Speech acts and pragmatics MCQs 50 Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. Who introduced the concept of speech acts? (A) Ferdinand de Saussure (B) John Searle (C) J.L. Austin (D) Roman Jakobson 2. Which book by J.L. Austin introduced speech act theory? (A) Language and Mind (B) How to Do Things with Words (C) The Language Instinct (D) Speech and Society 3. Which of the following is NOT a type of speech act according to Austin? (A) Locutionary (B) Illocutionary (C) Perlocutionary (D) Lexicographic 4. Locutionary acts refer to: (A) The physical act of speaking and producing utterances (B) The intended meaning behind speech (C) The effect on the listener (D) The cultural rules of conversation 5. Illocutionary acts involve: (A) Literal meaning of words only (B) Speaker’s intention in making the utterance (C) Listener’s emotional response (D) Grammar correction 6. Perlocutionary acts refer to: (A) The actual words spoken (B) The effect of speech on the listener (C) The tone of voice (D) Sentence structure 7. John Searle expanded Austin’s work by: (A) Introducing categories of illocutionary acts (B) Creating phonological models (C) Defining syntax rules (D) Studying animal communication only 8. Which of the following is a directive speech act? (A) Apologizing (B) Commanding (C) Promising (D) Informing 9. Promises, threats, and vows are examples of: (A) Assertives (B) Commissives (C) Declaratives (D) Expressives 10. Statements that describe the world and can be true or false are: (A) Assertives (B) Directives (C) Expressives (D) Commissives 11. Which speech act category includes greetings, apologies, and congratulations? (A) Expressives (B) Commissives (C) Directives (D) Declaratives 12. The phrase “I now pronounce you husband and wife” is an example of: (A) Assertive (B) Directive (C) Declarative (D) Expressive 13. Pragmatics is concerned with: (A) Word origins only (B) Contextual meaning in language use (C) Syntax alone (D) Phonetic articulation 14. Which of the following is an example of indirect speech act? (A) “Close the door.” (B) “Can you close the door?” (C) “The door is open.” (implying it should be closed) (D) All of the above 15. Grice’s Cooperative Principle relates to: (A) Grammar rules (B) Politeness strategies (C) Conversational maxims (D) Phonological patterns 16. Which of the following is NOT one of Grice’s maxims? (A) Quantity (B) Quality (C) Relevance (D) Creativity 17. The maxim of quantity means: (A) Say as much as needed, but not more (B) Speak only in numbers (C) Avoid falsehood (D) Be polite always 18. Violating the maxim of quality means: (A) Saying something irrelevant (B) Saying something untrue (C) Saying too little (D) Saying too much 19. Politeness theory was developed by: (A) Searle and Chomsky (B) Brown and Levinson (C) Grice and Austin (D) Saussure and Jakobson 20. Face-threatening acts (FTAs) are: (A) Speech acts that damage someone’s social face or self-image (B) Compliments (C) Neutral expressions (D) Only insults 21. Positive politeness strategies aim to: (A) Minimize imposition and show friendliness (B) Avoid all communication (C) Enforce strict rules (D) Reject offers 22. Negative politeness strategies aim to: (A) Increase distance and respect autonomy (B) Show strong affection (C) Reject requests rudely (D) Always agree with the speaker 23. Saying “Could you please help me with this?” is an example of: (A) Positive politeness (B) Negative politeness (C) Expressive speech act (D) Declarative speech act 24. Speech acts are important in linguistic anthropology because they: (A) Reveal cultural norms and social interactions (B) Focus only on grammar (C) Ignore context (D) Remove subjectivity 25. Deictic expressions (like “this,” “that,” “here,” “now”) are important in pragmatics because they: (A) Depend on context to convey meaning (B) Are always literal (C) Have no relevance to meaning (D) Only appear in formal texts 26. Which is an example of a performative utterance? (A) “I apologize for being late.” (B) “The sky is blue.” (C) “Water boils at 100°C.” (D) “She is tall.” 27. Which of the following shows a perlocutionary effect? (A) A listener feeling persuaded after a speech (B) A speaker making