LOTE Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Methods 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Stephen Krashen's Input Hypothesis, language acquisition occurs best when learners are exposed to input that is:
- Slightly above their current proficiency level (i+1) (Correct answer)
- Far above their current proficiency level
- Exactly at their current proficiency level
- Slightly below their current proficiency level
Correct answer: Slightly above their current proficiency level (i+1)
Krashen's Input Hypothesis states that acquisition occurs when learners receive comprehensible input just beyond their current competence, denoted as i+1.
Question 2: Which term refers to the evolving linguistic system a second language learner constructs at any given point during the acquisition process?
- Target language
- Interlanguage (Correct answer)
- Pidgin
- Creole
Correct answer: Interlanguage
Interlanguage describes the transitional, learner-specific linguistic system that evolves as learners move toward target language proficiency.
Question 3: The 'Silent Period' in second language acquisition refers to a phase in which learners:
- Refuse to communicate in any language
- Absorb input and build comprehension before producing output (Correct answer)
- Are taught using silent instructional methods
- Experience language loss due to disuse
Correct answer: Absorb input and build comprehension before producing output
The Silent Period is a natural early phase during which learners take in language input and build comprehension before they begin producing language themselves.
Question 4: Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis proposes that language acquisition can be blocked by:
- Exposure to too much input at once
- High anxiety, low motivation, or low self-confidence (Correct answer)
- Insufficient grammar instruction
- Overreliance on the native language
Correct answer: High anxiety, low motivation, or low self-confidence
The Affective Filter Hypothesis holds that negative emotional states such as anxiety, low motivation, or low self-esteem create a mental barrier that impedes language acquisition.
Question 5: Which language teaching approach prioritizes meaningful real-world communication over grammar drills and memorization?
- Grammar-Translation Method
- Audio-Lingual Method
- Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) (Correct answer)
- Direct Method
Correct answer: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) emphasizes authentic, meaningful communication and real-world language use as the primary goal of instruction.
Question 6: What is 'code-switching' as observed in bilingual or multilingual speakers?
- Translating a document from one language to another
- Alternating between two or more languages within a conversation or sentence (Correct answer)
- Replacing native language words entirely with target language words
- Using gestures to supplement verbal communication
Correct answer: Alternating between two or more languages within a conversation or sentence
Code-switching is the practice of alternating between two or more languages within a single conversation or sentence, common among proficient bilinguals.
Question 7: A French speaker uses the English word 'sensible' to mean 'sensitive' because the French word 'sensible' has that meaning. This is an example of:
- Positive transfer
- Negative transfer (interference) (Correct answer)
- Overgeneralization
- Fossilization
Correct answer: Negative transfer (interference)
Negative transfer (interference) occurs when a learner incorrectly applies L1 patterns to L2; here, the false cognate 'sensible' causes an error because its meaning differs between French and English.
LOTE Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Methods 1
According to Stephen Krashen's Input Hypothesis, language acquisition occurs best when learners are exposed to input that is: