PRACTICE EXERCISE (FINAL EXAM)

1. State whether the following sentences are analytic, contradictory or synthetic.

Write A(nalytic), C(ontradictory) or S(ynthetic) in the blanks provided.

a. _____C_____ John is simultaneously a man and not a human being.

b. _____A_____ That boy is his own father's son.
c. _____S_____ Some cats eat wool.
d. _____A_____ People who run move their bodies.
e. _____C_____ John killed Bill, who has just phoned me.
f. _____S_____ It’s not cold here in the winter.
g. _____S_____ People who run damage their bodies.
h. _____A_____ Jane’s husband is married.
i. _____C_____ The murdered man is now living in Liverpool.
j. _____S_____ A dog is a man’s best friend.

2. What is the sense relation between the predicates in each of the following
pairs? If the relation is antonymy, state the type of antonymy.

a.Luggage - suitcase ____________Hyponymy____________

b.Ripe - mature ____________Synonymy____________
c.Landlord - tenant ____________Converses____________
d. Herd - heard ____________Homophony____________
e. Never - always ____________Multiple incompatibility____________
f. East / west ____________Multiple incompatibility___
g.Light / heavy ____________Gradable antonymy___
h.Master / servant ____________Converses___
i. Season / summer ____________ Hyponymy___
j. Possess / own ____________Synonymy___

3. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is an

entailment of the sentence printed before it (⇒ is used to show entailment) or a
paraphrase of the sentence printed before it (⇔ to show paraphrase).

a. Sitting in one place for so long is very uncomfortable.

⇔ It is very uncomfortable to sit in one place for so long.
b. Some countries have no coastline.
⇔ There is no coastline in some countries.
c. Alice plays the flute.
⇒ Alice plays a musical instrument.
d. Jane saw a giant bear.
⇒ Jane saw something.

4. Decide whether the following utterances are performative or constative. Then write P

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 for performative utterances and C for constative utterances in the space provided.

a. I believe in the dictatorship of the Proletariat. C

b. I try to get this box open with a screwdriver. C

c. I inform you that you are sacked. P

d. Listeners are reminded that BBC wireless licenses expire on April 15th. P
e. I can't promise that I'll be there early this afternoon. C
f. The glove suggests that she was at the scene of the crime. C
g. I accept your apology. P
h. I confess that I stole the family jewels. P

5. Identify one core presupposition in each of the following sentences.

a. You should have taken over the project.

You didn’t take over the project.
b. I am going to be a teacher of English.
I am not a teacher of English now.
c. ‘Don’t take her hat’.
She has a hat.
d. ‘Could you come to our party this weekend?
We’re having a party this weekend.
e. The king of France is bald.
There’s a king in France.
f. John knows that Baird invented television.
Baird invented television
g. John regrets that he said the unsayable.
John said the unsayable.
h. Mary stopped beating her boyfriend.
Mary used to beat her boyfriend./ Mary once beat her boyfriend.
i. After she shot to stardom in a romance film, Jane married a millionaire entrepreneur.
Jane shot to stardom in a romance film.
j. Julius is a bachelor.
There’s a person named Julius./ The hearer knows Julius.
k. I have written to every headmaster in Rochdale.
There are headmasters in Rochdale.
l. The author is Julius Seidensticker.
The hearer knows the author Julius Seidensticker.

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 m. I am going to apply for a job.
I don’t have a job now.
n. You shouldn’t have seen that film.
You saw that film.

6. For each of the following dialogues, identify the maxim(s) being flouted and B’s
implicature.

a. A: She is thirsty.
B: Shall we get some I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M?
Maxim flouted: Maxim of manner
Implicature: B doesn’t want the kid to understand ‘ice cream’. (B wants only A
to understand ‘ice cream’.
b. A: Have you seen my sweater?
B: There’s a sweater on the sofa.
Maxim flouted: Maxim of relevance
Implicature: A’s sweater might be on the sofa.
c. A: Did you buy fish?
B: I tried to.
Maxim flouted: Maxim of quantity
Implicature: B was not able to buy any fish.
d. A: Did many students visit you last week?
B: Some of the students came.
Maxim flouted: Maxim of quantity
Implicature: Not many students visited B last week. Just some came.
e. A: How are Mr John’s daughters?
B: The youngest is OK
Maxim flouted: Maxim of quantity
Implicature: The other daughters are not OK.
f. A: Has Betty gone to bed?
B: Her desk lamp is still on
Maxim flouted: Maxim of relevance
Implicature: Betty may be still awake.
g. A: My car’s broken down
B: There’s a garage near the corner.
Maxim flouted: Maxim of relevance
Implicature: You may have your car fixed at the garage.

