NIC ASL Proficiency 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of ASL classifier represents a vehicle moving through space?
- SASS classifier
- Entity classifier (Correct answer)
- Instrument classifier
- Locative classifier
Correct answer: Entity classifier
Entity classifiers (also called handle classifiers) represent whole objects such as vehicles and depict their movement and location in space.
Question 2: In ASL, how is a conditional 'if-then' clause typically marked?
- With the sign IF followed by THEN at sentence end
- With raised brows and slight forward head tilt on the 'if' clause (Correct answer)
- With furrowed brows throughout the entire sentence
- With a pause and body shift between clauses
Correct answer: With raised brows and slight forward head tilt on the 'if' clause
Conditional clauses in ASL are marked with raised eyebrows and a slight forward head tilt on the condition portion, similar to yes/no question marking but in a subordinate clause.
Question 3: What does it mean when an ASL signer uses 'negative incorporation'?
- They spell out N-O before the sign
- They shake their head while producing the sign
- The sign itself includes an outward twist or movement indicating negation (Correct answer)
- They use the NOT sign after every predicate
Correct answer: The sign itself includes an outward twist or movement indicating negation
Negative incorporation is when negation is built into the sign itself through a modified movement (typically an outward flick or twist), as in WANT becoming DON'T-WANT.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of an ASL directional (agreement) verb?
- THINK
- HELP (Correct answer)
- KNOW
- UNDERSTAND
Correct answer: HELP
HELP is a directional verb in ASL; its movement changes to show who is helping whom (e.g., moving from subject's location to object's locus).
Question 5: In ASL discourse, what is the function of 'rhetorical questions'?
- To invite audience participation
- To introduce a topic and immediately provide the answer (Correct answer)
- To express doubt about a proposition
- To challenge the interlocutor's claim
Correct answer: To introduce a topic and immediately provide the answer
Rhetorical questions in ASL are a discourse device where the signer asks a question and then immediately answers it, used to introduce and explain topics.
Question 6: What is the significance of 'palm orientation' as an ASL parameter?
- It only affects the aesthetics of a sign, not meaning
- Changing palm orientation can create a minimal pair with different meaning (Correct answer)
- It is interchangeable with handshape in most signs
- It exclusively marks tense in ASL grammar
Correct answer: Changing palm orientation can create a minimal pair with different meaning
Palm orientation is a contrastive parameter; changing it can produce a minimal pair — for example, MOTHER and SMOTHER differ partly in palm orientation.
Question 7: When fingerspelling a person's name in ASL, what is considered best practice?
- Fingerspell quickly to avoid disrupting message flow
- Fingerspell clearly at a moderate pace, then produce the name sign if one exists (Correct answer)
- Only use the name sign and omit fingerspelling
- Fingerspell twice in a row for clarity every time
Correct answer: Fingerspell clearly at a moderate pace, then produce the name sign if one exists
Best practice is to fingerspell the name clearly and then, if a name sign exists, produce it immediately after to establish the referent for both audiences.
NIC ASL Proficiency 4
Which type of ASL classifier represents a vehicle moving through space?