Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What does "vibenan" mean if "vibe" in Chelonian is a synonym for "play"?

Nan play
Playing
Do not play (Correct answer)
Play nan

Correct answer: Do not play

Given that 'vibe' means 'play' in Chelonian, and 'vibenan' means 'Do not play,' it can be inferred that '-nan' acts as the negating element in this language. This suffix is appended to the verb 'vibe' to form the negative expression, indicating the absence or prohibition of the action.

Question 2: 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?

BLAU zyl
KORP rosh (Correct answer)
ZYL blau
ROSH korp

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 3: 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)
Before the verb
At the beginning of the sentence
Between the subject and 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 4: In linguistics, what is 'code-switching'?

Switching from formal to informal register
Converting written text to spoken language
The process of translating military codes
Alternating between two or more languages or dialects within a single conversation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Alternating between two or more languages or dialects within a single conversation

Code-switching is the practice of alternating between languages or dialects mid-conversation.

Question 5: A visual grammar uses boxes with colors: [yellow box] = noun phrase, [blue box] = verb phrase. Inside a yellow box you see: [black dot] = definite, [white dot] = indefinite. A box shows: [yellow][black dot][running person image]. What does this represent?

A runner (indefinite noun phrase)
The runner (definite noun phrase referring to a specific running person) (Correct answer)
The verb 'to run'
An indefinite verb phrase

Correct answer: The runner (definite noun phrase referring to a specific running person)

Yellow=noun phrase, black dot=definite, running person=the noun → 'the runner' (definite NP).

Question 6: Language R places the most important information last in a sentence. For 'Yesterday John ran quickly,' which element appears last?

Yesterday
John
quickly (Correct answer)
ran

Correct answer: quickly

The manner adverb 'quickly' is the focal/most important information and therefore appears at the end.

Question 7: Given: 'teach' = 'doce,' 'teacher' = 'docente,' 'study' = 'estudi,' 'student' = 'estudiante.' What does the suffix '-nte/-ante' derive?

The person who performs the action (Correct answer)
The tool used for the action
The result of the action
The place where the action happens

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 8: 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?

Doru banak ke?
Ke doru banak?
Doru ke banak?
Banak doru ke? (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Banak doru ke?

Invert subject and verb, then add 'ke' at the end: 'Banak doru ke?'

Question 9: 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?

Un-vel brak drek.
Drek brak un-vel. (Correct answer)
Brak drek un-vel.
Drek un-brak vel.

Correct answer: Drek brak un-vel.

Time prefix + subject + negated verb: 'Drek brak un-vel.'

Question 10: Which type of clause is underlined: 'The report that she submitted was classified'?

Nominal clause
Relative (adjective) clause (Correct answer)
Independent clause
Adverbial clause

Correct answer: Relative (adjective) clause

'That she submitted' is a relative clause modifying the noun 'report.'

Question 11: In a verb-initial language: 'Ran quickly fox the brown.' What is the standard word order of this language?

SOV (Subject-Object-Verb)
VOS (Verb-Object-Subject)
SVO (Subject-Verb-Object)
VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) (Correct answer)

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 12: "Harp" denotes "write" in the Tranian language. What does the term "harpminus" mean?

Write more
Write minus
Minus write
Do not write (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Do not write

In Tranian, 'harp' denotes 'write'. The term 'harpminus' means 'Do not write', establishing that the suffix '-minus' is used to negate the verb. Hence, 'harpminus' translates to 'Do not write'.

Question 13: You are given these sentences in an unknown language: 'melo kira tan' = 'the dog runs,' 'melo bira tan' = 'the cat runs,' 'melo kira pun' = 'the dog sleeps.' What does 'kira' mean?

the
runs
dog (Correct answer)
sleeps

Correct answer: dog

Comparing sentences 1 and 2: 'kira' changes to 'bira' when 'dog' changes to 'cat,' so 'kira' = dog and 'bira' = cat. Comparing sentences 1 and 3: 'tan' changes to 'pun' when 'runs' changes to 'sleeps.' 'Melo' stays constant (= the/a), confirming 'kira' = dog.

Question 14: A fictional language uses: 'min' = 1, 'mid' = 10, 'max' = 100. What does 'max mid min' most likely equal?

101
110
111 (Correct answer)
112

Correct answer: 111

Each component adds its value: max(100) + mid(10) + min(1) = 111.

Question 15: 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?

Shorimak
Shorim (Correct answer)
Imshor
Shor-im

Correct answer: Shorim

The pattern adds '-im' as a suffix to all base words: 'shor' + '-im' = 'shorim.'

Question 16: In an SOV language, adjectives follow the noun they modify. 'The big house' (house=domo, big=grando) is written as:

domo grando (Correct answer)
grando only
domo only
grando domo

Correct answer: domo grando

The adjective-after-noun rule places the noun (domo) first, followed by its modifier (grando).

Question 17: A test language assigns a unique symbol to each of its 24 phonemes. A spoken word with 5 distinct phonemes is written with:

10 symbols
5 symbols (Correct answer)
3 symbols
4 symbols

Correct answer: 5 symbols

Since each phoneme maps to exactly one unique symbol, 5 phonemes always require exactly 5 symbols.

Question 18: A test language assigns one unique sound per symbol with no exceptions. A word written with 7 symbols contains exactly how many sounds?

