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Ling 101/301
Practice Problems for Final Exam Answer Key

Syntax trees

Draw a syntactic tree diagram for each of the following phrases:

(1)
NP
2
Det N
the 2
N PP
president g
P
2
P NP
of 2
Det N
the g
N
country

(2)

AP
2
AdvP A
g 2
A A PP
g happy g
A P
very 2
P NP
with 2
Det N
the g
N
results





2

(3)
VP
g
V
2
V NP
sing 2
Det N
a g
N
song

(4)
PP
2
AdvP P
g 2
A P NP
g on g
A N
never g
N
time

(5)
NP
2
Det N
the 2
N PP
destruction g
P
2
P NP
of 2
Det N
the g
N
city

3

(6)
NP
2
AP N
2 g
AdvP A N
g g lecture
Adv A
g boring
Adv
extremely

(7)


(8)

VP
3
V PP
2 g
V NP P
visit 2 2
NP N P NP
2 g on g
Det N N N
g g office g
the N N
professors Monday

4


(9)


Draw a syntactic tree diagram for each of the following sentences:

(1)



(2)





5


(3)
IP
3
NP I
2 2
D N I VP
that g might g
N V
cat g
V
yawn

(4)
IP
3
NP I
2 2
D N I VP
her g +Pst g
N V
giraffe V
V NP
drank 2
D N
some g
N
water

(5)

6





(6)
IP
3
NP I
g 2
N I VP
g should 2
N AdvP V
dogs g V
Adv V PP
g go g
Adv P
always 2
P NP
for 2
Det N
a g
N
walk

Draw BOTH a D-Structure and S-Structure tree for each of these questions:

(1)
D-Structure:







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S-Structure:


(2)
D-Structure:
















8

S-Structure:


(3)
D-Structure:














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S-Structure:


The following sentences are structurally ambiguous. Draw two trees for each sentence, and label
each one with an unambiguous paraphrase of the meaning.

(1)
Meaning 1: we hid behind tall trees and tall bushes (both trees and bushes were tall).

IP
3
NP I
g 2
N I VP
g +Pst g
N V
we V
V PP
hid g
P
2
P NP
behind 2
AdjP N
g g
Adj N
g 9
Adj N Con N
tall trees and bushes



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Meaning 2: We hid behind tall trees, and behind bushes (the bushes were not necessarily tall)
IP
3
NP I
g 2
N I VP
g +Pst g
N V
we V
V PP
hid g
P
2
P NP
behind 9
NP Con NP
2 and g
AdjP N N
g g g
Adj N N
g trees bushes
Adj
tall

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(2)
Meaning 1: It was the beer on the table that my uncle drank. (He drank the beer that was sitting
on the table.) The PP modifies the N beer.
IP
3
NP I
2 2
D N I VP
my g +Pst g
N V
uncle V
V NP
drank 2
D N
the 2
N PP
beer g
P
2
P NP
on 2
Det N
the g
N
table


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Meaning 2: It was on the table that my uncle drank the beer. (He drank the beer while
sitting/standing on the table.) The PP modifies the V drank.
IP
3
NP I
2 3
D N I VP
my g +Pst 3
N V PP
uncle V g
V NP P
drank 2 2
D N P NP
the g on 2
N Det N
beer the g
N
table

Constituency tests
Identify the constituency test that was performed in each example. What does the result imply
about the constituency of the first sentence?

1. The boys from upstairs played in the snow. They played in the snow.
Pronoun substitution. Implies that the boys from upstairs is an NP constituent in
the first sentence.
2. The boys from upstairs played in the snow. *They from upstairs played in the snow.
Pronoun substitution. Implies that the boys is not an NP constituent in the first
sentence.
3. The girls will play basketball if the boys do so too.
Do-so substitution. Implies that play basketball is a VP constituent in the first
sentence.
4. The girls will play basketball *if the boys do so baseball.
Do-so substitution. Implies that play is not a VP constituent in the first
sentence.
5. They moved the desk with the wooden top. It was the desk with the wooden top that
they moved.
Cleft test. Implies that the desk with the wooden top is a constituent in the first
sentence.
6. They moved the desk with the wooden top. *It was the desk with that they moved the
wooden top.
Cleft test. Implies that the desk with is not a constituent in the first sentence.
7. Shawn ate his lunch in the restaurant. In the restaurant, Shawn ate his lunch.
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Topicalization. Implies that in the restaurant is a constituent in the first
sentence.
8. Shawn ate his lunch in the restaurant. *His lunch in, Shawn ate the restaurant.
Topicalization. Implies that his lunch in is not a constituent in the first sentence.
9. Luke said he would swallow the pills and swallow the pills he did.
VP-fronting. Implies that swallow the pills is a VP constituent in the first
sentence.
10. Luke said he would swallow the pills *and swallow he did the pills.
VP-fronting. Implies that swallow is not a VP constituent in the first sentence.

