About this Study Set
This study set covers Linguistics through
25 practice questions.
A collection of fascinating facts about how languages work, their history, and the way we communicate. Every question includes the correct answer so you can learn as you go — pick any format above to get started.
Questions & Answers
Browse all 25 questions from the
Linguistics for Young Explorers study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer — select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
What is the term for the study of the sounds of human speech?
-
A
Syntax
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B
Phonetics
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C
Semantics
-
D
Morphology
2
Which language family does English belong to?
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A
Romance
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B
Semitic
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C
Germanic
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D
Slavic
3
What is the smallest unit of meaning in a language called?
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A
Morpheme
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B
Phoneme
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C
Clause
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D
Sentence
4
Which of these is the most spoken native language in the world by number of speakers?
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A
English
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B
Spanish
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C
Mandarin Chinese
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D
Hindi
5
What do linguists call the 'rules' that govern how words are arranged into sentences?
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A
Pragmatics
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B
Syntax
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C
Etymology
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D
Lexicology
6
What is the study of the history and origin of words called?
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A
Etymology
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B
Phonology
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C
Dialectology
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D
Sociolinguistics
7
Which of these scripts is written from right to left?
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A
Latin
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B
Cyrillic
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C
Arabic
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D
Devanagari
8
What is a 'loanword'?
-
A
A word that is borrowed from another language
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B
A word that is invented by a child
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C
A word that has no definition
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D
A word used only in poetry
9
What do we call a variety of a language that is specific to a particular geographic region?
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A
Accent
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B
Dialect
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C
Jargon
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D
Slang
10
Which of these is a 'pictographic' writing system?
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A
Hieroglyphics
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B
Latin Alphabet
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C
Hangul
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D
Cyrillic
11
What is the name for the study of meaning in language?
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A
Syntax
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B
Semantics
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C
Phonology
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D
Morphology
12
In linguistics, what is a 'bilingual' person?
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A
Someone who speaks only one language
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B
Someone who speaks two languages
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C
Someone who cannot speak
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D
Someone who speaks ancient languages
13
What are 'consonants' and 'vowels' classified as in linguistics?
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A
Morphemes
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B
Phonemes
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C
Semantics
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D
Syntax
14
The word 'robot' was introduced to the world by a play from which country?
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A
Czech Republic
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B
France
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C
Japan
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D
Russia
15
What does a 'lexicographer' do?
-
A
Study ancient stones
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B
Write dictionaries
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C
Translate movies
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D
Teach grammar
16
Which language is the primary language of Brazil?
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A
Spanish
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B
Portuguese
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C
French
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D
Italian
17
What do you call a language that has no native speakers but is used for communication between different groups?
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A
Dialect
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B
Lingua franca
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C
Slang
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D
Jargon
18
Which of these is a dead language that is no longer spoken as a native language by anyone?
-
A
English
-
B
Latin
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C
Mandarin
-
D
Arabic
19
What are the units of sound that distinguish one word from another, such as /p/ vs /b/ in 'pat' and 'bat'?
-
A
Phonemes
-
B
Morphemes
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C
Graphemes
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D
Syllables
20
Which writing system uses characters to represent whole words or ideas rather than individual sounds?
-
A
Alphabet
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B
Logographic
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C
Abjad
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D
Syllabary
21
What is the 'mother tongue' of a person usually called in linguistics?
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A
Second language
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B
Foreign language
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C
First language
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D
Dead language
22
Which century did the printing press, which helped standardize spelling, become popular in Europe?
-
A
12th Century
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B
15th Century
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C
18th Century
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D
20th Century
23
What is the term for a word that sounds the same as another but has a different meaning and spelling (like 'see' and 'sea')?
-
A
Synonym
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B
Antonym
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C
Homophone
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D
Acronym
24
Which family of languages includes French, Spanish, and Italian?
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A
Romance
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B
Germanic
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C
Slavic
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D
Celtic
25
What is 'body language' considered in the study of communication?
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A
Verbal communication
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B
Non-verbal communication
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C
Syntax
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D
Phonetics
