Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Study: 'ami gola piru' = 'I drink water,' 'ami gola-ta piru' = 'I drank water,' 'ami gola-ne piru' = 'I will drink water.' Tense is marked on the verb. What are the past and future markers?
- -ta for past, -ne for future (Correct answer)
- -ta for present, -ne for past
- -ta for future, -ne for past
- Neither marks tense
Correct answer: -ta for past, -ne for future
The base form 'gola' is present tense (I drink). Adding '-ta' marks past (I drank) and '-ne' marks future (I will drink). These are verbal suffixes that modify the time reference of the action while leaving the subject and object unchanged.
Question 2: In an invented script, a dot placed above a symbol shortens its sound by half. If '★' = /aa/ (long), then '★̇' (starred with dot) represents:
- /a/ (short vowel) (Correct answer)
- /k/ (consonant)
- /e/ (different vowel)
- /aa/ unchanged
Correct answer: /a/ (short vowel)
The dot rule halves the sound length, so the long /aa/ becomes the short /a/.
Question 3: In a fictional language, word order is Verb-Subject-Object. Negation is expressed by the particle 'ne' which must be placed directly after the verb. Given that 'vid' means 'sees', 'puer' means 'the boy', and 'canis' means 'the dog', what is the correct way to say 'The boy does not see the dog'?
- Ne vid puer canis.
- Vid ne puer canis. (Correct answer)
- Vid puer ne canis.
- Puer ne vid canis.
Correct answer: Vid ne puer canis.
The required word order is Verb-Subject-Object. The verb is 'vid' (sees), the subject is 'puer' (the boy), and the object is 'canis' (the dog). The negation particle 'ne' is placed immediately after the verb. Therefore, the sentence structure is Verb ('Vid') + Negation ('ne') + Subject ('puer') + Object ('canis'), forming 'Vid ne puer canis'.
Question 4: A picture shows two symbols: [magnifying glass] = 'examine', [broken arrow] = 'fail'. A sentence image shows: [magnifying glass] + [broken arrow]. What does this combined image mean?
- Failed examination OR examined and failed (Correct answer)
- To magnify an arrow
- To fix something broken
- Success through examination
Correct answer: Failed examination OR examined and failed
Combining two symbols creates a compound meaning: examine + fail = 'failed examination' or 'examined and failed.'
Question 5: Analyze: 'iru me kana' = 'I eat rice,' 'iru me saba' = 'I eat fish,' 'iru te kana' = 'you eat rice.' What does 'me' represent?
- I (Correct answer)
- You
- Rice
- Eat
Correct answer: I
Comparing sentences 1 and 3, 'me' changes to 'te' when the subject changes from 'I' to 'you,' while 'kana' (rice) stays constant. This confirms 'me' means 'I' and 'te' means 'you.' The verb 'iru' means 'eat.'
Question 6: In a verb-initial language: 'Ran quickly fox the brown.' What is the standard word order of this language?
- VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) (Correct answer)
- SVO (Subject-Verb-Object)
- SOV (Subject-Object-Verb)
- VOS (Verb-Object-Subject)
Correct answer: VSO (Verb-Subject-Object)
The verb 'ran' comes first, followed by the adverb 'quickly,' then the subject 'fox the brown.' This is a VSO pattern where the verb precedes both the subject and any objects. Languages like Welsh and Classical Arabic use this order.
Question 7: The Dragonian word "Draco" means "fly". What does the term "draconix" mean?
- Do not fly (Correct answer)
- Flying
- Fly nix
- Nix fly
Correct answer: Do not fly
The Dragonian word 'Draco' means 'fly'. Following the established pattern for negation in this language, the suffix 'nix' is added to the verb. Therefore, 'draconix' directly translates to 'do not fly', with 'nix' acting as the negating element.
Question 8: In an SOV language, adjectives follow the noun they modify. 'The big house' (house=domo, big=grando) is written as:
- domo only
- domo grando (Correct answer)
- grando domo
- grando only
Correct answer: domo grando
The adjective-after-noun rule places the noun (domo) first, followed by its modifier (grando).
Question 9: Language T uses: 'nu' = 1, 'mu' = 10, 'ku' = 100. What does 'ku-mu-nu-nu' most likely equal?
- 120
- 112 (Correct answer)
- 111
- 110
Correct answer: 112
Combining ku(100) + mu(10) + nu(1) + nu(1) = 112 additively.
Question 10: From the Telvari examples: 'Nak bren.' (Bird flies.) 'Nak palu.' (Bird swims.) 'Shor bren.' (Fish flies.) 'Shor palu.' (Fish swims.) 'Melu bren.' (Cat flies.) What does 'Melu palu.' mean?
- Cat flies.
- Bird swims.
- Cat swims. (Correct answer)
- Fish swims.
Correct answer: Cat swims.
'Melu' = cat, 'palu' = swims, so 'Melu palu.' = Cat swims.
Question 11: In an unknown language: 'domo-la' = 'in the house,' 'domo-ke' = 'from the house,' 'parku-la' = 'in the park.' What does '-la' mean?
- house
- in (Correct answer)
- park
- from
Correct answer: in
'-la' appears in both 'domo-la' (in the house) and 'parku-la' (in the park). The only common meaning is 'in.' '-ke' appears with 'from,' confirming '-la' = in. These are postpositional suffixes indicating location.
Question 12: Study these sentences: 'paku lo men' = 'I see you,' 'paku men lo' = 'you see me,' 'paku lo sen' = 'I see him.' What does 'paku' mean?
- him
- you
- see (Correct answer)
- I
Correct answer: see
'Paku' appears in all three sentences regardless of who sees whom. Since the subject and object change but 'paku' remains constant, it must be the verb 'see.' The pronouns change positions to indicate subject and object roles.
Question 13: In a language: 'buk' = 'book,' 'buk-a' = 'books,' 'tri' = 'tree,' 'tri-e' = 'trees.' The plural suffix differs. What determines the form?
- Noun class/gender (Correct answer)
- The final sound of the noun
- Syllable count
- Vowel harmony
Correct answer: Noun class/gender
Since 'buk' ends in a consonant and takes '-a' while 'tri' also ends in a consonant/vowel and takes '-e,' the different plural forms cannot be predicted from phonology alone. This indicates a noun class system where each class has its own plural marker, similar to Bantu languages.
Question 14: In Language Z, questions are formed by moving the verb to the beginning. If 'nara kito pem' means 'she reads books,' how would you say 'Does she read books?'
- kito pem nara
- nara pem kito
- kito nara pem (Correct answer)
- pem nara kito
Correct answer: kito nara pem
If 'nara' is 'she,' 'kito' is 'reads,' and 'pem' is 'books,' moving the verb to the beginning produces 'kito nara pem.' This verb-fronting question formation is found in languages like Irish and Classical Arabic.
Question 15: Observe the following visual rule: An image of a single house is labeled 'doma'. An image of multiple houses is labeled 'domaim'. An image of a single tree is labeled 'arbor'. Following this pattern, how would you label an image of multiple trees?
- arbordoma
- domaim
- imdarbor
- arborim (Correct answer)
Correct answer: arborim
The pattern shows that the suffix '-im' is added to a noun to make it plural. 'doma' (one house) becomes 'domaim' (multiple houses). To apply this rule to 'arbor' (one tree), you add the '-im' suffix, resulting in 'arborim'.
Question 16: Heard in Veltari: [KELU] = 'run!', [kelu] (soft onset) = 'running'. The presence of a glottal stop at the start signals imperative (command). You hear a word with a soft onset and no glottal stop. What is its grammatical function?
- A question
- A command
- A gerund/participle (ongoing action) (Correct answer)
- A past tense form
Correct answer: A gerund/participle (ongoing action)
Soft onset (no glottal stop) = gerund/participle; glottal stop = imperative.