a promise (C) A narrator giving background (D) A teacher defining a word 28. The term “speech event” refers to: (A) A specific instance of language use governed by rules (B) Any random conversation (C) A dictionary definition (D) A grammar lesson 29. Context in pragmatics includes: (A) Physical setting (B) Social relationships (C) Cultural expectations (D) All of the above 30. An utterance like “It’s cold in here” used to mean “close the window” is an example of: (A) Indirect speech act (B) Commissive (C) Declarative (D) Illocutionary force 31. Which type of speech act changes reality upon being uttered? (A) Declaratives (B) Assertives (C) Expressives (D) Directives 32. In pragmatics, implicature refers to: (A) Implied meaning beyond the literal expression (B) Grammar agreement (C) Direct speech only (D) Incorrect use of tense 33. Felicity conditions are: (A) Conditions that must be met for a speech act to be successful (B) Grammar errors (C) Politeness strategies (D) Metaphor rules 34. Saying “I bet you five dollars” is an example of: (A) Commissive speech act (B) Assertive speech act (C) Expressive speech act (D) Declarative speech act 35. Pragmatics differs from semantics in that pragmatics: (A) Considers meaning in context (B) Ignores meaning (C) Focuses only on word definitions (D) Uses mathematical formulas 36. The term “illocutionary force” refers to: (A) The intended function or purpose of an utterance (B) The sound of speech (C) The syntactic arrangement (D) The speed of speech 37. Which is an example of an expressive speech act? (A) “I congratulate you on your success.” (B) “Shut the door.” (C) “I will call you tomorrow.” (D) “The Earth is round.” 38. Which type of speech act includes requests and commands? (A) Assertives (B) Directives (C) Expressives (D) Declaratives 39. The utterance “I resign from my position” is: (A) Declarative speech act (B) Commissive speech act (C) Expressive speech act (D) Assertive speech act 40. Why are speech acts considered performative? (A) Because they can perform an action through language itself (B) Because they describe physical gestures (C) Because they are always indirect (D) Because they use metaphors 41. Which field first developed the concept of pragmatics? (A) Linguistics and philosophy of language (B) Chemistry (C) Economics (D) Mathematics 42. Speech acts are essential in cross-cultural communication because: (A) Different cultures interpret intentions differently (B) All languages use the same rules (C) They avoid meaning (D) They focus only on syntax 43. Which of the following can lead to pragmatic failure? (A) Misinterpreting politeness norms (B) Violating speech act rules (C) Ignoring cultural context (D) All of the above 44. The utterance “I warn you, the road is slippery” is: (A) Directive and illocutionary act (B) Commissive (C) Expressive (D) Assertive only 45. Speech act theory emphasizes: (A) Language as action, not just description (B) Syntax first (C) Vocabulary memorization (D) Phoneme counting 46. Which illocutionary act type involves changing the external situation? (A) Declaratives (B) Assertives (C) Directives (D) Expressives 47. Saying “I will meet you tomorrow” is a: (A) Commissive (B) Expressive (C) Directive (D) Assertive 48. Which of the following best illustrates pragmatic competence? (A) Knowing when and how to make a request politely (B) Memorizing vocabulary lists (C) Identifying all phonemes (D) Translating word-for-word 49. The utterance “I hereby declare the meeting open” is a: (A) Declarative speech act (B) Expressive speech act (C) Assertive speech act (D) Directive speech act 50. Why is pragmatics crucial in linguistic anthropology? (A) It links language use with culture, context, and social action (B) It only analyzes grammar (C) It ignores human interaction (D) It studies only phonetic symbols 1. Foundations of Linguistic Anthropology MCQsDefinition, scope, and history MCQsLanguage vs. communication MCQsHuman language vs. animal communication MCQsKey figures in linguistic anthropology MCQs2. Language Structure MCQsPhonetics and Phonology MCQsMorphology MCQsSyntax MCQsSemantics MCQsPragmatics MCQs3. 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