MLAT Phonetic Spelling Clues 3

Question 1

A phonetic key states that 'oo' = the vowel in 'moon'. Which spelling correctly represents 'groove'?

Accepted Answer

groov

Answer

'Groove' has the long 'oo' vowel between 'gr' and 'v', making 'groov' the accurate phonetic form.

Question 2

The phonetic form 'pəˈliːs' uses a stress mark before 'liːs'. What does this word mean?

Accepted Answer

police

Answer

The schwa in the first syllable and the long 'ee' in the stressed second syllable give 'police'.

Question 3

Which of the following phonetic spellings represents the word 'cheese'?

Accepted Answer

tʃiiz

Answer

The 'ch' sound is represented by 'tʃ' in IPA-based phonetic keys, followed by the long 'ee' (iː), giving 'tʃiiz'.

Question 4

A test uses the rule: a vowel followed by a silent 'e' is long. Which word does 'kode' represent?

Accepted Answer

code

Answer

Under the rule that final 'e' makes the preceding vowel long, 'kode' transcribes 'code' (long O).

Question 5

In an MLAT exercise, you see: 'lɪsən'. Which English word does this phonetic string represent?

Accepted Answer

listen

Answer

'lɪsən' has a short 'i' (ɪ), an 's', and a schwa (ə) + n, matching 'listen' (the 't' is silent).

(MLAT) Modern Language Aptitude Test Practice Test