Transformational Grammar: Master the Rules of Sentence Transformation

Question 1

What distinguishes kernel sentences from transformational sentences?

Accepted Answer

Kernel sentences are basic, untransformed structures, while transformational sentences are derived from kernel sentences through transformations.

Answer

Transformational sentences are basic, untransformed structures, while kernel sentences are derived from transformational sentences through transformations.

Answer

Kernel sentences and transformational sentences both undergo transformations.

Answer

Kernel sentences and transformational sentences are structurally identical.

Question 2

Which of the following sentences has undergone the Wh-movement transformation?

Accepted Answer

Where is the library?

Answer

The library is near the park.

Answer

Have you seen my book?

Answer

I lost my book.

Question 3

Transformational grammar's emphasis on deep structure has implications for our understanding of

Accepted Answer

The semantic interpretation of sentences.

Answer

The surface form of sentences.

Answer

The historical evolution of languages.

Answer

The role of context in language comprehension.

Question 4

Define 'Syntactic competence' in the context of transformational grammar.

Accepted Answer

The knowledge of the rules that govern the formation of sentences

Answer

The ability to produce and understand sentences in a language

Answer

The ability to identify the grammatical structure of a sentence

Answer

The ability to translate sentences from one language to another

Question 5

Which application of transformational grammar involves the understanding of natural language?

Accepted Answer

Natural language processing

Answer

Language acquisition

Answer

Machine translation

Answer

Speech recognition

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of deep structure?

Accepted Answer

It is the surface form of the sentence

Answer

It is represented as a tree diagram

Answer

It contains abstract grammatical relations

Answer

It is generated by the base rules of the grammar

Question 7

Which transformational rule moves a subject to the end of a sentence?

Accepted Answer

Extraposition

Answer

Gapping

Answer

Wh-movement

Answer

Passive

Question 8

Which criticism of Chomsky's theory of transformational grammar argues that it does not account for the diversity of languages?

Accepted Answer

It does not account for language variation

Answer

It is too abstract

Answer

It is not applicable to natural language processing

Answer

It is too complex to be computationally implemented

Question 9

Which recent development in transformational grammar focuses on economy of derivation and explanation?

Accepted Answer

Minimalism

Answer

Government and Binding Theory

Answer

Optimality Theory

Answer

Cognitive Grammar

Question 10

Which of the following is a core principle in transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

Sentences undergo a series of transformations to derive their surface form.

Answer

Language is a system of rules that generate sentences.

Answer

Meaning is determined solely by the surface structure of a sentence.

Answer

Grammar is innate and universal.

Question 11

Who is widely recognized as the founder of transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

Noam Chomsky

Answer

Ferdinand de Saussure

Answer

Leonard Bloomfield

Answer

Wilhelm von Humboldt

Question 12

What is the distinction between deep structure and surface structure in transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

Deep structure represents the underlying meaning, while surface structure represents the spoken or written form.

Answer

Surface structure is more complex than deep structure.

Answer

Deep structure can be ambiguous, while surface structure is always unambiguous.

Answer

Deep structure contains all the information in the sentence, while surface structure does not.

Question 13

Transformational grammar helps us understand how sentences work. Which of these is a real-world example of this?

Accepted Answer

Explaining why some sentences are grammatically correct.

Answer

Translating between languages.

Answer

Teaching foreign languages.

Answer

Creating artificial intelligence.

Question 14

Identify the term that refers to the underlying representation of a sentence prior to any transformations.

Accepted Answer

Deep structure

Answer

Surface structure

Answer

Transformational rule

Answer

Constituent

Question 15

Which transformational rule involves the movement of a constituent?

Accepted Answer

Move alpha

Answer

Substitution

Answer

Deletion

Answer

Affixation

Question 16

Which sentence demonstrates the application of a passive transformation?

Accepted Answer

The ball was kicked by the child.

Answer

The child kicked the ball.

Answer

He ate the sandwich.

Answer

The book is on the table.

Question 17

What is the primary function of deletion transformations?

Accepted Answer

To remove redundant grammatical elements

Answer

To introduce new grammatical elements

Answer

To rearrange grammatical elements within a sentence

Answer

To substitute one grammatical element for another

Question 18

In transformational grammar, what term is used to classify words based on their grammatical functions?

Accepted Answer

Syntactic categories

Answer

Semantic categories

Answer

Pragmatic categories

Answer

Morphological categories

Question 19

What is the purpose of a deep structure in transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

To represent the underlying abstract meaning of a sentence.

Answer

To represent the surface form of a sentence.

Answer

To represent the phonetic form of a sentence.

Answer

To represent all possible interpretations of a sentence.

Question 20

Which transformation operation involves moving a constituent from one position in a sentence to another?

Accepted Answer

Movement

Answer

Deletion

Answer

Copying

Answer

Substitution

Question 21

What is the significance of the Chomsky Hierarchy in the study of transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

It provides a theoretical framework for classifying the complexity of languages.

Answer

It is a set of rules for writing grammatically correct sentences.

Answer

It is a way of measuring the effectiveness of language teaching methods.

Answer

It is a method for identifying errors in speech.

Question 22

What is the relationship between phrase structure grammar and transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

Phrase structure grammar provides a framework for representing the syntactic structure of sentences, while transformational grammar provides a set of rules for transforming these structures into more complex ones.

Answer

Phrase structure grammar and transformational grammar are unrelated.

Answer

Phrase structure grammar is a subset of transformational grammar.

Question 23

Which of the following is a fundamental concept in the X-bar theory?

Accepted Answer

Projection

Answer

Bounding

Answer

Rewriting

Answer

Indexing

Question 24

What is a key difference between lexical and transformational rules in transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

Lexical rules apply to individual words, while transformational rules apply to entire phrases or sentences.

Answer

Lexical rules are more abstract than transformational rules.

Answer

Transformational rules can create new words, while lexical rules cannot.

Question 25

What is the ultimate objective of transformational grammar?

Accepted Answer

To provide a formal and explicit description of the underlying principles and structures that govern human language comprehension and production.

Answer

To analyze and compare different languages.

Answer

To teach people how to speak and write correctly.