualism, age of arrival and amount of U.S. education have a greater impact on the acquisition of English grammar than the age at which the individual began learning English. Therefore, as long as both individuals have the same amount of U.S. education, they will have similar English grammar proficiency regardless of when they began learning English. The study did not mention losing vocabulary or having difficulty mastering English vocabulary. Additionally, the study did not mention any specific difficulties with Korean grammar or vocabulary.

Question 7

Chapter 10 examines the relationship between age of acquisition and ability to learn a second language.Before we can draw conclusions about this topic,which of the following questions needs further attention?

Accepted Answer

The question only mentions the ability to learn a second language, but does not specify that the language is English. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether the same findings hold true for different languages.

Answer: B
 While the question discusses age of acquisition, it is important to consider whether there are age-related differences in vocabulary learning as well.

Answer: C
 It is important to investigate whether age-related differences in grammar learning persist even when younger and older learners have similar levels of formal instruction.

Answer: D
 While the question discusses the relationship between age of acquisition and second language learning, it does not specify any particular aspect of language learning. Investigating the effect of age on phonology in a second language would be a valuable area of research.

Question 8

Suppose that you are listening to a lecture by a speaker who supports the critical period hypothesis for a particular motor skill in children.The speaker is likely to say that

Accepted Answer

The critical period hypothesis suggests that there is a specific time window during which acquiring a skill is optimal, and outside of this period, the ability to acquire the skill drops significantly.

Question 9

Chapter 10 discussed a study that compared the working-memory skills of three groups of Dutch-English bilinguals.This study concluded that

Accepted Answer

The study compared Dutch-English bilinguals who were simultaneous interpreters, teachers, and students. The study concluded that the simultaneous interpreters had the best working-memory scores. Therefore, choice C is the correct answer.

Question 10

What can we conclude about the relationship between a person's age of acquisition of a second language and his or her mastery of grammar?

Accepted Answer

The relationship between a person's age of acquisition of a second language and their mastery of grammar is complex and depends on factors such as the match between the two languages and the amount of education in the second language. There is no clear support for the critical period hypothesis, as some linguistically skilled individuals can master grammar well even if they learn a second language during adulthood.

Question 11

Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about bilingual people and monolingual people?

Accepted Answer

Bilingual individuals often have enhanced pragmatic awareness due to their experience in managing multiple languages, which can make them more attuned to the pragmatic components of language tasks.

Question 12

Hsi-Yen came to the United States from China when she was 14.Compared to her brother,who was 5 when he arrived,Hsi-Yen is most likely to have difficulty with

Accepted Answer

Phonology refers to the correct production and pronunciation of speech sounds. Hsi-Yen, who arrived in the United States at the age of 14, may have more difficulty with mastering the correct pronunciation of English sounds compared to her brother who arrived at a younger age and may have had more exposure to the language.

Question 13

You are testing the cognitive abilities of three groups of bilingual French-English speakers in Montreal,whose native language is French: university students,English teachers,and French-English interpreters.On a test of reading span,administered in English,you would expect that

Accepted Answer

Interpreters are likely to have superior cognitive abilities related to language processing due to their professional experience, which would give them an advantage in a reading span test in English.

Question 14

Suppose you are testing children who are monolingual English speakers and children who are fluent in both English and Spanish.Assuming that their other characteristics are similar,you are likely to find that

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that bilingual children have a better understanding of communicative situations and are more aware of when additional information may be necessary to convey their message effectively. This is known as metalinguistic awareness, which refers to an individual's ability to think about and reflect on language use. Thus, the bilingual children are likely to demonstrate stronger pragmatic skills compared to monolingual children in this scenario. None of the other options are supported by research or necessarily true for all individuals in either group.

Question 15

Imagine that an elementary teacher has two classes,one monolingual and the other bilingual-though their other characteristics are similar.The bilingual class is more likely to

Accepted Answer

The bilingual class is more likely to have a better understanding of the structure of their first language because they are constantly comparing and contrasting it with the second language they are learning. This can lead to a deeper understanding of language structure and grammar.

Answer: B and C are incorrect because there is no evidence to suggest that being bilingual affects beliefs about naming or causes difficulty with pragmatic aspects of language.

Answer: D is also incorrect because studies have shown that being bilingual can actually enhance cognitive abilities, including nonverbal intelligence.

Question 16

Imagine that a young girl is describing how people must add a term such as -ed if they want to form a past tense.Her description shows that she has competence in

Accepted Answer

Metalinguistics refers to the ability to think and talk about language, including knowledge about the rules and structures of language. The young girl's description of adding -ed to form the past tense shows her understanding of the grammatical rule and her ability to reflect on the structure of language.

Question 17

Which of the following is true about bilingual individuals?

Accepted Answer

Studies have found that bilingual individuals perform better on concept-formation tasks than monolingual individuals because of their enhanced cognitive flexibility and ability to switch between languages. However, there is no evidence to support the other three options.

Quiz 10: Language II: Language Production and Bilingualism