Question 17: A fictional writing system uses symbols tilted right for voiced sounds and upright symbols for voiceless sounds. A tilted 'P' symbol represents:
- /b/ (voiced stop) (Correct answer)
- /p/ (voiceless stop)
- /f/ (voiceless fricative)
- /pʰ/ (aspirated stop)
Correct answer: /b/ (voiced stop)
The rule states tilted symbols are voiced, so a tilted P corresponds to /b/, the voiced counterpart of /p/.
Question 18: What is 'government' in syntactic terminology?
- A rule requiring a head word to determine the grammatical case or form of a dependent (Correct answer)
- A rule specifying word order within a sentence
- A principle governing the placement of adverbs
- A constraint preventing double negation
Correct answer: A rule requiring a head word to determine the grammatical case or form of a dependent
Government (or 'selection') means a head word — such as a preposition or verb — requires its complement to appear in a specific grammatical form or case.
Question 19: You are shown a series of images with corresponding phrases in a fictional language: - Image 1: A large green circle. Phrase: 'zorp vesh gool' - Image 2: A large red circle. Phrase: 'zorp klin gool' - Image 3: A small green circle. Phrase: 'zorp vesh neep' Based on these examples, which phrase would correctly describe an image of a 'small red circle'?
- zorp vesh gool
- zorp neep klin
- zorp klin neep (Correct answer)
- klin zorp gool
Correct answer: zorp klin neep
By comparing the phrases, we can deduce the words: 'zorp' means circle, 'vesh' means green, 'klin' means red, 'gool' means large, and 'neep' means small. The grammatical structure is Shape-Color-Size. Therefore, a 'small red circle' translates to 'zorp klin neep'.
Question 20: In morphology, what is the difference between a 'free morpheme' and a 'bound morpheme'?
- Free morphemes are prefixes; bound morphemes are suffixes.
- Free morphemes change meaning; bound morphemes change pronunciation only.
- Free morphemes occur in formal registers; bound morphemes occur in informal registers.
- Free morphemes can stand alone as words; bound morphemes cannot and must attach to another morpheme. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Free morphemes can stand alone as words; bound morphemes cannot and must attach to another morpheme.
Free morphemes are independent words (e.g., 'run'), while bound morphemes (e.g., '-ing,' 'un-') must attach to a base to convey meaning.
Question 21: In an audio test, you deduce that the suffix '-im' pluralizes a noun and the suffix '-et' makes it small. You hear 'roka' means 'rock'. How would you say 'small rocks'?
- roka-im-et (Correct answer)
- im-roka-et
- et-roka-im
- roka-et-im
Correct answer: roka-im-et
In many languages with multiple suffixes, the order matters. Typically, the suffix that modifies the core meaning of the noun (pluralization) is attached first, followed by suffixes that add more descriptive qualities (diminutive). Therefore, 'roka' (rock) becomes 'roka-im' (rocks), and then 'roka-im-et' (small rocks). While 'roka-et-im' (the small rock, pluralized) might seem logical, the common linguistic pattern is to pluralize the base noun first.
Question 22: In Pheltori, plural nouns are formed by doubling the first syllable. 'Mako' (one tree) becomes 'mamako' (trees). Following this rule, what is the plural of 'telu' (one bird)?
- Telutelu
- Tetu
- Tetelu (Correct answer)
- Telus
Correct answer: Tetelu
Double the first syllable 'te-' of 'telu' to get 'tetelu.'
Question 23: In a fictional counting system: 'lo' = 5, 'hi' = 50. 'Lo-hi' = 55. What does 'lo-lo-hi' most likely equal?
- 65
- 70
- 60 (Correct answer)
- 55
Correct answer: 60
lo(5) + lo(5) + hi(50) = 60 using the additive combination rule.
Question 24: In a tone language, 'ma' with a high tone means 'mother' and 'ma' with a low tone means 'horse.' What role does pitch play in this language?
- It marks sentence type (question vs. statement)
- It changes the grammatical category
- It distinguishes word meaning (lexical tone) (Correct answer)
- It indicates emotion only
Correct answer: It distinguishes word meaning (lexical tone)
When pitch differences change the meaning of otherwise identical syllables, the language has lexical tone. The same consonant-vowel sequence /ma/ has completely different meanings depending on its pitch pattern. Mandarin Chinese has four tones that function this way.
Question 25: Frentic marks social register in verbs: informal adds '-lu', formal adds '-ru', and honorific adds '-zu'. 'Speak' = drel. You are speaking to a king. Which form is correct?
- Drellu
- Drelzu (Correct answer)
- Drel
- Drelru
Correct answer: Drelzu
Honorific register uses '-zu': 'drel' + '-zu' = 'drelzu.'
Question 26: Data: 'Bren nak shor.' = 'Two birds fly.' 'Bren mak shor.' = 'Two birds sleep.' 'Tel nak doru.' = 'Three men fly.' What does 'Tel mak doru.' mean?
- Three birds sleep.
- Two men sleep.
- Two birds fly.
- Three men sleep. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Three men sleep.
'Tel' = three, 'mak' = sleep, 'doru' = men → 'Three men sleep.'
Question 27: A picture shows three paired images: [sun→day], [moon→night], [cloud→rain]. A new image shows [snow]. By the pictographic pattern, what would [snow] likely represent?
- A weather/environmental word (e.g., 'cold' or 'winter') (Correct answer)
- A person's name
- A verb meaning 'to fall'
- A number
Correct answer: A weather/environmental word (e.g., 'cold' or 'winter')
The pattern maps weather phenomena to weather-related words; snow fits the same category.
Question 28: In Language X, the sentence 'The dog chases the cat' is written as 'Cat the chases dog the.' What is the word order pattern?
- Verb-Subject-Object
- Object-Verb-Subject (Correct answer)
- Subject-Verb-Object
- Object-Subject-Verb
Correct answer: Object-Verb-Subject
The original English sentence follows Subject-Verb-Object order (dog-chases-cat). In Language X, the translation reverses to Object-Verb-Subject (cat-chases-dog). This OVS pattern places the receiver of the action first.
Question 29: Given: 'na pu ki' = 'I see him,' 'na pu ki lo' = 'I see him today,' 'ji na pu ki lo' = 'Did I see him today?' What marks a question?
- Adding 'ji' at the beginning (Correct answer)
- Adding 'lo' at the end
- Changing the word order entirely
- Moving the verb to the front
Correct answer: Adding 'ji' at the beginning
Comparing the declarative 'na pu ki lo' with the interrogative 'ji na pu ki lo,' the only addition is 'ji' at the beginning. This is a question particle that converts statements to yes/no questions, similar to Mandarin Chinese 'ma' (though placed initially rather than finally).
Question 30: In a fictional alphabet, angled symbols (△, □) represent consonants and round symbols (○, ◯) represent vowels. Which sequence forms a valid consonant-vowel-consonant syllable?
- ○△○
- □□○
- △○□ (Correct answer)
- ○○△
Correct answer: △○□
A CVC syllable requires a consonant, then a vowel, then a consonant, matching the pattern △○□.
Question 31: A language uses red symbols for verbs and blue symbols for nouns. A sentence with the pattern blue-red-blue contains:
- Three nouns
- Three verbs
- Two verbs and one noun
- Two nouns and one verb (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Two nouns and one verb
Blue = noun and red = verb, so two blue symbols and one red symbol yield two nouns and one verb.
Question 32: Observe: 'ela pato sur' = 'she buys fish,' 'ela pato-ma sur' = 'she will buy fish,' 'ela pato-ze sur' = 'she bought fish.' Where is tense marked?
- On the subject
- At the end of the sentence
- On the verb with a suffix (Correct answer)
- On the object
Correct answer: On the verb with a suffix
Tense changes appear as suffixes on the verb 'pato': no suffix for present, '-ma' for future, '-ze' for past. The subject 'ela' and object 'sur' remain constant. This is an agglutinative tense-marking system.