3 sounds
5 sounds
7 sounds (Correct answer)
14 sounds

Correct answer: 7 sounds

Because each symbol maps to exactly one sound with no exceptions, 7 symbols always represent exactly 7 sounds.

Question 19: The word "munch" means "drink" in Zephyrian. What is ‘do not drink'?

Munchzero
Munch nill (Correct answer)
Not munch
Munch not

Correct answer: Munch nill

In Zephyrian, 'munch' means 'drink.' To express 'do not drink,' the term 'Munch nill' is used, which implies that 'nill' or '-nill' functions as the negating component. This element is attached to the verb 'munch' to create the negative command or statement.

Question 20: If ‘lark' means ‘dance' in Martian, what is ‘larkneg'?

Dancing
Dance neg
Neg dance
Do not dance (Correct answer)

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 21: 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'?

klin zorp gool
zorp klin neep (Correct answer)
zorp vesh gool
zorp neep klin

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 22: Language R uses: 'bas' = 2, 'qua' = 4, 'oct' = 8. 'Bas-bas' = 4, 'bas-qua' = 6. What does 'qua-oct' most likely equal?

14
10
12 (Correct answer)
8

Correct answer: 12

'qua-oct' adds qua(4) and oct(8) together for a total of 12.

Question 23: 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
fey-in nura
fey nura-in
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 24: 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?

Possessive marker
Agent in passive voice (Correct answer)
Past tense
Plural 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 25: Which section type does the DLAB NOT include?

A vocabulary memorization test of actual foreign language words (Correct answer)
Identifying stress and intonation patterns in made-up words
Applying invented grammatical rules to fictional language sentences
Sound discrimination exercises using nonsense words

Correct answer: A vocabulary memorization test of actual foreign language words

The DLAB does NOT test real foreign language vocabulary — it uses entirely invented content.

Question 26: You hear a series of statements in a made-up language where word order determines the meaning. 'plim tok glee' means 'the man eats the apple'. 'glee tok plim' means 'the apple eats the man'. 'zup tok nar' means 'the dog eats the bone'. Which of the following is the most likely rule for this language's sentence structure?

Object-Verb-Subject
Subject-Verb-Object (Correct answer)
Verb-Subject-Object
Subject-Object-Verb

Correct answer: Subject-Verb-Object

By comparing 'plim tok glee' (the man eats the apple) and 'glee tok plim' (the apple eats the man), we can see that 'tok' is the verb 'eats'. The word before the verb is the subject (the one performing the action), and the word after the verb is the object. This is a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure, the same as in English. 'zup tok nar' (the dog eats the bone) confirms this pattern.

Question 27: In an unknown language: 'pelo sira' = 'she sings,' 'pelo sira-na' = 'she doesn't sing,' 'gelo koma' = 'he eats,' 'gelo koma-na' = 'he doesn't eat.' Where is negation marked?

As a prefix on the subject
As a particle before the verb
By changing the word order
As a suffix on the verb (Correct answer)

Correct answer: As a suffix on the verb

Negation is formed by adding '-na' to the verb: 'sira' → 'sira-na,' 'koma' → 'koma-na.' This is a verbal negation suffix, consistently applied regardless of the subject or verb. The subject and base verb remain unchanged.

Question 28: 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?

Drelru
Drellu
Drelzu (Correct answer)
Drel

Correct answer: Drelzu

Honorific register uses '-zu': 'drel' + '-zu' = 'drelzu.'

Question 29: In invented language Drelvic, final-syllable stress means the word is a verb; initial-syllable stress means it's a noun. You hear [ta-LO]. What is it?

A question word
A verb (Correct answer)
A noun
An adjective

Correct answer: A verb

Stress on the final syllable 'LO' = verb in Drelvic.

Question 30: 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?

Before the subject
Between subject and verb (Correct answer)
Sentence-initial
After the object

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 31: In this language: 'mak-' root means 'big.' 'makas' = 'big (masculine),' 'makos' = 'big (feminine),' 'makis' = 'big (neuter).' What morphological process marks gender?

Vowel change in the suffix (apophony) (Correct answer)
Tone change
Consonant mutation
Prefixation

Correct answer: Vowel change in the suffix (apophony)

Gender is marked by changing the vowel in the suffix: '-as' (masculine), '-os' (feminine), '-is' (neuter). This vowel alternation (apophony) in suffixes to indicate grammatical gender is similar to systems found in some Indo-European languages.

Question 32: What does “raknag” imply if “nagrak” means “old book”?

Old pen
New book
Old paper
New pen (Correct answer)

Correct answer: New pen

This language uses a pattern where reversing the order of two root words changes both their meanings to related concepts. If 'nagrak' means 'old book', then 'raknag' will change 'old' to 'new' and 'book' to 'pen'. Therefore, 'raknag' means 'New pen'.

Question 33: The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) where many military linguists train is located in which US state?

Georgia
Virginia
Texas
California (Correct answer)

Correct answer: California

DLIFLC is located in Monterey, California.

Question 34: Which of the following is a correctly punctuated compound sentence?

The soldier trained hard he passed the exam easily.
The soldier trained hard, he passed the exam easily.
The soldier trained hard; he passed the exam easily. (Correct answer)
The soldier trained hard and, he passed the exam easily.

Correct answer: The soldier trained hard; he passed the exam easily.

Two independent clauses must be joined by a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction with a comma, or a period. Option A is a run-on, option B is a comma splice, and option D incorrectly places a comma after a coordinating conjunction.