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*Hỏi Yes-No – k trả lời Yes-No 🡪 Maxim of relevance flouted

7. For the following utterance, give 2 situations so that the utterance performs 2
different acts. Then interpret the utterance in light of the situations you
provide and classify it according to the intended acts.

a. “What else do you want?”

Situation 1:
________________________________________________________________________
___
________________________________________________________________________
___
Interpretation:
_______________________________________________________________
Classification:
_______________________________________________________________
A: What else do you want?
B: A sandwich.
--> A is asking about any other thing B wants.
--> Directive speech act
Situation 2:

b. You are standing in front of the TV.

A: Can you see me?

B: You are standing in front of the TV.

🡪 B is describing where A is.

🡪 representative speech act

A (speaking angrily): You are standing in front of the TV.

B: I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were here.

Interpretation: A is talking with anger to B for not letting him watch the TV.

Classification: expressive speech act.

c. Are you coming tomorrow?

A: Are you coming tomorrow?

B: Oh, sorry. I’m going to stay home.

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--> A is asking if B is coming tomorrow.

--> Directive speech act

A: (speaking excitedly) Are you coming tomorrow?

B: Of course!

--> A is excited about tomorrow's party.

--> Expressive speech act

d. I said I didn’t.

A: You stole the car.

B: (angrily) I said I didn’t.

B is angry at A’s accusing him/her of stealing the car.

Expressive speech act

A: Huh? What did you say?

B: I said I didn’t.

B is repeating what (s)he had said.

Representative speech act.

e. There is a bend ahead.

A: There is a bend ahead.

B: You must be insane. There’s not any.

🡪 A is purely describing that there exists a bend ahead.

🡪 Representative speech act

A: There is a bend ahead.

B: I know. I’m going to take a turning.

🡪 A is reminding that B should take a turning because of a bend ahead.

🡪 Directive speech act

f. I’m very upset that so many of you are talking.

Teacher: I’m very upset that so many of you are talking.

Monitor: Everyone, attention!

🡪 The teacher orders the monitor to tell the class to keep silent.

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 🡪 Directive speech act

A: Huh? Pardon me?

B: I’m very upset that so many of you are talking.

🡪 B is repeating …

🡪 Representative speech act

g. What else do you want?

8. What sense relation holds between the two sentences in each pairs:
1a. Jim is fatter than Edward and Edward is fatter than Bob.
1b. Jim is fatter than Bob.
🡪 entailment
2a. Some of the students joined in the camping trip.
2b. Not all of the students joined in the camping trip.
🡪 Paraphrase
3a. Jane is a spinter.
3b. Jane is married.
🡪 Contradiction
4a. My father owns this house.
4b. This house belongs to my father.
🡪 Paraphrase

9. For each pair of sentences below, decide whether the a sentence entails its b partner
(one-way entailments) or they are entailments of each other (two-way entailments).
1. a. James passed mathematics.
b. What James passed was mathematics.
🡪 two
2. a. Scarlet poisoned her husband.
b. Scarlet killed her husband. (harmed)
🡪 one
3. a. Everyone agreed with the manager about the need for change.
b. No one opposed to the manager's opinion about the need for change.
🡪 two
4. a. John inherited a rubber plantation.
b. John owned a rubber plantation.
🡪 one
5. a. Some countries have no coastline.
b. Not all countries have a coastline.
🡪 two
6. a. All dogs have fleas.
b. My dog has fleas.
🡪 one
7. a. Mary can play the piano.
b. Mary can play a musical instrument.
🡪 one
8. a. Jane is baking a cake in the kitchen.
b. Jane is cooking in the kitchen.
🡪 one

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