Question 33: In a test language, the symbol '↑' placed before any word raises its pitch and '↓' lowers it. The phrase '↑ma ↓la' has which pitch pattern?
- First syllable high, second low (Correct answer)
- Both syllables low pitch
- Both syllables high pitch
- First syllable low, second high
Correct answer: First syllable high, second low
'↑ma' is high-pitched and '↓la' is low-pitched, giving a high-then-low pattern across the phrase.
Question 34: In a language, 'patal' means 'walk,' 'patalis' means 'walked,' and 'patalin' means 'will walk.' What are the tense suffixes for past and future?
- -al for past, -in for future
- -in for past, -is for future
- -lis for past, -lin for future
- -is for past, -in for future (Correct answer)
Correct answer: -is for past, -in for future
The root is 'patal' (walk). Adding '-is' creates past tense (patalis = walked) and adding '-in' creates future tense (patalin = will walk). These are regular tense suffixes applied directly to the verb stem.
Question 35: A test language assigns a unique symbol to each of its 24 phonemes. A spoken word with 5 distinct phonemes is written with:
- 5 symbols (Correct answer)
- 3 symbols
- 4 symbols
- 10 symbols
Correct answer: 5 symbols
Since each phoneme maps to exactly one unique symbol, 5 phonemes always require exactly 5 symbols.
Question 36: Study: 'write' = 'graf,' 'writer' = 'graf-or,' 'rewrite' = 're-graf,' 'rewriter' = 're-graf-or.' What is the order of prefix and suffix application?
- Both apply simultaneously
- Suffix first, then prefix
- Order doesn't matter
- Prefix first, then suffix (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Prefix first, then suffix
The prefix 're-' (again) attaches first to the verb root 'graf' creating 're-graf' (rewrite), then the agent suffix '-or' is added to create 're-graf-or' (rewriter). The prefix modifies the verb meaning before the suffix changes the word class.
Question 37: Which of the following nonsense words has a stress pattern that is different from the others? (Note: Capitalization indicates the stressed syllable.) A) fle-MAR-nik B) TOR-pi-dal C) gor-VEE-lo D) pra-ZIN-dar
- TOR-pi-dal (Correct answer)
- gor-VEE-lo
- pra-ZIN-dar
- fle-MAR-nik
Correct answer: TOR-pi-dal
The words 'fle-MAR-nik', 'gor-VEE-lo', and 'pra-ZIN-dar' are all stressed on the second syllable. 'TOR-pi-dal' is the only word stressed on the first syllable.
Question 38: What does “duvmet” imply if “metduv” implies “hard floor”?
- Soft ceiling
- Hard ceiling (Correct answer)
- Hard wall
- Soft floor
Correct answer: Hard ceiling
Following the pattern where the first part of the compound is the adjective and the second is the noun, if 'metduv' means 'hard floor', then 'met' means 'hard' and 'duv' means 'floor'. When reversed to 'duvmet', 'duv' now means 'hard' (as it's first), and 'met' takes on a related noun meaning, 'ceiling'. Thus, 'duvmet' means 'Hard ceiling'.
Question 39: In a fictional language: 'ple' = 3, 'ple-ple' = 6, 'ple-ple-ple' = 9. If 'qlo' = 4, what does 'qlo-ple' most likely equal?
- 5
- 7 (Correct answer)
- 8
- 6
Correct answer: 7
'qlo-ple' = qlo(4) + ple(3) = 7, using the established additive pattern.
Question 40: What does “impklas” imply if “klashimp” implies “full cup”?
- Full glass
- Empty cup
- Empty plate
- Full plate (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Full plate
Similar to previous questions, the first part of the compound word acts as the adjective, and the second part is the noun. If 'klashimp' means 'full cup', then 'klas' means 'full' and 'himp' means 'cup'. When reversed to 'impklas', 'himp' now means 'full' (as it's first), and 'klas' takes on a related noun meaning, 'plate'. Therefore, 'impklas' means 'Full plate'.
Question 41: Given: 'kal mun do' = 'big red house,' 'kal sep do' = 'big blue house,' and 'mun tir' = 'red bird.' What is 'big blue bird'?
- kal sep tir (Correct answer)
- sep tir kal
- sep kal tir
- tir sep kal
Correct answer: kal sep tir
From the examples, adjectives precede the noun: 'kal' (big) and 'mun' (red) come before 'do' (house). The order is size-adjective + color-adjective + noun. So 'big blue bird' is 'kal sep tir.'
Question 42: In the sentence 'She rarely speaks during meetings,' what grammatical role does 'rarely' play?
- Adverb modifying 'speaks' (Correct answer)
- Adjective modifying 'she'
- Conjunction joining phrases
- Preposition linking clauses
Correct answer: Adverb modifying 'speaks'
'Rarely' is an adverb that modifies the verb 'speaks,' describing how often the action occurs.
Question 43: In the context of the DLAB, 'stress' refers to which linguistic concept?
- The tone of a sentence (rising or falling)
- The grammatical role of a word in a sentence
- The anxiety a test-taker feels during the exam
- Emphasis placed on a particular syllable in a word (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Emphasis placed on a particular syllable in a word
Linguistic stress = the relative loudness/prominence given to a syllable in a word.
Question 44: Observe the following images showing possession: - Image 1: The man's hat. Phrase: 'petaso de vir' - Image 2: The woman's hat. Phrase: 'petaso de fem' - Image 3: The man's book. Phrase: 'libro de vir' An image shows a 'woman's book'. What is the correct description?
- libro de vir
- fem de libro
- petaso de libro
- libro de fem (Correct answer)
Correct answer: libro de fem
From the examples, the rule for possession is: [Possessed Item] 'de' [Possessor]. We can also deduce that 'petaso' is hat, 'libro' is book, 'vir' is man, and 'fem' is woman. Therefore, 'the woman's book' is 'libro de fem'.
Question 45: In Language X, 'ban' and 'pan' are different words with different meanings. What does this tell you about /b/ and /p/ in this language?
- They are in free variation
- They are separate phonemes (distinctive sounds) (Correct answer)
- They are allophones of the same phoneme
- They cannot appear in the same position
Correct answer: They are separate phonemes (distinctive sounds)
Because swapping /b/ for /p/ changes the word's meaning (ban ≠ pan), these sounds are separate phonemes — they create minimal pairs. A minimal pair proves that two sounds are phonemically distinct in a given language.
Question 46: In Language P, possessives follow the pattern: possessed-possessor. If 'kara' means 'house' and 'ben' means 'mother,' what is 'mother's house'?
- kara ben (Correct answer)
- ben-kara
- ben kara
- kara-ben
Correct answer: kara ben
The pattern is possessed-possessor, meaning the thing owned comes first, then the owner. 'House' (kara) is possessed, 'mother' (ben) is the possessor, yielding 'kara ben.' This is opposite to English but similar to Arabic or Hebrew construct state.
Question 47: A picture grammar shows that arrows pointing UP = subject, arrows pointing DOWN = object. In a sentence diagram, 'kenu' has an up-arrow, 'nalu' has a down-arrow, and 'vel' has no arrow. What is 'vel'?
- An adjective
- The object
- The verb (Correct answer)
- The subject
Correct answer: The verb
No arrow = verb; up-arrow = subject, down-arrow = object.
Question 48: In the fictional language Snarvic, question sentences invert the verb and subject, and add the particle 'ke' at the end. Statement: 'Doru banak.' (The man walks.) What is the question form?
- Banak doru ke? (Correct answer)
- Doru ke banak?
- Ke doru banak?
- Doru banak ke?
Correct answer: Banak doru ke?
Invert subject and verb, then add 'ke' at the end: 'Banak doru ke?'
Question 49: In Language V: 'pi' = 7, 'pipi' = 14, 'pipipi' = 21. What does 'pipipipi' most likely equal?