Question 35: "flor" is the word for "happy" in the Tegorian language. How would you say "unhappy"?

Florun
Floran
Flura
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 36: In a fictional language, the tense of a verb is changed by altering its first letter. You hear: 'pash' means 'I walk'. 'fash' means 'I walked'. 'tov' means 'he sees'. Based on this pattern, how would you say 'he saw'?

fov (Correct answer)
pov
tash
fash

Correct answer: fov

The rule demonstrated is that changing the initial 'p' to an 'f' changes the verb from present tense to past tense ('pash' to 'fash'). Applying this rule to the verb 'tov' (he sees), we change the initial 't' to an 'f' to create the past tense form, resulting in 'fov' (he saw).

Question 37: The DLAB includes a section where test-takers listen to spoken passages in invented languages. What cognitive ability does this primarily assess?

Mathematical pattern recognition
Spatial reasoning
Reading comprehension
Auditory discrimination and phonological processing (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Auditory discrimination and phonological processing

The audio section tests ability to distinguish sounds, identify stress, and process phonological patterns.

Question 38: In Kelvor, adjectives agree with nouns in CASE: nominative case adjectives take '-as', accusative take '-us'. 'Talu' (woman) is the subject. 'Bren' = beautiful. What is 'the beautiful woman' as subject?

Talu bren
Brenas talu
Talu brenus
Talu brenas (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Talu brenas

Subject = nominative → '-as'. 'Bren' + '-as' = 'brenas'. Phrase: 'Talu brenas.'

Question 39: 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'?

fel id kur (Correct answer)
id kur fel
fel kur id
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 40: Consider these rules: 1. Adjectives end with the same vowel as the noun they modify. 2. The word for 'car' is 'lota'. The word for 'fast' is 'siv'. 3. The word for 'tree' is 'piko'. The word for 'tall' is 'ner'. Based on the pattern, how would you say 'the tall car'?

Piko nero
Lota nera (Correct answer)
Lota siva
Piko sivo

Correct answer: Lota nera

The noun 'car' is 'lota', which ends in 'a'. The adjective 'tall' is based on the root 'ner'. To modify 'lota', the adjective must end in 'a' (Rule 1). Therefore, 'ner' becomes 'nera'. The phrase is 'lota nera'.

Question 41: In a test language, prepositions follow their objects (postpositions). 'In the house' (house=kasa, in=en) becomes:

en alone
en kasa
kasa en (Correct answer)
kasa alone

Correct answer: kasa en

A postposition rule places the relational word after its object, giving 'kasa en' (house in).

Question 42: 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 nom kasal. (Correct answer)
Jek kasal nom.

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 43: 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'?

rex-am vid regina
regina-am vid rex
regina vid rex-am (Correct answer)
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 44: In the context of the DLAB, 'stress' refers to which linguistic concept?

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)
The tone of a sentence (rising or falling)

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 45: 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'?

Seluaf brak
Seluim brak
Brak seluaf
Brak seluim (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Brak seluim

Adjective follows noun, and takes '-im' for masculine 'brak', giving 'Brak seluim.'

Question 46: In a language, the vowel /i/ causes the preceding consonant /s/ to become /ʃ/ (like 'sh'): 'sima' → [ʃima]. What phonological process is this?

Labialization
Glottalization
Vowel lowering
Palatalization (consonant moves toward palatal position due to /i/) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Palatalization (consonant moves toward palatal position due to /i/)

The high front vowel /i/ causes /s/ (alveolar) to shift to /ʃ/ (palato-alveolar), moving the consonant's place of articulation toward the palate. This is palatalization — one of the most common historical and synchronic sound changes in world languages.

Question 47: What does the word "risplev" imply if the word "plevris" means "white flower"?

Black flower
Red flower
White tree
Red tree (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Red tree

In this language, reversing the order of the two word components changes both their meanings. If 'plevris' means 'white flower', then 'risplev' will change 'white' to 'red' and 'flower' to 'tree'. Therefore, 'risplev' means 'Red tree'.

Question 48: In a language, a word-final voiceless stop is released with a burst of air: 'tak' ends with [kʰ]. But the same /k/ in 'takna' (before a nasal) has no burst. What conditions the difference?

The vowel before it
Dialectal variation
The position (word-final vs. pre-nasal environment) (Correct answer)
Speaker preference

Correct answer: The position (word-final vs. pre-nasal environment)

The same phoneme /k/ has different realizations depending on its environment: aspirated [kʰ] word-finally, unreleased before a nasal. The phonological environment (following sound or word boundary) conditions which allophone appears.

Question 49: Given: 'ta komi vera sola' = 'he eats hot rice,' 'ta komi vera sola eku tima vera pili' = 'he eats hot rice and drinks hot water.' What is 'and'?

eku (Correct answer)
pili
tima
vera

Correct answer: eku

'Eku' appears between two clauses: 'he eats hot rice' + 'eku' + 'drinks hot water.' It's the conjunction connecting the two actions. 'Vera' = hot (appears in both clauses), 'tima' = drinks, 'pili' = water.

Question 50: 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'?

Pello sphaeraem puls-puls.
Pelloem puls-puls sphaera.
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 51: What does “sanfrat” imply if “fratsan” means “heavy rock”?

