Syntactic Analysis - Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) - Linguistics Previous Year Questions

1

2022 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2022

In the given tree-structure NP1 C-commands NP2 but not vice versa because:

A

command cannot be a reciprocal relationship

B

No node dominates both NP₂ and NP₁

C

VP₁ dominates NP₂ and C-commands NP₁

D

VP₁ dominates NP₂ but not NP₁

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2

2022 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2022

In the given examples, column Y are examples of ________ sentences.

A

Topicalization

B

Cleft

C

Pseudo-cleft

D

Gapping

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3

2022 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2022

The given sentence is ungrammatical because:
*Tailan believes that himself is smarter than Po

A

Principle A of Binding Theory is not satisfied.

B

Principle B of Binding Theory is not satisfied.

C

Principle C of Binding Theory is not satisfied.

D

Both Po and Tailan are possible antecedents for himself.

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4

2023 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2023

In ‘John seems to have left’, the subject John has undergone:

A

Subject-to-Subject lowering

B

Object-to-Subject raising

C

Subject-to-Subject raising

D

Object-to-Object lowering

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5

2023 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2023

Consider the following question and determine where was moved finally, in accordance with the minimalist assumptions:
Was John, who wrote the book, angry?

A

T to C

B

C to T

C

V to T

D

T to V

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6

2023 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2023

Consider the following tree structure, where A and C are co-referential. Similarly, E and H are co-referential. Identify the incorrect statement(s).

A

A binds C

B

C binds E

C

E binds D

D

A binds H

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7

2023 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2023

The number of core arguments associated with the ditransitive verb ‘give’ is ________.

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8

2024 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2024

Which one of the sentences below does NOT have syntactic recursion in it?

A

The wolves ran on steadily.

B

The wolves ran in the night.

C

The deer avoided the wolves.

D

The deer quietly stood nearby.

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9

2024 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2024

Consider the following sentence:

The historian will put the paintings in his house on the wall in the museum.

Which interpretation is NOT possible among the following?

A

The paintings were on the museum wall.

B

The wall was in the museum.

C

The paintings were in his house.

D

The historian will put the paintings on the wall.

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10

2024 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2024

With reference to the tree diagram given below for the sentence ‘John wants him to be a doctor’, which of the following statements are CORRECT?

A

T of TP¹ assigns case to NP¹ in the Specifier position of TP¹

B

T of TP² assigns case to NP² in the Specifier position of TP²

C

V of VP¹ assigns case to NP² in the Specifier position of TP²

D

V of VP² assigns case to NP² in the Specifier position of TP²

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11

2024 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2024

For the sentence
Li knows [CP₁ that you believe [CP₂ that Mo thinks [CP₃ that Jo likes Kai]]]
which of the following statements can be held to apply?

A

CP₃ is embedded within CP₂ and CP₂ is embedded within CP₁.

B

The sentence demonstrates the use of CP-recursion.

C

In this complex sentence, the matrix verb takes CP₁ as an object.

D

CP₃ is the object of the embedded verb think but CP₂ is not an object.

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12

2024 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2024

Consider the following sentence:
Guna found Jiya in the park with the children from her neighbourhood.
Identify the descriptions that apply to this sentence.

A

This sentence has 1 determiner.

B

This sentence has 1 VP and 5 NPs.

C

This sentence has 1 subject, 1 object, and 3 adjuncts.

D

This sentence has 3 PPs used as 3 adjuncts.

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13

2024 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2024

Consider the following four ungrammatical sentences. Pay attention to the co-indexation.
i. *Gopal, gifted him, a piano.
ii. *Himself, likes Gopal,.
iii. *Gopal, thinks that Radha will marry himself,.
iv. *Radha,’s mother, loves herself,.
Which of the following statements are CORRECT with reference to Principles A, B and C of the Binding Theory?

A

The sentence in (i) violates Principle-B of the Binding Theory.

B

The sentence in (ii) violates Principle-A of the Binding Theory.

C

The sentences in (iii) and (iv) violate the requirement that the antecedent and the anaphor must be contained in the same binding domain.

D

The sentences in (i) and (iii) both violate Principle-C of the Binding Theory.

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14

2025 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2025

Consider the following two statements, S1 and S2 and choose the correct option.
S1: If X is an adjunct of Y, then Y is an argument of X because the presence of Y in a sentence is necessary for X to occur.
S2: It is not necessarily true that if Y is an argument of X, then X is Y's adjunct.

A

Both S1 and S2 are correct

B

S1 is correct and S2 is incorrect

C

S1 is incorrect and S2 is correct

D

Both S1 and S2 are incorrect

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15

2025 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2025

Given the sentences S1 and S2, choose the option that explains why S2 cannot be derived from S1. S1: Deadpool was interested in Wolverine's description of morphosyntax. S2: *What was Deadpool interested in Wolverine's description of?

A

Principle A violation

B

Island violation

C

Scope violation

D

Ellipses violation

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16

2025 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences-Linguistics (XH-C3) 2025

Which of the following sentence/s depict/s unaccusative construction/s?

A

Hulk ran

B

Hulk stumbled

C

Hulk joked

D

Hulk collapsed

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17

2026 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences - Linguistics (XH-C3) 2026

The arguments of a binary relation in a dependency structure consist of ______.

A

a head and a tail

B

a head and a dependent

C

a dependent and a tail

D

a head and a terminal

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18

2026 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences - Linguistics (XH-C3) 2026

Which of the following statements about the sentence below is/are CORRECT?
‘Mani wants Meera to eat her lunch on time.’

A

The NP ‘Meera’ is a complement of the verb ‘wants.’

B

The NP ‘Meera’ is the subject of the non-finite clause.

C

The clause ‘Meera to eat her lunch on time’ is the complement of the verb ‘wants’.

D

The NP ‘her lunch’ is not the object of the verb ‘eat’.

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19

2026 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences - Linguistics (XH-C3) 2026

Read the following two sentences (S1 and S2) and identify the theoretical principle(s) of natural language that explain(s) their ungrammaticality.
S1: *I managed for myself to go tomorrow.
S2: *Himself went Ravi.

A

Principle A of the Binding Theory

B

Principle C of the Binding Theory

C

Projection Principle

D

Principle B of the Binding Theory

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20

2026 · Linguistics · Levels of Grammatical Analysis (The primary components of grammar) · Syntactic Analysis

Humanities & Social Sciences - Linguistics (XH-C3) 2026

Which of the following sentences is/are example(s) of CP recursion in English?

A

Ravi went to Tezpur without informing Rihu. Rihu went to Tezpur too and did not find Ravi there, and Mani went to Aizawl after both Ravi and Rihu had left.

B

Ravi believes that John does not know anything about him.

C

Ravi knows that Ramu believes that Mani does not know anything about him.

D

Ravi liked the book that Mani got from Rihu who happens to be a mutual friend.

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