- 42
- 28 (Correct answer)
- 35
- 21
Correct answer: 28
Each repetition of 'pi' adds 7, so four repetitions equal 28.
Question 50: An audio recording plays four words: 'u-NI-ver-si-ty', 'e-CO-no-my', 'ge-O-gra-phy', 'CON-tro-ver-sy'. A test-taker must identify the word with the different stress pattern. Which is the correct choice?
- CON-tro-ver-sy (Correct answer)
- u-NI-ver-si-ty
- e-CO-no-my
- ge-O-gra-phy
Correct answer: CON-tro-ver-sy
The words 'u-NI-ver-si-ty', 'e-CO-no-my', and 'ge-O-gra-phy' all have their primary stress on the syllable preceding the 'ante-penultimate' syllable (third from the end). However, a simpler way to see it is that 'e-CO-no-my', 'ge-O-gra-phy' and 'u-NI-ver-si-ty' have stress on the second, second, and third syllables respectively. The word 'CON-tro-ver-sy' is the only one with stress on the first syllable.
Question 51: In Bruntic, comparative adjectives are formed by repeating the adjective and adding '-er' to the second copy. 'Fast' is 'drep'. How do you say 'faster'?
- Drep-er
- Drepdrep
- Drep dreper (Correct answer)
- Dreper
Correct answer: Drep dreper
Repeat 'drep' and add '-er' to the second copy: 'Drep dreper.'
Question 52: A visual shows two columns: Column A (base words) and Column B (derived words). Pattern: brak → brakim, vel → velim, talo → taloim. A new word 'shor' appears. What is its derived form?
- Shorim (Correct answer)
- Imshor
- Shor-im
- Shorimak
Correct answer: Shorim
The pattern adds '-im' as a suffix to all base words: 'shor' + '-im' = 'shorim.'
Question 53: In a language, 'tok lim par esh' means 'the woman quickly eats fruit.' If 'tok' is 'woman,' 'par' is 'eats,' and 'esh' is 'fruit,' what is the position of the adverb?
- After the object
- Before the subject
- Sentence-initial
- Between subject and verb (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Between subject and verb
'Lim' must mean 'quickly' since it's the only unassigned word. It sits between 'tok' (woman/subject) and 'par' (eats/verb), placing the adverb between the subject and verb. This is an S-Adv-V-O word order.
Question 54: A fictional rule: in negative sentences, the subject and object swap positions. 'The cat sees the dog' = 'felo velu kanu.' 'The cat does NOT see the dog' is:
- no felo velu kanu
- kanu no velu felo (Correct answer)
- felo no velu kanu
- kanu velu felo no
Correct answer: kanu no velu felo
Subject (felo) and object (kanu) swap positions, and 'no' is placed before the verb, giving 'kanu no velu felo.'
Question 55: "flor" is the word for "happy" in the Tegorian language. How would you say "unhappy"?
- Flura
- Florun
- Floran
- Unflor (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Unflor
The word "flor" means "happy." To express the opposite, "unhappy," a common English prefix for negation is "un-." Applying this prefix to "flor" yields "Unflor," following a typical pattern for forming antonyms.
Question 56: Given: 'bo taka ni' = 'he walks slowly' and 'bo taka ri' = 'he walks fast.' Negation in this language adds 'za' before the verb. How do you say 'he does not walk slowly'?
- bo za taka ni (Correct answer)
- bo taka ni za
- bo taka za ni
- za bo taka ni
Correct answer: bo za taka ni
The rule states negation is marked by 'za' before the verb. Since 'taka' is the verb (walks), 'za' goes directly before it: 'bo za taka ni.' The subject stays first and the adverb stays last.
Question 57: What does "sanblin" mean if "blinsan" implies "big car"?
- Big bus
- Small car
- Small train (Correct answer)
- Big train
Correct answer: Small train
This language uses a pattern where reversing the order of two root words changes both their meanings to related but different concepts. If 'blinsan' means 'big car', then reversing it to 'sanblin' changes 'big' to 'small' and 'car' to 'train'. Therefore, 'sanblin' means 'Small train'.
Question 58: In Veltari, a sentence is built from these units: [time prefix] + [subject] + [neg marker 'un-'] + [verb]. To negate 'He runs now': time='drek'(now), subject='brak'(he), verb='vel'(runs). What is the correct order?
- Drek un-brak vel.
- Drek brak un-vel. (Correct answer)
- Un-vel brak drek.
- Brak drek un-vel.
Correct answer: Drek brak un-vel.
Time prefix + subject + negated verb: 'Drek brak un-vel.'
Question 59: In Strelvik, cardinal numbers (one, two, three) behave like adjectives and must agree with nouns. Noun suffix for agreement: M singular '-el', M plural '-elon'. 'Doru' (M) = man. 'Ven' = two. How do you say 'two men' with agreement?
- Doru-elon venelon (Correct answer)
- Venelon doru-elon
- Doru-el venel
- Doru venelon
Correct answer: Doru-elon venelon
Plural M: noun 'doru' + '-elon' = 'doru-elon'; numeral 'ven' + '-elon' = 'venelon'. Both agree.
Question 60: If ‘lark' means ‘dance' in Martian, what is ‘larkneg'?
- Dance neg
- Dancing
- Do not dance (Correct answer)
- Neg dance
Correct answer: Do not dance
Given that 'lark' means 'dance', the term 'larkneg' follows a pattern where 'neg' functions as a negation suffix. Appending 'neg' to the verb 'lark' creates the command to stop or refrain from the action. Thus, 'larkneg' means 'do not dance'.
Question 61: Given: 'teach' = 'doce,' 'teacher' = 'docente,' 'study' = 'estudi,' 'student' = 'estudiante.' What does the suffix '-nte/-ante' derive?
- The place where the action happens
- The person who performs the action (Correct answer)
- The tool used for the action
- The result of the action
Correct answer: The person who performs the action
'-nte/-ante' derives agent nouns: the person who performs the action (teacher = one who teaches, student = one who studies). This is the present active participle used as an agent noun, directly paralleling Romance language forms like Spanish 'docente/estudiante.'
Question 62: Language M's rule: in a two-verb sentence, the second verb takes the direct object. 'I want to eat bread' (mi=I, volu=want, mandu=eat, panu=bread) is:
- mi volu mandu panu (Correct answer)
- panu mi volu mandu
- mi volu panu mandu
- mandu panu mi volu
Correct answer: mi volu mandu panu
The second verb (mandu/eat) takes the object (panu/bread), and the sentence follows Subject-Verb1-Verb2-Object order: mi volu mandu panu.
Question 63: English has prepositions ('in the house'), while Japanese has postpositions ('ie ni' = 'house in'). What typological correlation exists between word order and adposition type?
- No correlation exists
- SVO languages tend to use prepositions; SOV languages tend to use postpositions (Correct answer)
- All languages use prepositions
- SOV languages use prepositions
Correct answer: SVO languages tend to use prepositions; SOV languages tend to use postpositions
There is a strong typological correlation: head-initial languages (SVO like English) tend to use prepositions (head before complement), while head-final languages (SOV like Japanese, Korean, Turkish) tend to use postpositions (complement before head). This reflects the broader head-directionality parameter.
Question 64: A newly discovered language follows a strict Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order. To make a verb past tense, the prefix 'ka-' is added. The word for 'I' is 'jek', the word for 'the food' is 'nom', and the root word for 'eat' is 'sal'. How would you say 'I ate the food'?
- Nom jek kasal.
- Jek nom sal.
- Jek kasal nom.
- Jek nom kasal. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Jek nom kasal.
The required word order is Subject-Object-Verb. The subject is 'jek' (I), the object is 'nom' (the food), and the verb is 'eat' (sal). The action is in the past tense ('ate'), so the prefix 'ka-' is added to the verb 'sal', making it 'kasal'. Following the SOV structure, the correct sentence is 'Jek nom kasal'.