Light rock
Light metal
Heavy stone
Heavy metal (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Heavy metal

This question involves a pattern of word reversal and semantic change. If 'fratsan' means 'heavy rock', it implies 'frat' corresponds to 'heavy' and 'san' to 'rock'. When the components are reversed to 'sanfrat', the meaning of the second element ('rock') changes to a related concept ('metal'), while the first element ('heavy') remains constant. Thus, 'sanfrat' means 'heavy metal'.

Question 52: The DLAB (Defense Language Aptitude Battery) is administered by the US military primarily to assess which capability?

A recruit's current foreign language proficiency
A recruit's knowledge of world geography
A recruit's potential to learn a foreign language (Correct answer)
A recruit's ability to translate military documents

Correct answer: A recruit's potential to learn a foreign language

The DLAB measures language-learning aptitude — potential, not current ability.

Question 53: What is the meaning of the linguistics term 'morphology'?

The study of speech sounds
The study of language meaning
The study of sentence structure
The study of word structure and how words are formed from morphemes (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The study of word structure and how words are formed from morphemes

Morphology = the study of word structure: roots, prefixes, suffixes, inflections, and derivations.

Question 54: Language Q uses postpositions instead of prepositions. If 'on the table' in English becomes 'table the on' in Language Q, how would 'under the bridge' be expressed?

under bridge the
bridge the under (Correct answer)
the under bridge
bridge under the

Correct answer: bridge the under

In a postpositional language, the spatial relationship word (on, under, in) comes after the noun phrase rather than before it. Following the pattern 'table the on,' 'under the bridge' becomes 'bridge the under.'

Question 55: In a language: 'buk' = 'book,' 'buk-a' = 'books,' 'tri' = 'tree,' 'tri-e' = 'trees.' The plural suffix differs. What determines the form?

Syllable count
Noun class/gender (Correct answer)
The final sound of the noun
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 56: You hear words in invented language Frelvik: [braNAK], [breNAK], [briNAK]. The translations are: 'I run', 'You run', 'He runs'. The only difference is the first vowel. What vowel codes third person?

e
o
a
i (Correct answer)

Correct answer: i

[braNAK] = I, [breNAK] = you, [briNAK] = he; third person has vowel 'i'.

Question 57: In Language V: 'pi' = 7, 'pipi' = 14, 'pipipi' = 21. What does 'pipipipi' most likely equal?

35
21
42
28 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 28

Each repetition of 'pi' adds 7, so four repetitions equal 28.

Question 58: In a language, /s/ becomes /z/ when it appears between two vowels: 'asa' is pronounced [aza]. What phonological process is this?

Nasalization
Voicing (intervocalic voicing) (Correct answer)
Devoicing
Palatalization

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 59: In Language W: 'tri' = 3, 'hex' = 6, 'non' = 9. 'Hex-tri' = 9, 'non-tri' = 12. What does 'non-hex' most likely equal?

14
15 (Correct answer)
13
12

Correct answer: 15

'non-hex' = non(9) + hex(6) = 15, consistent with the additive pattern.

Question 60: 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
Prenuemel
Prenuasol
Prenueral (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Prenueral

Hot class nouns add '-ral': 'prenu' + '-ral' = 'prenural.'

Question 61: A language follows Object-Verb-Subject (OVS) order. 'Mari sees Tano' (sees=velu) is correctly written as:

Mari velu Tano
Tano velu Mari (Correct answer)
velu Mari Tano
Mari Tano velu

Correct answer: Tano velu Mari

OVS order requires the object (Tano) first, then the verb (velu), then the subject (Mari).

Question 62: 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?

Moving the verb to the front
Adding 'ji' at the beginning (Correct answer)
Adding 'lo' at the end
Changing the word order entirely

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 63: 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
Meluok (Correct answer)
Meluak
Meluk

Correct answer: Meluok

Since Melu is a Tier 2 subject, the verb must take the '-ok' ending, giving 'Meluok.'

Question 64: In Russian, adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and case: 'krasiv-aya devushk-a' (beautiful-FEM.SG.NOM girl-FEM.SG.NOM). English adjectives don't change form at all: 'beautiful girl.' What does Russian's system provide?

Better vocabulary
Redundancy that aids comprehension, especially in complex sentences with free word order (Correct answer)
Faster speech
No benefit — it's redundant

Correct answer: Redundancy that aids comprehension, especially in complex sentences with free word order

Agreement morphology creates redundancy — the same information (gender, number, case) appears on multiple words. While seemingly redundant, this helps listeners correctly parse sentences, especially with Russian's free word order. If you miss one marker, others still signal the relationship.

Question 65: 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'?

vo-bax gorn-ep
gorn vo-bax-ep
gorn-ep vo-bax (Correct answer)
vo-gorn-ep bax

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 66: In Strelvik, the subject pronoun changes based on the number of objects in the sentence. 0 objects: 'Vo', 1 object: 'Va', 2+ objects: 'Ve'. In the sentence '[He] gave a book and a pen to Maria', which pronoun is correct?

Ve (Correct answer)
Va
Vo
Vi

Correct answer: Ve

There are 2 objects (book and pen), so the pronoun is 'Ve.'

Question 67: Observe the pattern: 'Nalu vel.' = 'The horse moves.' 'Nalu-s vel.' = 'The horses move.' 'Doru mak.' = 'The man sleeps.' What does 'Doru-s mak.' mean?

The man sleeps.
The men move.
The horses sleep.
The men sleep. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The men sleep.

