GRE Subject Test: Psychology : GRE Subject Test: Psychology

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Psychology

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All GRE Subject Test: Psychology Resources

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Example Questions

Example Question #341 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology

A gorilla which has learned a limited form of sign language gains the attention of its trainer and signs the incomplete sentence "treat, bring now."

This is most closely an example of which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Syntax error

Telegraphic speech

Overgeneralization

Language drift

Babbling

Correct answer:

Telegraphic speech

Explanation:

Telegraphic speech is speech during the two-word stage of language acquisition, consisting of commands or imperatives given in three-or-more word sentences consisting of functional words only. A sentence like "treat, bring now" contains enough to make the message effective, if not particularly precise.

Example Question #342 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology

Which of the following words contains an example of a cranberry morpheme?

Possible Answers:

Deadly

Sublimation

Damaging

Progeny

Killed

Correct answer:

Progeny

Explanation:

A cranberry morpheme is a type of morpheme (the smallest meaningful unit of language) which has no independent meaning or function, but which still serves to distinguish one word from another. In this case, progeny contains the the cranberry morpheme '-geny', an obsolete term designating offspring which is also found in exogeny and endogeny

Example Question #1 : Phonemes, Morphemes, & Phrases

Which of the following words contains an example of a cranberry morpheme?

Possible Answers:

Thermometer

Unapologetic

Barometer 

Hinterland

Destroyer

Correct answer:

Hinterland

Explanation:

A cranberry morpheme is a type of morpheme (the smallest meaningful unit of language) which has no independent meaning or function, but which still serves to distinguish one word from another. In this case, the term hinterland contains the German word hinter ("behind"), paired with the free morpheme '-land'.

Example Question #2 : Phonemes, Morphemes, & Phrases

The addition of a string of phonologically absent symbols onto a word creates which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Allomorph

Contraindicated morpheme

Cranberry morpheme

Null morpheme

None of these

Correct answer:

Null morpheme

Explanation:

Null morphemes are theorized to be those morpheme strings which, while possessing no identifying characteristics, nonetheless allow us to differentiate between different forms of a word. Morphologists propose various theories for how these null morphemes may exist and whether or not we learn them naturally as part of the process of language acquisition.

Example Question #3 : Phonemes, Morphemes, & Phrases

Which of the following pairs of words best illustrates the definition of an allomorph?

Possible Answers:

Bubbles. . . Cats

All of these

Greatness. . . Grateful

Helped. . . Trapped

Kindly. . . Unkind

Correct answer:

Bubbles. . . Cats

Explanation:

An allomorph occurs when a morpheme varies in pronunciation but not in meaning. For example, the pluralizing morpheme "s/es" in English sounds like "z" in bubbles, but like "s" in cats. Recognition of these allomorphs is often much more difficult for non-native speakers of a language.

Example Question #343 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology

Which of the following pairs of words best illustrates the definition of an allomorph?

Possible Answers:

Wasted. . . Wished

None of these

Depth. . . Width

Blasts. . . Hikes

Flavoring. . . Seasoning

Correct answer:

Wasted. . . Wished

Explanation:

An allomorph occurs when a morpheme varies in pronunciation but not in meaning. For example, the pluralizing morpheme "ed" sounds like a "schwa" in wasted but like "t" in wished.

Example Question #4 : Phonemes, Morphemes, & Phrases

Which of the following is not an example of a derivative morpheme?

Possible Answers:

Make. . . Maker

None of these

Wise. . . Wiser

Sell. . . Seller

Smile. . . Smiler

Correct answer:

Wise. . . Wiser

Explanation:

Derivational morphemes change either the semantic meaning or the part of speech to which the base word belongs. For example, in the word atypical the derivational morpheme a- reverses the meaning of the word typical to mean "not typical". The usage of the morpheme -er to change "wise" to "wiser", on the other hand, is inflectional only, as it only changes the comparative state of the associated adjective wise.

Example Question #344 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology

Which of the following is not an example of a inflectional morpheme?

Possible Answers:

Cruel. . . Cruelty

None of these

Word. . . Words

Kind. . . Kindest

Drag. . . Dragged

Correct answer:

Cruel. . . Cruelty

Explanation:

Inflectional morphemes are morphemes which modify either a noun/pronoun/adjective's number, gender, or case, or a verb's tense, mood, number, person or aspect, but do not chance the word's overall meaning or the part of speech to which the word belongs. The morpheme -ty at the end of the word cruel changes the word from an adjective to a noun, and is thus an example of a derivational morpheme.

Example Question #345 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology

Telegraphic speech, where morphemic usage is limited to very short usage, is commonly seen in adults as a symptom of which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Nominal aphasia

All of these

Word salad

Non-fluent aphasia

Dysarthria

Correct answer:

Non-fluent aphasia

Explanation:

Non-fluent aphasia, such as Broca's aphasia, is often triggered by damage due to stroke or other cardiovascular problem, and often produces the short, morpheme-absent language typical of telegraphic speech.

Example Question #346 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology

Which of the following correctly mirrors the types of inflectional morphemes below:

Possessive. . . Superlative. . . Past Tense. . . Past Participle

Possible Answers:

Mine. . . Greater. . . Held. . . Swinging

None of these

Its. . . Highest. . . Waited. . . Waited

Zach's. . . Strongest. . . Proven. . . Joined

Cars. . . Grandest. . . Ran. . . Jumps

Correct answer:

Its. . . Highest. . . Waited. . . Waited

Explanation:

The answer makes more sense when you realize that the past tense and past participle of the verb wait are both waited. Consider the sentences "I waited for John for half an hour" and "I had waited for John for half an hour" -- both grammatically correct, but implying different things about the present.

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