Question 65: In a constructed language, verbs are conjugated by applying both a prefix for tense and a suffix for person. - Tense prefixes: 'ba-' for present, 'bi-' for past. - Person suffixes: '-en' for 'I', '-es' for 'you', '-et' for 'he/she/it'. Given the verb root 'voc' (to speak), how would you correctly say 'You spoke'?
- bi-voc-es (Correct answer)
- ba-voc-es
- ba-voc-et
- bi-voc-en
Correct answer: bi-voc-es
The phrase 'You spoke' requires the past tense and the 'you' person. The rule for past tense is the prefix 'bi-'. The rule for the 'you' person is the suffix '-es'. Applying both of these to the verb root 'voc' results in the correct form 'bi-voc-es'.
Question 66: A language has the rule: /n/ becomes [ŋ] before /k/ and /g/. 'Anka' is pronounced [aŋka]. What type of rule is this?
- A tone rule
- A deletion rule
- A rule that changes vowels
- A nasal place assimilation rule (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A nasal place assimilation rule
The alveolar nasal /n/ assimilates to the velar place of the following /k/, becoming velar [ŋ]. This nasal place assimilation rule ensures the nasal consonant matches the place of articulation of the following stop. English follows the same rule: 'think' has [ŋk].
Question 67: In Vulcan, ‘spock' means ‘think'. What does the term "spockcypher" mean?
- Think cypher
- Thinking
- Cypher think
- Do not think (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Do not think
In this artificial language, 'spock' means 'think'. The addition of the suffix 'cypher' to the verb 'spock' transforms its meaning into the negative form. Therefore, 'spockcypher' translates directly to 'do not think', indicating that 'cypher' acts as a negation marker.
Question 68: The invented language Drelvic uses a negation prefix 'un-' placed before the main verb. Nouns and adjectives are never negated. In the sentence 'Tavi greno spak' (The child quickly runs), how would you say 'The child does not quickly run'?
- Tavi greno spakun
- Untavi greno spak
- Tavi greno unspak (Correct answer)
- Tavi ungreno spak
Correct answer: Tavi greno unspak
Negation prefix 'un-' attaches to the verb 'spak', not the noun or adverb.
Question 69: Trelkan morphemes: 'Prenu' (noun: fire), '-al' (adjective marker), 'Bren' (root: bright), '-vel' (verb suffix: burns). To say 'The bright fire burns': adjective precedes noun, verb follows. Construct the sentence.
- Bren-al prenu vel-prenu.
- Bren prenu-al vel.
- Bren-al prenu prenu-vel. (Correct answer)
- Prenu bren-al vel-prenu.
Correct answer: Bren-al prenu prenu-vel.
Adjective 'bren-al' precedes noun 'prenu', then verb is root+noun suffix: 'prenu-vel'. = 'Bren-al prenu prenu-vel.'
Question 70: In a language, /s/ becomes /z/ when it appears between two vowels: 'asa' is pronounced [aza]. What phonological process is this?
- Nasalization
- Palatalization
- Voicing (intervocalic voicing) (Correct answer)
- Devoicing
Correct answer: Voicing (intervocalic voicing)
The voiceless /s/ becomes voiced /z/ between vowels (intervocalic position). The surrounding voiced vowels cause the consonant to assimilate their voicing feature. This intervocalic voicing is common in Spanish, where 's' between vowels often voices.
Question 71: In Language Z: 'na' = 10, 'mi' = 5, 'lo' = 1. What does 'na mi lo' most likely equal?
- 16 (Correct answer)
- 15
- 20
- 17
Correct answer: 16
Each word contributes its value additively: 10 + 5 + 1 = 16.
Question 72: In the fictional Zorathi language, verbs must agree with the subject in 'tier.' Tier 1 subjects use verb ending '-ak', Tier 2 use '-ok', Tier 3 use '-ek'. The sentence 'Melu [run]' has Melu as a Tier 2 subject. Which verb form is correct?
- Meluek
- Meluak
- Meluok (Correct answer)
- Meluk
Correct answer: Meluok
Since Melu is a Tier 2 subject, the verb must take the '-ok' ending, giving 'Meluok.'
Question 73: In a constructed language, 'mari telo ven' means 'the child sleeps quietly.' If 'ven' means 'quietly' and 'telo' means 'sleeps,' where does the adverb appear relative to the verb?
- After the verb (Correct answer)
- At the beginning of the sentence
- Between the subject and verb
- Before the verb
Correct answer: After the verb
Since 'telo' (sleeps) comes before 'ven' (quietly), the adverb follows the verb. This is a post-verbal adverb placement pattern, similar to English but unlike languages such as Japanese where adverbs typically precede verbs.
Question 74: Given: 'pela osta rana' = 'the cat sits here' and 'pela osta finu' = 'the cat sits there.' What element changes to indicate location?
- The final word (Correct answer)
- The subject marker
- The verb form
- The word order
Correct answer: The final word
The only difference between the two sentences is the final word: 'rana' (here) vs 'finu' (there). This shows that location is indicated by a sentence-final locative word, while the subject and verb remain unchanged.
Question 75: In a fictional script, writing a symbol backwards gives the opposite meaning. If '→' means 'forward,' then '←' means:
- Sideways
- Backward (Correct answer)
- Forward
- Stop
Correct answer: Backward
By the reversal rule, the backwards form of a symbol carries the opposite meaning, so '←' means 'backward.'
Question 76: In a fictional language, the following three words have the same stress pattern: 'gi-RO-li', 'fe-NA-ko', 'po-LU-mi'. Which of the following words follows a DIFFERENT stress pattern?
- KLA-ni-po (Correct answer)
- de-MO-shi
- bre-NA-tu
- a-VEE-da
Correct answer: KLA-ni-po
The established pattern in 'gi-RO-li', 'fe-NA-ko', and 'po-LU-mi' is stress on the second syllable (da-DUM-da). 'a-VEE-da', 'de-MO-shi', and 'bre-NA-tu' all follow this pattern. 'KLA-ni-po' has the stress on the first syllable (DUM-da-da), making it the outlier.
Question 77: In the language Helvari, a noun is pluralized by adding '-es' if it ends in a vowel and '-is' if it ends in a consonant. 'Mako' (tree) → 'Makoes'. What is the plural of 'Brenk' (cloud)?
- Brenks
- Brenkes
- Brenkis (Correct answer)
- Brenkos
Correct answer: Brenkis
'Brenk' ends in consonant 'k', so plural is formed with '-is': 'Brenkis.'
Question 78: Study the two images and their corresponding labels. A red circle is called 'ZYL rosh'. A blue square is called 'KORP blau'. Based on this visual language, what would be the correct label for a red square?
- ROSH korp
- KORP rosh (Correct answer)
- BLAU zyl
- ZYL blau
Correct answer: KORP rosh
From the examples, we can deduce that the first word refers to the shape ('ZYL' for circle, 'KORP' for square) and the second word refers to the color ('rosh' for red, 'blau' for blue). Therefore, a red square would combine the word for square ('KORP') with the word for red ('rosh'), making the correct answer 'KORP rosh'.
Question 79: English marks questions with word order change and/or intonation: 'She is happy' → 'Is she happy?' Mandarin Chinese adds a particle: 'Tā gāoxìng' → 'Tā gāoxìng ma?' Which strategy is more common worldwide?
- Question particles (like Mandarin) (Correct answer)
- Both are equally common
- Neither — most languages don't have questions
- Word order change (like English)
Correct answer: Question particles (like Mandarin)
Question particles are more common worldwide than subject-auxiliary inversion. Many languages (Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Mandarin) use sentence-final particles for yes/no questions. English's inversion strategy is actually less common globally and mostly found in European languages.