'-s' suffix marks plural on noun: 'doru-s' = men, 'mak' = sleeps → 'The men sleep.'

Question 68: Study: 'kita' = 'read,' 'pan-kita' = 'readable,' 'tulis' = 'write,' 'pan-tulis' = 'writable.' The prefix 'pan-' creates what type of form?

An active participle (one who does)
A gerund
A past tense form
A passive participle/potential form (able to be done) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A passive participle/potential form (able to be done)

'Pan-' transforms verbs into potential passive adjectives: read → readable (able to be read), write → writable (able to be written). This is a potential/abilitative derivation creating adjectives that indicate the possibility of the action being performed on something.

Question 69: 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 → ?

Taloun
Untalo
Untal (Correct answer)
Untaloed

Correct answer: Untal

Remove final vowel 'o' from 'talo' → 'tal'; add 'un-' → 'untal.'

Question 70: Study: 'dala mir oku' = 'birds fly south,' 'mir oku dala' = 'fly south birds' (same meaning). What does this tell you about Language T?

Subjects always come last
It uses word order for emphasis, not grammar (Correct answer)
It has strict word order
The verb must be first

Correct answer: It uses word order for emphasis, not grammar

Both sentences have the same meaning despite different word orders, indicating Language T has relatively free word order. The rearrangement likely changes emphasis or topic rather than grammatical meaning. This is typical of highly inflected languages.

Question 71: A visual vocabulary card shows: [picture of hand] = 'manu', [picture of two hands] = 'manudu', [picture of many hands] = 'manumos'. A new card shows [picture of foot]. Following the pattern, what would 'two feet' look like?

[two feet picture] = 'pedu' (if foot = 'pe') (Correct answer)
[many feet picture] = 'pemos'
A single foot picture with no suffix
[foot picture] with the same 'manu' root

Correct answer: [two feet picture] = 'pedu' (if foot = 'pe')

By the pattern: base = singular, base+du = two, base+mos = many. Two feet = foot-root + '-du'.

Question 72: You are presented with audio examples from an artificial language where possession is indicated by a suffix. 'kalen' means 'car'. 'kalen-vo' means 'my car'. 'bota' means 'book'. 'bota-ga' means 'his book'. 'kalen-ga' means 'his car'. Which phrase would mean 'my book'?

bota-vo (Correct answer)
kalen-bota
vo-bota
bota-ga-vo

Correct answer: bota-vo

The examples show that possession is marked by a suffix attached to the noun. From 'kalen' and 'kalen-vo', we see '-vo' means 'my'. From 'bota' and 'bota-ga', we see '-ga' means 'his'. To say 'my book', you would take the word for 'book' ('bota') and add the suffix for 'my' ('-vo'), resulting in 'bota-vo'.

Question 73: 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)?

Drenul
Ulren
Dren
Drulen (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Drulen

Infix '-ul-' after first consonant cluster 'Dr-': Dr + ul + en = 'Drulen.'

Question 74: 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-el venel
Doru-elon venelon (Correct answer)
Doru venelon
Venelon doru-elon

Correct answer: Doru-elon venelon

Plural M: noun 'doru' + '-elon' = 'doru-elon'; numeral 'ven' + '-elon' = 'venelon'. Both agree.

Question 75: 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:

kanu no velu felo (Correct answer)
felo no velu kanu
kanu velu felo no
no felo velu kanu

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 76: 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 shor
Shorna Keli
Keli shorna (Correct answer)
Shornak Keli

Correct answer: Keli shorna

The possessed noun 'shor' takes '-na', and the possessor comes first: 'Keli shorna.'

Question 77: In an invented writing system, a symbol enclosed in brackets [ ] indicates a plural noun. If 'dren' means 'a tree,' then '[dren]' means:

No trees
Many trees (Correct answer)
A small tree
A big tree

Correct answer: Many trees

The bracket rule marks plural nouns, so [dren] means 'trees' (multiple trees).

Question 78: 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 noval talo vrik.
Noval fenu talo vrik. (Correct answer)
Fenu talo vrik noval.
Fenu talo noval vrik.

Correct answer: Noval fenu talo vrik.

Time words precede the subject, so 'noval' (yesterday) goes first: 'Noval fenu talo vrik.'

Question 79: A table shows symbol-to-meaning mappings: ★ = past, ● = present, ▲ = future. A sentence diagram shows: [●][Subject: kenu][Verb: vel][Object: shor]. What tense is the sentence in?

Past
Future
Present (Correct answer)
Perfect

Correct answer: Present

The ● symbol at the start of the sentence marks present tense.

Question 80: In an unknown language: 'aba keri' = 'red house,' 'aba moli' = 'red car,' 'fesi keri' = 'big house.' What is 'big car'?

fesi moli (Correct answer)
aba keri
keri aba
moli fesi

Correct answer: fesi moli

From the data: 'aba' = red, 'keri' = house, 'moli' = car, 'fesi' = big. The pattern is adjective + noun (word order). Therefore 'big car' = 'fesi moli,' following the same adjective-first pattern.

Question 81: In Language P, possessives follow the pattern: possessed-possessor. If 'kara' means 'house' and 'ben' means 'mother,' what is 'mother's house'?

ben-kara
kara ben (Correct answer)
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 82: 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?'

nara pem kito
pem nara kito
kito pem nara
kito nara pem (Correct answer)

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 83: Which sentence uses an absolute phrase correctly?