Explaining ungrammaticality
What is responsible for the ungrammaticality of each of these sentences: Phrase Structure rules,
Subcategorization, Binding Principle A, or Binding Principle B? (If there are underlined NPs in
the sentence, assume they refer to the same person.)
1. *Ginny watched to the TV. Subcategorization
(compare: Ginny watched the TV.)
2. *I said that myself needs a break. Binding Principle A
(compare: I said that I need a break.)
3. *Sing can John. PS rules
(compare: John can sing.)
4. *Shelly gave her a break. Binding Principle B
(compare: Shelly gave herself a break.)
5. *Ginny panicked the crisis. Subcategorization
(compare: Ginny panicked at the crisis.)
6. *Ginny the TV watched. PS rules
(compare: Ginny watched the TV.)
7. *I shopped a credit card with. PS rules
(compare: I shopped with a credit card.)

Gricean maxims
Consider the following conversations. What is person Bs speaker meaning? Which of Grices
maxims are used to compute the inference?

(a) A: Are you going to buy some detergent?
B: I have lots of detergent at home.

Bs speaker meaning is: No, Im not going to buy detergent.
Maxim used to infer this: Relevance

(b) A: Oh no! I locked my keys in the car were stuck here!
B: Great, thats just what we needed!

Bs speaker meaning is: That is not what we needed.
Maxim used to infer this: Quality

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(c) A: Did you make a doctors appointment?
B: Their line was busy.

Bs speaker meaning is: I did not make an appointment.
Maxim used to infer this: Relevance

(d) A: Did you mow the lawn and wash the car like I told you to?
B: I mowed the lawn.

Bs speaker meaning is: I mowed the lawn but did not wash the car.
Maxim used to infer this: Quantity

(e) A: Im an excellent dancer.
B: Right, and Im a purple fuzzy banana.

Bs speaker meaning is: You are very far from being an excellent dancer.
Maxim used to infer this: Quality

(f) A: I heard you went to the opera last night. How was the lead singer?
B: Well, she produced a series of sounds corresponding to the score of an aria from
Rigoletto.

Bs speaker meaning is: The lead singer was terrible.
Maxim used to infer this: Manner

(g) A: What on earth has happened to the roast beef?
B: The dog is looking pretty happy.

Bs speaker meaning is: Maybe the dog ate the roast beef.
Maxim used to infer this: Relevance

Consider the following joke. What Gricean maxim is violated in Sams first response? What
does Framer Brown infer based on Sams response, using this maxim?
Farmer Brown: Hey, Sam, my mules got distemper. Whatd you give yours when he had
it?
Sam: Turpentine.
(one week later)
Farmer Brown: Hey Sam, I gave my mule turpentine like you said and it killed him.
Sam: Yep, it killed mine too.

Sams first response violates the maxim of Quantity. Sam left out information that was
important: the fact that his mule had died after he gave it turpentine. Because Sam did not
mention any ill effects of the turpentine, Farmer Brown, assuming Sams response was
cooperative, inferred that the turpentine had helped the mule recover.


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Analytic versus synthetic truth
Are the following sentences analytic (purely linguistic truth or falsity) or synthetic (empirically
true or false)?

a. A horse is a horse. Analytic (and true)
b. My next door neighbor is married. Synthetic
c. A person with a spouse is married. Analytic (and true)
d. Siblings are not relatives. Analytic (and false)
e. That animal is not a pet. Synthetic

Sentence relations
What truth relation holds between each pair of sentences? (Paraphrase, Entailment,
Contradiction, Presupposition)
a. I regret having my hair dyed green.
I had my hair dyed green. Presupposition
b. Wally gave Beaver a dog biscuit.
Wally gave a dog biscuit to Beaver. Paraphrase
c. Martina aced her chemistry final.
Martina passed her chemistry final. Entailment
d. Ralph likes anchovy pizza.
Ralph has tasted anchovy pizza. Presupposition
e. George chopped down the tree.
George did not chop down the tree. Contradiction
f. Veronica has a sister.
Veronica has a sibling. Entailment
g. Veronica has a sister.
Veronica has no siblings. Contradiction
h. Ian eats a large breakfast every day.
Ian eats a large breakfast on Mondays. Entailment