Question 80: Given these sentences in Language R: 'tamu ven gir' = 'the boy kicks the ball' and 'gir ven tamu-ko' = 'the ball is kicked by the boy.' What does '-ko' indicate?
- Past tense
- Plural marker
- Agent in passive voice (Correct answer)
- Possessive marker
Correct answer: Agent in passive voice
In the active sentence, 'tamu' (boy) is the subject. In the passive version, 'tamu-ko' appears at the end with the suffix '-ko,' marking the agent (doer) in a passive construction. This is similar to the Japanese particle 'ni' in passive sentences.
Question 81: What does "negagund" signify in the Iksorian language if "grund" denotes "speak"?
- Speak again
- Speaking
- Speak loudly
- Speak not (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Speak not
The Iksorian word 'grund' denotes 'speak'. The term 'negagund' signifies 'Speak not', indicating that 'nega-' is a prefix used to negate the verb. Therefore, 'nega-' combined with 'grund' means 'Speak not'.
Question 82: In Helovari, negation is formed by: (1) removing the final vowel of the verb if it ends in one, (2) adding prefix 'un-'. Verb 'talo' (sing) → negate → ?
- Untalo
- Untal (Correct answer)
- Taloun
- Untaloed
Correct answer: Untal
Remove final vowel 'o' from 'talo' → 'tal'; add 'un-' → 'untal.'
Question 83: Examine the relationship between the images. Image 1 shows a complete car, labeled 'mashin'. Image 2 shows just the wheel of the car, labeled 'mashin-rota'. Image 3 shows a complete book, labeled 'liber'. Based on this pattern, which of the following would most likely mean 'the page of the book'?
- liber-mashin
- liber-rota (Correct answer)
- mashin-liber
- rota-liber
Correct answer: liber-rota
The pattern demonstrates a 'whole-part' relationship, where the word for the whole object is followed by a hyphen and a word for the part ('rota' for wheel). The question asks for 'the page of the book'. Following the pattern, the word for the whole ('liber') would come first. Since 'rota' is the only word provided for a 'part', the most logical construction using the given vocabulary is 'liber-rota', assuming 'rota' can mean 'part' or 'page' in this context.
Question 84: In Vorntish, adjectives come after the noun and take a gender marker. Masculine nouns get '-im', feminine get '-af'. 'Brak' (masculine) means 'stone' and 'selu' means 'hard.' How do you say 'hard stone'?
- Brak seluim (Correct answer)
- Seluim brak
- Brak seluaf
- Seluaf brak
Correct answer: Brak seluim
Adjective follows noun, and takes '-im' for masculine 'brak', giving 'Brak seluim.'
Question 85: You are given the following grammatical rules: 1) Questions are formed by placing the word 'ci' at the beginning of the sentence. 2) The future tense is indicated by the suffix '-fut' on the verb. 3) The word 'tu' means 'you' and 'vola' is the verb for 'fly'. Based on this, how would you ask the question 'Will you fly?'
- Tu vola-fut ci?
- Ci tu vola?
- Ci tu vola-fut? (Correct answer)
- Vola-fut tu ci?
Correct answer: Ci tu vola-fut?
To form the future tense of 'fly' (vola), the suffix '-fut' is added, creating 'vola-fut'. To turn the statement 'You will fly' ('Tu vola-fut') into a question, the question word 'ci' is placed at the very beginning of the sentence. This results in 'Ci tu vola-fut?'.
Question 86: Study: 'veni' = 'come,' 'veni-re' = 'to come,' 'dormi' = 'sleep,' 'dormi-re' = 'to sleep.' The suffix '-re' marks what verb form?
- Past tense
- The subjunctive
- The imperative
- The infinitive (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The infinitive
'-re' creates the infinitive form (to come, to sleep) from the verb stem. The infinitive is the base, unconjugated form of the verb often used with modal verbs and in complement clauses. This matches Latin infinitive endings like 'venire' (to come).
Question 87: The fictional language Veltari marks possession with the suffix '-na' on the possessed noun. 'Shor' means 'book', 'Keli' means 'Maria'. How do you say 'Maria's book'?
- Keli shorna (Correct answer)
- Shornak Keli
- Shorna Keli
- Keli shor
Correct answer: Keli shorna
The possessed noun 'shor' takes '-na', and the possessor comes first: 'Keli shorna.'
Question 88: A DLAB score of 100 or above typically qualifies a recruit for training in which category of language?
- All languages regardless of difficulty
- Category IV languages (hardest for English speakers, e.g., Arabic, Mandarin)
- Category II languages only
- Category I languages (easiest for English speakers, e.g., Spanish, French) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Category I languages (easiest for English speakers, e.g., Spanish, French)
Category I languages require the lowest DLAB threshold; higher scores unlock harder categories.
Question 89: A language has a conditional rule for word order. Normally, the order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). However, if the object is a pronoun (like 'it' or 'him'), the order changes to Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). Given 'fel' (the cat), 'kur' (chased), 'mus' (the mouse), and 'id' (it), which of the following correctly translates to 'The cat chased it'?
- id kur fel
- fel kur id
- fel id kur (Correct answer)
- kur fel id
Correct answer: fel id kur
The standard word order is SVO. However, the object in this sentence is 'it' ('id'), which is a pronoun. The conditional rule states that for pronoun objects, the word order must be Subject-Object-Verb. Therefore, the correct sentence structure is Subject ('fel') followed by Object ('id') followed by Verb ('kur'), resulting in 'fel id kur'.
Question 90: Identify the sentence with correct subject-verb agreement.
- Neither the students nor the teacher have prepared.
- Neither the students nor the teacher are prepared.
- Neither the students nor the teacher were prepared.
- Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared.
With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the closest subject — 'teacher' is singular, so 'was.'
Question 91: Which pair demonstrates the English stress shift between a 2-syllable noun and its corresponding verb?
- PER-mit (noun) vs per-MIT (verb) (Correct answer)
- per-MIT (noun) vs PER-mit (verb)
- per-MIT (noun) vs per-MIT (verb)
- PER-mit (noun) vs PER-mit (verb)
Correct answer: PER-mit (noun) vs per-MIT (verb)
In English, 2-syllable noun/verb pairs: nouns stress first syllable, verbs stress second.
Question 92: The made-up language Ozwik requires that time words always appear at the beginning of the sentence, before the subject. Given: 'Fenu talo vrik.' (The woman sings.) and 'Noval' means 'yesterday', how do you say 'Yesterday the woman sang'?
- Fenu talo noval vrik.
- Fenu noval talo vrik.
- Noval fenu talo vrik. (Correct answer)
- Fenu talo vrik noval.
Correct answer: Noval fenu talo vrik.
Time words precede the subject, so 'noval' (yesterday) goes first: 'Noval fenu talo vrik.'
Question 93: A language's rules state that an object receiving an action is marked with the suffix '-em'. The intensity of an action is shown by duplicating the verb. The word for 'the child' is 'pello', 'the ball' is 'sphaera', and 'to hit' is 'puls'. How would you say 'The child hits the ball hard'?
- Pelloem puls-puls sphaera.
- Pello sphaeraem puls-puls.
- Pello puls-puls sphaeraem. (Correct answer)
- Pello puls sphaeraem-sphaeraem.
Correct answer: Pello puls-puls sphaeraem.
The object receiving the action is 'the ball' (sphaera), so it must be marked with the suffix '-em', becoming 'sphaeraem'. To show intensity ('hits hard'), the verb 'puls' is duplicated to become 'puls-puls'. The standard word order is Subject-Verb-Object. Thus, the correct sentence is 'Pello puls-puls sphaeraem'.
Question 94: Invented language Dorvik assigns every noun a 'heat class': hot (suffix '-ral'), cold (suffix '-sol'), neutral (suffix '-mel'). The word 'Prenu' (fire) is in the hot class. What form does 'prenu' take as a standalone noun?