We continued our hike, having passed the storm.
The storm having passed, we continued our hike. (Correct answer)
The storm passed, we continued our hike.
Having passed the storm, we continued our hike.

Correct answer: The storm having passed, we continued our hike.

An absolute phrase has a noun + participle and modifies the whole sentence: 'The storm having passed.'

Question 84: Which sentence demonstrates correct parallel structure?

She enjoys hiking, to swim, and riding bikes.
She enjoys hiking, swimming, and riding bikes. (Correct answer)
She enjoys to hike, swimming, and to ride bikes.
She enjoys hike, swim, and ride bikes.

Correct answer: She enjoys hiking, swimming, and riding bikes.

Parallel structure requires that items in a series use the same grammatical form. 'Hiking, swimming, and riding' are all gerunds (-ing forms), making the series grammatically consistent.

Question 85: The made-up language Frevish forms yes/no questions by moving the first vowel of the verb to the front of the sentence as a standalone syllable. 'Vel' (run) → question: 'e-vel'. 'Talo' (sing) → question: what?

Alot?
Talo a?
A talo? (Correct answer)
Taloa?

Correct answer: A talo?

First vowel of 'talo' is 'a'; move it to front: 'A talo?'

Question 86: 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?

They runim rap-ly.
He walkim.
She no-jumpim.
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 87: In a test language, doubled symbols double the sound's duration. If '⬛' = /m/, then '⬛⬛' represents:

/mp/ (a consonant cluster)
/mm/ (a long m sound) (Correct answer)
/n/ (a different nasal)
/mb/ (a voiced cluster)

Correct answer: /mm/ (a long m sound)

Doubling a symbol only affects duration, not the sound quality, so '⬛⬛' is simply a lengthened /mm/.

Question 88: 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
Telus
Tetu
Tetelu (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Tetelu

Double the first syllable 'te-' of 'telu' to get 'tetelu.'

Question 89: You are given two examples of spatial relationships. A dot inside a circle is called 'punto vlim circ'. A dot outside a circle is called 'punto flum circ'. Given that 'kasa' means 'box', which phrase would represent 'a box outside a circle'?

kasa vlim circ
kasa flum circ (Correct answer)
punto flum kasa
circ vlim kasa

Correct answer: kasa flum circ

In the examples, 'punto' is the dot and 'circ' is the circle. The words 'vlim' (inside) and 'flum' (outside) describe the relationship. To say 'a box outside a circle', you replace the word for dot ('punto') with the word for box ('kasa') and use the word for outside ('flum'), maintaining the structure. This gives you 'kasa flum circ'.

Question 90: Data set: 'Talu vel brak.' = 'The woman sees the stone.' 'Brak vel talu.' = 'The stone sees the woman.' 'Doru vel mako.' = 'The man sees the tree.' Which sentence means 'The tree sees the man'?

Doru vel mako.
Mako doru vel.
Mako vel doru. (Correct answer)
Talu vel brak.

Correct answer: Mako vel doru.

Subject-Verb-Object: 'mako' (tree) as subject + vel + 'doru' (man) as object.

Question 91: In a fictional language, all words ending in the symbol '★' are nouns. The word 'breltu★' is therefore a:

Noun (Correct answer)
Verb
Adverb
Adjective

Correct answer: Noun

The rule states any word ending in '★' is a noun, so 'breltu★' must be classified as a noun.

Question 92: A language has two series of stops: plain /p, t, k/ and ejective /p', t', k'/. What articulatory difference produces ejectives?

Lip rounding
Nasal airflow
Tongue retraction
Glottal compression creating increased air pressure (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Glottal compression creating increased air pressure

Ejectives are produced by closing the glottis and raising the larynx, compressing the air above it. When the oral closure releases, the compressed air creates a sharp popping sound. Ejectives are common in languages of the Caucasus, Ethiopia, and the Americas.

Question 93: In a fictional language, adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they modify. Nouns ending in 'o' are masculine, and nouns ending in 'a' are feminine. To make an adjective agree, add '-m' for masculine nouns and '-f' for feminine nouns. Adjectives always follow the noun. Given that the word for 'car' is 'auto' and the word for 'fast' is 'rapid', how would you correctly say 'the fast car'?

rapidf auto
auto rapidm (Correct answer)
rapidm auto
auto rapidf

Correct answer: auto rapidm

The noun 'auto' ends in 'o', making it masculine. The adjective 'rapid' must be modified to agree with a masculine noun by adding '-m', becoming 'rapidm'. According to the rules, the adjective follows the noun. Therefore, the correct phrase is 'auto rapidm'.

Question 94: 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'?

Puer ne vid canis.
Ne vid puer canis.
Vid puer ne canis.
Vid ne puer canis. (Correct answer)

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 95: A phonetic code has 5 vowel symbols and 15 consonant symbols. Which statement about a four-symbol word is necessarily true?

It has exactly 4 phonemes (Correct answer)
It has exactly 8 phonemes
It has exactly 4 consonants
It has exactly 4 vowels

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 96: Given these negations: 'ami beka' = 'I go,' 'ami no beka' = 'I don't go,' 'tu beka' = 'you go,' 'tu no beka' = 'you don't go.' What is the negation strategy?

