1. Which of these words has the primary stress on the SECOND syllable?
A. `photograph
B. pho`tography
C. photo`graphic
D. `photo
2. What is the phonetic transcription for the word `thought`?
A. /θɔːt/
B. /θɒt/
C. /tɔːt/
D. /tɒt/
3. In connected speech, what is `reduction`?
A. Making unstressed syllables longer and clearer.
B. Changing stressed syllables to unstressed syllables.
C. Making unstressed syllables shorter and less distinct.
D. Adding more stress to all syllables in a word.
4. Which of the following words has a silent letter?
A. pen
B. know
C. sun
D. red
5. Identify the word that does NOT contain a diphthong (a vowel sound that glides from one sound to another).
A. boy
B. cow
C. ear
D. tree
6. Which word contains the vowel sound /ʊ/ as in `put`?
A. food
B. flute
C. foot
D. fruit
7. Which of these words demonstrates `linking` in connected speech between a consonant and a vowel sound?
A. cat
B. an apple
C. strength
D. through
8. What is the main difference between `stress-timed` and `syllable-timed` languages?
A. Stress-timed languages have longer syllables.
B. Syllable-timed languages have more stressed syllables.
C. In stress-timed languages, stressed syllables occur at roughly equal intervals of time, while in syllable-timed languages, syllables take roughly the same amount of time.
D. Stress-timed languages are always spoken faster than syllable-timed languages.
9. What is the phonetic symbol for the vowel sound in `nurse`?
A. /ɜː/
B. /ə/
C. /ʌ/
D. /ɔː/
10. Which of the following consonant sounds is voiced?
A. /p/
B. /t/
C. /k/
D. /b/
11. What is the typical intonation pattern for a `wh-question` (e.g., What, Where, When)?
A. Rising intonation at the end.
B. Falling intonation at the end.
C. Level intonation throughout.
D. A combination of rising and falling intonation in the middle.
12. In connected speech, `elision` refers to:
A. Adding extra syllables to words.
B. The omission of a sound or syllable when speaking.
C. Changing the stress pattern of words.
D. Repeating sounds for emphasis.
13. In connected speech, what is `assimilation`?
A. Adding extra sounds to words.
B. Omitting sounds from words.
C. When a sound changes to become more like a neighbouring sound.
D. Saying words very slowly and clearly.
14. What is a minimal pair in phonetics?
A. Two words with completely different sounds and meanings.
B. Two words that sound exactly the same.
C. Two words that differ by only one phoneme and have different meanings.
D. Two words that have similar meanings but different pronunciations.
15. In the word `comfortable`, which syllable is typically NOT pronounced in fast, connected speech by native speakers?
A. com
B. fort
C. tab
D. ble
16. Identify the word where the `th` is pronounced as /ð/ (as in `this`).
A. thick
B. path
C. breathe
D. theatre
17. What is `intonation` in spoken English?
A. The speed at which you speak.
B. The loudness of your voice.
C. The melody or rise and fall of your voice.
D. The clarity of your pronunciation of individual sounds.
18. Which phonetic symbol represents the `schwa` sound, the most common vowel sound in English, often found in unstressed syllables?
A. /æ/
B. /ʌ/
C. /ə/
D. /ɜː/
19. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the pronunciation of the ending `-ed` in regular past tense verbs?
A. `-ed` is always pronounced as /ɪd/.
B. `-ed` is always pronounced as /t/.
C. The pronunciation of `-ed` depends on the preceding sound.
D. `-ed` is always silent.
20. What is the primary function of `contrastive stress` in English?
A. To stress all words equally for clarity.
B. To emphasize words that contradict or contrast with something previously said or implied.
C. To make sentences sound more polite.
D. To indicate questions.
21. Which of these words is an example of a `homophone` (words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings)?
A. cat, bat
B. see, sea
C. red, read
D. sun, moon
22. What is the difference between a `phoneme` and a `phone`?
A. They are the same thing; the terms are interchangeable.
B. A phone is a unit of sound, while a phoneme is a unit of meaning-distinguishing sound.
C. A phoneme is a unit of sound, while a phone is a unit of meaning-distinguishing sound.
D. Phonemes are used in writing, phones are used in speaking.
23. What is the difference in pronunciation between `live` (verb) and `live` (adjective)?
A. There is no difference in pronunciation.
B. The verb `live` has a short vowel /ɪ/, and the adjective `live` has a long vowel /aɪ/.
C. The verb `live` has a long vowel /aɪ/, and the adjective `live` has a short vowel /ɪ/.
D. The verb `live` is stressed on the first syllable, and the adjective `live` is stressed on the second syllable.
24. What is the function of `sentence stress` in English?
A. To make every word in a sentence equally prominent.
B. To emphasize only grammatical words like articles and prepositions.
C. To highlight the most important words (content words) in a sentence.
D. To make sentences sound monotonous and flat.
25. Which of the following is an example of a `weak form` in English?
A. `CAN you help me?` (stressed CAN)
B. `Can you help me?` (unstressed can)
C. `I CAN help you.` (stressed CAN)
D. `I can help you.` (stressed can)
26. Identify the word where the underlined part is pronounced as /θ/ (as in `thin`).
A. this
B. though
C. think
D. them
27. Which of the following words contains the vowel sound /ɪ/ as in `bit`?
A. sheep
B. ship
C. seat
D. sheet
28. Which of these is a `plosive` consonant sound?
A. /f/
B. /s/
C. /b/
D. /m/
29. Identify the word where the `g` is pronounced as /dʒ/ (as in `judge`).
A. give
B. go
C. giant
D. glass
30. Identify the word where the `ch` is pronounced as /ʃ/ (as in `ship`).
A. chair
B. child
C. machine
D. church