- Prenu
- Prenuasol
- Prenuemel
- Prenueral (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Prenueral
Hot class nouns add '-ral': 'prenu' + '-ral' = 'prenural.'
Question 95: Based on this scenario, deduce the rule and find the correct translation. - 'A tall man' is 'vir altu' - 'The tall women' is 'feminae altae' - 'A big house' is 'domus magnu' How would you say 'The big men'?
- viri magni (Correct answer)
- viri magnu
- vir magnus
- magni viri
Correct answer: viri magni
From the examples, we can deduce several rules: 1) Adjectives follow nouns. 2) Adjectives agree in gender and number with nouns. 'Vir' (man) is singular masculine, taking an '-u' adjective ending. 'Feminae' (women) is plural feminine, taking an '-ae' ending. 'Domus' (house) appears to be masculine singular like 'vir'. Therefore, the plural masculine of 'vir' is likely 'viri' (following the pattern of femina -> feminae), and the plural masculine adjective ending should be '-i'. Thus, 'viri magni' is the correct translation for 'The big men'.
Question 96: In a phonetic code, numbers represent consonants and letters represent vowels. Which sequence is a valid consonant-vowel-consonant word?
- a-3-e
- 3-a-7 (Correct answer)
- a-e-i
- 3-5-7
Correct answer: 3-a-7
Only 3-a-7 follows consonant-vowel-consonant order because it places a number, then a letter, then a number.
Question 97: What does "kastdri" imply, if "drikast" implies "cold water"?
- Hot fire (Correct answer)
- Cold air
- Hot water
- Cold fire
Correct answer: Hot fire
Following the pattern of reversing word order to change both meanings, if 'drikast' means 'cold water', then 'kastdri' will represent the antonyms of both components. 'Cold' becomes 'hot' and 'water' becomes 'fire'. Thus, 'kastdri' means 'Hot fire'.
Question 98: A visual grammar rule uses color coding: BLUE words = subject, RED words = object, GREEN words = verb. In a sentence 'BLUE:kenu RED:shor GREEN:vel', what is the grammatical structure?
- Kenu and shor are both subjects
- Vel is the subject, shor is the object, kenu is the verb
- The colors indicate tense, not grammatical role
- Kenu is the subject, shor is the object, vel is the verb (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Kenu is the subject, shor is the object, vel is the verb
Blue=subject (kenu), red=object (shor), green=verb (vel): kenu is subject, shor is object, vel is verb.
Question 99: A diagram shows a color code: blue words are roots, red words are prefixes, green words are suffixes. You see: [red: un] [blue: vel] [green: ed]. What word does this represent?
- Velunted
- Edvelun
- Unveled (Correct answer)
- Velun
Correct answer: Unveled
Prefix(un)+Root(vel)+Suffix(ed) = 'unveled' — the prefix comes first, then root, then suffix.
Question 100: What does “trepox” imply if “pontrex” means “left hand”?
- Left arm
- Right foot
- Right hand
- Left foot (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Left foot
This question involves a substitution pattern within the compound word. If 'pontrex' means 'left hand', we can infer that 'pon' means 'left' and 'trex' means 'hand'. To find 'trepox', 'pon' is replaced by 'tre' (both signifying 'left'), and 'trex' (hand) is replaced by 'pox', which must mean 'foot'. Therefore, 'trepox' means 'Left foot'.
Question 101: In Trelkan, direct objects are marked by infixing '-ul-' after the first consonant cluster of the object noun. 'Brak' (stone) as a direct object becomes 'Br-ul-ak' = 'Brulak'. Applying this rule, what is the direct object form of 'Dren' (river)?
- Drulen (Correct answer)
- Drenul
- Dren
- Ulren
Correct answer: Drulen
Infix '-ul-' after first consonant cluster 'Dr-': Dr + ul + en = 'Drulen.'
Question 102: In this language's grammar, possession is shown by adding the suffix '-ep' to the possessor. To make a noun plural, the prefix 'vo-' is added. The possessor always comes before the thing being possessed. If 'bax' means 'box' and 'gorn' means 'rock', which of the following correctly translates to 'the rock's boxes'?
- gorn vo-bax-ep
- vo-gorn-ep bax
- vo-bax gorn-ep
- gorn-ep vo-bax (Correct answer)
Correct answer: gorn-ep vo-bax
The possessor is 'the rock' (gorn), so it takes the possessive suffix '-ep', becoming 'gorn-ep'. The possessed item is 'boxes', which is the plural of 'box' (bax). The plural prefix 'vo-' is added, making it 'vo-bax'. The possessor ('gorn-ep') comes before the possessed item ('vo-bax'), resulting in 'gorn-ep vo-bax'.
Question 103: What does “tusple” imply if “spletu” implies “soft bed”?
- Soft chair (Correct answer)
- Hard chair
- Hard bed
- Soft couch
Correct answer: Soft chair
In this linguistic structure, the first part of the compound word acts as the adjective, and the second part is the noun. If 'spletu' means 'soft bed', then 'sple' means 'soft' and 'tu' means 'bed'. When reversed to 'tusple', 'tu' now means 'soft' (as it's first), and 'sple' takes on a related noun meaning, 'chair'. Therefore, 'tusple' means 'Soft chair'.
Question 104: Study: 'kapa' = 'cover,' 'des-kapa' = 'uncover,' 'fara' = 'do,' 'des-fara' = 'undo.' What does 'des-' express?
- Intensification
- Reversal or negation of the action (Correct answer)
- Causation
- Repetition
Correct answer: Reversal or negation of the action
'Des-' reverses the meaning of the verb: cover → uncover, do → undo. This is a reversative prefix that negates or undoes the action expressed by the base verb. English uses 'un-' and 'de-' in the same way (do/undo, compose/decompose).
Question 105: A phonetic code has 5 vowel symbols and 15 consonant symbols. Which statement about a four-symbol word is necessarily true?
- It has exactly 8 phonemes
- It has exactly 4 consonants
- It has exactly 4 vowels
- It has exactly 4 phonemes (Correct answer)
Correct answer: It has exactly 4 phonemes
With one sound per symbol, any four-symbol word represents exactly 4 phonemes regardless of vowel-consonant distribution.
Question 106: Which sentence correctly uses a restrictive relative clause without commas?
- The officer, who passed the DLAB, was assigned to language school.
- The officer who passed the DLAB was assigned to language school. (Correct answer)
- The officer which passed the DLAB was assigned to language school.
- The officer, that passed the DLAB, was assigned to language school.
Correct answer: The officer who passed the DLAB was assigned to language school.
A restrictive relative clause identifies which officer and requires no commas; 'who' is correct for people.
Question 107: Identify the type of sentence: 'Report to headquarters immediately!'
- Interrogative
- Exclamatory
- Imperative (Correct answer)
- Declarative
Correct answer: Imperative
An imperative sentence issues a command or directive; the subject ('you') is typically understood rather than stated.
Question 108: Study: 'bon' = 'good,' 'bon-tat' = 'goodness,' 'mal' = 'bad,' 'mal-tat' = 'badness,' 'bel' = 'beautiful,' 'bel-tat' = ?
- beauty/beautifulness (Correct answer)
- beautifully
- beautician
- more beautiful
Correct answer: beauty/beautifulness
The suffix '-tat' consistently converts adjectives into abstract nouns naming the quality: good → goodness, bad → badness. Therefore bel (beautiful) + tat = beauty/beautifulness. This is a productive abstract noun derivation, similar to English '-ness' or Latin '-tas.'
Question 109: Deduce the rule from the following image-action pairs: - Image 1: A person running. Phrase: 'homo corit' - Image 2: A dog running. Phrase: 'canis corit' - Image 3: A person sleeping. Phrase: 'homo dormit' What is the most probable phrase for an image of a 'dog sleeping'?