A particle 'no' before the verb (Correct answer)
A prefix on the subject
A suffix on the verb
Changing the verb entirely

Correct answer: A particle 'no' before the verb

Negation is formed by inserting the particle 'no' between the subject and verb: 'ami beka' → 'ami no beka.' This is a pre-verbal negation particle, common in many languages. The verb and subject remain unchanged.

Question 97: Which of these English words has stress on the FIRST syllable?

te-LE-phone
te-le-PHO-ne
tel-e-PHONE
TEL-e-phone (Correct answer)

Correct answer: TEL-e-phone

'Telephone' stresses the first syllable: TEL-e-phone.

Question 98: What is ‘swagzil' if ‘swag' means ‘swim' in Cronian?

Swim zil
Do not swim (Correct answer)
Swimming
Zil swim

Correct answer: Do not swim

Following the pattern of this language, if 'swag' means 'swim,' and 'swagzil' means 'Do not swim,' then '-zil' serves as a negating element. This suffix is added to the verb 'swag' to convey the meaning of 'do not,' effectively reversing the action.

Question 99: In the sentence 'She rarely speaks during meetings,' what grammatical role does 'rarely' play?

Adverb modifying 'speaks' (Correct answer)
Conjunction joining phrases
Preposition linking clauses
Adjective modifying 'she'

Correct answer: Adverb modifying 'speaks'

'Rarely' is an adverb that modifies the verb 'speaks,' describing how often the action occurs.

Question 100: In Kelvor, sentences with animate subjects use verb prefix 'ta-', and inanimate subjects use 'ri-'. The sentence: '[The rock] fell.' Rock is inanimate. 'Vel' = fall. What is the correct verb form?

Rivel (Correct answer)
Tavel
Veril
Vel

Correct answer: Rivel

Inanimate subjects take 'ri-', so the verb is 'rivel.'

Question 101: In which word is the stress on the SECOND syllable? (Capitals indicate stress.)

PRO-test (noun: a protest)
COM-plex (adjective: complex)
RE-cord (noun: a record)
re-CORD (verb: to record) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: re-CORD (verb: to record)

re-CORD (verb) stresses the second syllable; RE-cord (noun) stresses the first.

Question 102: In Zorathi, adjectives agree with nouns in class: Class A nouns get adjective suffix '-on', Class B get '-en', Class C get '-an'. 'Talu' (Class B) = woman. 'Vel' = tall. How do you say 'tall woman'?

Talu velen (Correct answer)
Talu velon
Talu velan
Velen talu

Correct answer: Talu velen

Class B requires '-en' on adjective: 'vel' + '-en' = 'velen'. Phrase: 'Talu velen.'

Question 103: In Language X, the sentence 'The dog chases the cat' is written as 'Cat the chases dog the.' What is the word order pattern?

Object-Subject-Verb
Object-Verb-Subject (Correct answer)
Verb-Subject-Object
Subject-Verb-Object

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 104: 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 subject is always the last word
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)

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 105: Given: 'pela osta rana' = 'the cat sits here' and 'pela osta finu' = 'the cat sits there.' What element changes to indicate location?

The word order
The final word (Correct answer)
The verb form
The subject marker

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 106: What is a 'tonal language'?

A language where intonation only marks questions vs statements
A language with a musical writing system
A language where the pitch of a syllable changes the meaning of a word (Correct answer)
A language with many emotional expressions

Correct answer: A language where the pitch of a syllable changes the meaning of a word

Tonal languages use pitch at the syllable level to distinguish word meanings (e.g., Mandarin, Vietnamese).

Question 107: Japanese uses Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order: 'Tanaka-san hon-o yomu' = 'Tanaka book reads.' English uses SVO: 'Tanaka reads a book.' What percentage of world languages use SOV order?

About 25%
About 10%
About 45% (Correct answer)
About 75%

Correct answer: About 45%

Approximately 45% of the world's languages use SOV order, making it the most common basic word order. SVO (like English) accounts for about 42%. Together, these two orders cover roughly 87% of all languages. VSO, VOS, OVS, and OSV are all much rarer.

Question 108: Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Running to catch the bus, her bag fell off her shoulder. (Correct answer)
She ran to catch the bus and dropped her bag.
Running to catch the bus, she dropped her bag.
Her bag fell as she ran to catch the bus.

Correct answer: Running to catch the bus, her bag fell off her shoulder.

The participial phrase 'Running to catch the bus' has no logical subject — the bag cannot run.

Question 109: Given: 'ri keba lo pamo' = 'the child plays in the garden,' 'ri keba lo tuno' = 'the child plays in the school,' 'ri piko lo pamo' = 'the child sleeps in the garden.' What does 'lo' mean?

the
in (Correct answer)
plays
child

Correct answer: in

'Lo' appears in all sentences before the location word (pamo=garden, tuno=school). Since 'ri' stays constant, 'keba/piko' alternate with play/sleep (verbs), and 'pamo/tuno' are locations, 'lo' must be the preposition 'in.'

Question 110: Turkish 'ev-ler-im-de' means 'in my houses.' Each suffix has one meaning: ev (house), -ler (plural), -im (my), -de (in/at). What type of morphological system does Turkish use?

Fusional
Polysynthetic
Isolating
Agglutinative (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Agglutinative

Turkish is agglutinative: each suffix carries exactly one grammatical meaning, and suffixes chain together transparently. You can clearly segment 'ev-ler-im-de' into four meaningful parts. This contrasts with fusional languages where a single suffix may encode multiple meanings simultaneously.