- homo canis
- dormit canis
- corit dormit
- canis dormit (Correct answer)
Correct answer: canis dormit
By comparing the phrases, we can learn that 'homo' means person, 'canis' means dog, 'corit' means running, and 'dormit' means sleeping. The sentence structure is Subject-Verb. Thus, 'dog sleeping' translates to 'canis dormit'.
Question 110: In a language where adjectives must agree in number: 'tal bero' = 'big dog,' 'tal-in bero-in' = 'big dogs.' How would you say 'small cats' if 'small' is 'fey' and 'cat' is 'nura'?
- fey nura-in
- fey nura
- fey-in nura
- fey-in nura-in (Correct answer)
Correct answer: fey-in nura-in
The plural marker '-in' must appear on both the adjective and noun to maintain agreement. Just as 'tal-in bero-in' marks both words for plural, 'small cats' must be 'fey-in nura-in.' This adjective-noun number agreement is common in Romance languages.
Question 111: In Drelvic, animacy controls adjective agreement: animate nouns use adjective suffix '-tal', inanimate use '-rak'. 'Kenu' (dog, animate) + 'shor' (fast). What is 'fast dog'?
- Shortal kenu
- Kenu shor
- Kenu shortal (Correct answer)
- Kenu shorrak
Correct answer: Kenu shortal
Dog is animate → '-tal'. 'Shor' + '-tal' = 'shortal'. Phrase: 'Kenu shortal.'
Question 112: A language categorizes nouns as either 'animate' (ending in '-ik') or 'inanimate' (ending in '-ul'). Adjectives must agree with this category by taking the same suffix. Adjectives always come before the nouns they modify. If 'wex' is the root for 'tree' (inanimate) and 'grun' is the root for 'green', which is 'the green tree'?
- wexik grunik
- wexul grunul
- grunik wexik
- grunul wexul (Correct answer)
Correct answer: grunul wexul
The noun 'tree' is inanimate, so its root 'wex' becomes 'wexul'. The adjective 'green' must agree with the inanimate noun, so its root 'grun' becomes 'grunul'. The rules state that the adjective precedes the noun. Therefore, the correct phrase is 'grunul wexul'. The other options either use the wrong suffix ('-ik' for animate) or have the incorrect word order.
Question 113: In the Berlitz language, 'nada' means 'always'. What does the word 'Nadala' mean?
- Never
- Always not (Correct answer)
- Sometimes
- Seldom
Correct answer: Always not
If "nada" means "always," then the addition of the suffix "-la" likely serves as a negating or opposing element. Therefore, "Nadala" would represent the opposite of "always," which is "always not" or "never." Among the given choices, "Always not" is the most direct and accurate interpretation.
Question 114: In a fictional counting system: 'ab' = 2, 'cd' = 4, 'ef' = 6. What does 'ab-cd-ef' most likely equal?
- 11
- 12 (Correct answer)
- 10
- 13
Correct answer: 12
Each component contributes its value additively: 2 + 4 + 6 = 12.
Question 115: In a fictional language: 'al' = 3, 'be' = 6, 'al-be' = 9. What does 'be-be' most likely equal?
- 9
- 12 (Correct answer)
- 15
- 6
Correct answer: 12
'be-be' combines two values of 6 for a total of 12.
Question 116: In a fictional language: 'fen' = 5, 'fen fen' = 10, 'fen fen fen' = 15. What does 'fen fen fen fen' most likely equal?
- 20 (Correct answer)
- 25
- 30
- 15
Correct answer: 20
Each 'fen' represents 5, so four repetitions add up to 20.
Question 117: You are given a set of grammatical rules: 1. The standard word order is Subject-Verb-Adverb. 2. All verbs must end with the suffix '-im'. 3. Negation is shown by adding the prefix 'no-' to the verb. 4. Adverbs are formed by adding the suffix '-ly' to a root and they always follow the verb. Given 'run' (verb root) and 'rap' (adverb root for 'quick'), which of the following sentences is grammatically INCORRECT?
- He walkim.
- She no-jumpim.
- They runim rap-ly.
- He rap-ly runim. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: He rap-ly runim.
The rules explicitly state that the word order is Subject-Verb-Adverb. The sentence 'He rap-ly runim' violates this rule by placing the adverb ('rap-ly') before the verb ('runim'). The other sentences correctly follow the given rules for sentence structure, verb formation, and negation.
Question 118: Given: 'anda' = 'go,' 'anda-ndo' = 'going' (progressive), 'kome' = 'eat,' 'kome-ndo' = 'eating.' What does '-ndo' create?
- Past participle
- Present participle/gerund (Correct answer)
- Imperative
- Infinitive
Correct answer: Present participle/gerund
'-ndo' converts verbs into their present participle or gerund form: go → going, eat → eating. This suffix marks ongoing action and is identical to the Spanish gerund ending '-ndo' (andando, comiendo).
Question 119: Study this pattern: 'A bira C' means 'A sees C' and 'C bira A' means 'C sees A.' The word 'bira' never changes position. What can you conclude?
- The language has free word order
- The verb always comes in the middle position
- Word order determines meaning with a fixed verb position (Correct answer)
- The subject is always the last word
Correct answer: Word order determines meaning with a fixed verb position
The verb 'bira' consistently occupies the middle position while the meaning changes based on which noun comes first (subject) and which comes last (object). This demonstrates that word order, not inflection, determines grammatical roles.
Question 120: A language uses a case system to mark the function of nouns. The subject takes no ending, while the direct object takes the suffix '-am'. The word order is strictly Subject-Verb-Object. Given 'regina' (queen), 'rex' (king), and 'vid' (sees), which sentence correctly translates to 'The queen sees the king'?
- regina vid rex-am (Correct answer)
- rex-am vid regina
- regina-am vid rex
- rex vid regina-am
Correct answer: regina vid rex-am
In this sentence, 'The queen' is the subject performing the action, so 'regina' takes no special ending. 'The king' is the direct object receiving the action, so the suffix '-am' is added to 'rex', making it 'rex-am'. Following the Subject-Verb-Object order, the correct translation is 'regina vid rex-am'.
Question 121: An image shows a transformation rule: take a sentence, move the verb to the front, add '?' at the end = question. Sentence: 'Nalu vel doru.' (Horse runs man.) Applying the rule, what is the question form?
- Vel nalu doru? (Correct answer)
- Nalu doru vel?
- Doru vel nalu?
- Nalu vel doru?
Correct answer: Vel nalu doru?
Move 'vel' (verb) to front: vel + nalu doru + ? = 'Vel nalu doru?'
Question 122: Krelvan has two past tense markers: '-ost' for completed actions and '-ust' for ongoing past actions. 'I was running' (ongoing in past) uses which form of 'vel' (to run)?
- Vel
- Velut
- Velust (Correct answer)
- Velost
Correct answer: Velust
'I was running' is an ongoing past action, so '-ust' is appended: 'velust.'
Question 123: In Language S: 'fiv' = 5, 'twen' = 20, 'fiv-twen' = 25. What does 'twen-twen' most likely equal?
- 45
- 30
- 25
- 40 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 40
'twen-twen' combines two values of 20 for a total of 40.
Question 124: In Language M, relative clauses come before the noun they modify. How would 'the book that is red' be structured?
- The that is red book
- Red is that book the
- That is red the book (Correct answer)
- Book the red that is
Correct answer: That is red the book
If relative clauses precede their head noun, 'that is red' must come before 'the book.' This prenominal relative clause pattern is found in Japanese, Korean, and Turkish, where modifying clauses always precede the noun.
Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB)
The DLAB assesses an individual's aptitude for learning foreign languages, rather than their proficiency in a specific language.
Exam Rules
- You can skip questions and return to them later
- Flag questions for review before submitting
- No feedback shown until you submit the entire exam
- Unanswered questions count as wrong — answer everything
- 10 pretest questions are mixed in and don't affect your score
- Timer auto-submits when time runs out
- Your progress is auto-saved every 30 seconds