Question 111: In invented language Velkish, all sentences follow Subject-Object-Verb order. Given: 'Talu shor dren.' = 'The woman eats fish.' What does 'Shor talu dren.' mean?

The woman eats fish.
The woman swims.
The fish eats the woman. (Correct answer)
The fish swims.

Correct answer: The fish eats the woman.

SOV order: Shor (fish) = subject, talu (woman) = object, dren (eats) = verb → 'Fish eats woman.'

Question 112: In Language S: 'fiv' = 5, 'twen' = 20, 'fiv-twen' = 25. What does 'twen-twen' most likely equal?

25
40 (Correct answer)
45
30

Correct answer: 40

'twen-twen' combines two values of 20 for a total of 40.

Question 113: Vietnamese 'tôi đã ăn cơm' (I PAST eat rice) uses a separate word 'đã' for past tense. English uses a suffix: 'I eat' → 'I ate.' What morphological type does Vietnamese represent?

Polysynthetic
Fusional
Agglutinative
Isolating (analytic) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Isolating (analytic)

Vietnamese is an isolating (analytic) language where grammatical relationships are expressed through separate words rather than affixes. Tense, aspect, and mood are all conveyed by independent particles. Words generally don't change form. Mandarin Chinese is another example.

Question 114: 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)
Rice
You
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 115: A language has the following grammatical rules: 1. To form an adverb, add the suffix '-ik' to an adjective. 2. Adverbs are always placed at the very end of the sentence. 3. The standard word order is Subject-Verb. Given the words: 'miles' (the soldier), 'puna' (fights), and 'fort' (brave), how would you correctly say 'The soldier fights bravely'?

miles puna fort
fort-ik miles puna
miles puna fort-ik (Correct answer)
miles fort puna

Correct answer: miles puna fort-ik

First, the adjective 'fort' (brave) must be converted to an adverb ('bravely') by adding the suffix '-ik', which creates 'fort-ik'. Second, the rule states that this adverb must be placed at the end of the sentence. The base sentence is 'miles puna' (The soldier fights), so the final construction is 'miles puna fort-ik'.

Question 116: Molvex uses object-verb-subject (OVS) word order, opposite to English SVO. Given that 'Palu' = cat, 'Seno' = fish, 'Tal' = eats, how do you say 'The cat eats the fish' in Molvex?

Tal palu seno.
Palu seno tal.
Palu tal seno.
Seno tal palu. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Seno tal palu.

OVS order: Object (fish=seno) + Verb (tal) + Subject (cat=palu) = 'Seno tal palu.'

Question 117: 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)?

Velost
Velut
Vel
Velust (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Velust

'I was running' is an ongoing past action, so '-ust' is appended: 'velust.'

Question 118: In Ozwik, adjectives agree with the head noun in 'proximity class': near objects (proximal) → '-this', far objects (distal) → '-that'. 'Brak vel-this' = 'this hard stone' (near). You need to say 'that hard stone' (far). What changes?

Vel-that brak
Brak vel
Vel-this brak
Brak vel-that (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Brak vel-that

Distal (far) → '-that' suffix on adjective: 'vel-that'. Noun position unchanged: 'Brak vel-that.'

Question 119: What does the linguistic term 'syntax' refer to?

The sound system of a language
The rules governing how words are combined to form sentences (Correct answer)
The study of word meanings
The writing system of a language

Correct answer: The rules governing how words are combined to form sentences

Syntax is the branch of linguistics dealing with sentence structure and word order rules.

Question 120: Given: 'kal mun do' = 'big red house,' 'kal sep do' = 'big blue house,' and 'mun tir' = 'red bird.' What is 'big blue bird'?

sep kal tir
kal sep tir (Correct answer)
sep tir kal
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 121: What does “plamur” imply if “murpla” means “high mountain”?

High hill (Correct answer)
Low hill
High river
Low mountain

Correct answer: High hill

Following the pattern of word reversal and semantic shift, if 'murpla' means 'high mountain', then 'mur' corresponds to 'high' and 'pla' to 'mountain'. When reversed to 'plamur', the meaning of the second element ('mountain') changes to a related, smaller concept ('hill'), while the first element ('high') remains the same. Therefore, 'plamur' translates to 'high hill'.

Question 122: 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)?

Brenkis (Correct answer)
Brenks
Brenkos
Brenkes

Correct answer: Brenkis

'Brenk' ends in consonant 'k', so plural is formed with '-is': 'Brenkis.'

Question 123: 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 unspak (Correct answer)
Untavi greno spak
Tavi ungreno spak
Tavi greno spakun

Correct answer: Tavi greno unspak

Negation prefix 'un-' attaches to the verb 'spak', not the noun or adverb.

Question 124: 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?

ge-O-gra-phy
e-CO-no-my
u-NI-ver-si-ty
CON-tro-ver-sy (Correct answer)

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.

Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB)

The DLAB assesses an individual's aptitude for learning foreign languages, rather than their proficiency in a specific language.

124

Questions

90 min

Time Limit

100%

To Pass

Checking for saved progress...

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

These practice questions were written with AI tools. They are not real exam questions. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

marines.mil — Exam information · verified Oct 2026
netc.navy.mil — Eligibility, passing score, exam format, time limit · verified Oct 2026
static.e-publishing.af.mil — Test delivery, retake policy, score validity · verified Oct 2026