MOCK TEST 2 FOR UNIT 1

SOLUTIONS + EXPLANATIONS

NOTE: This test contains 15 questions. The fnal exam will consist of
20 questions.

1. What type of concept is “state of afairs” (=the speaker’s

conceptualization of reality)? Could you reason your answer?
A) situational
B) extralinguistic
C) strictly linguistic
D) semantic

Any happening or state in real life or in an imaginary world of the mind

can be expressed through language as a SITUTATION or STATE OF
AFFAIRS. A state of afairs represents the speaker’s conceptualization of
any happening or state in real life or in an imaginary world of the mind
(semantic meaning). The components of this conceptualization are the
semantic roles or functions.

(In other words, the speaker encodes his idea of “what’s going on”
(semantic meaning) through language (=linguistic) as a SITUATION or
STATE OF AFFAIRS.)

(+ Info > Module 1> page 4)

2. Which of the following is NOT a semantic role (=a component

of a state of afairs)? Do you know why?
A) attribute
B) circumstance
C) participant
D) explanation

The elements of the semantic structure are the following:

PROCESSES, PARTICIPANTS (AGENT, RECIPIENT and AFFECTED),
ATTRIBUTES and CIRCUMSTANCES. Obviously, “explanation” is not in
this list.

(+ Info > Module 1> page 4)

3. Which of the following statements about meanings

(=interpretations of clause structure) is NOT true?
A) Representational meaning has to do with the content of the
message.
B) The representational meaning of the clause is encoded through
the transitivity structures.
C) The roles adopted as speakers to exchange information, get
things done, etc. are those of “questioner” and “informant”.

MOCK TEST 2 FOR UNIT 1 ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS

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 D) The rheme is the point of departure for the message,
which in English coincides with the initial element(s) of
the clause.

The textual meaning is the meaning derived from the consideration

of the clause as an organized message or text. The speaker organizes
the informational content of the clause so as to establish whatever
point of departure is desired for the message. The THEME (not the
Rheme) coincides with the initial element or elements of the clause.
The rest of the clause is the RHEME.

(+ Info > Module 1> page 6)

4. Which of the following statements about meanings

(=interpretations of clause structure) is NOT true?
A) Representational meaning derives from the consideration of
the clause as the linguistic representation of our experience of
the world.
B) Interpersonal meaning derives from the consideration of the
clause as a communicative exchange between persons.
C) Textual meaning derives from the consideration of the clause
as an organized message or text.
D) Semantic meaning derives from the consideration of the
clause as a structure net of lexical items and function
words.

The representational meaning of the clauses (= semantic

meaning) is encoded through the transitivity structures, whose
elements of structure or functions include the Participants (Agent,
Recipient and/or Afected), the Processes, the Attributes and the
Circumstances.

(+ Info > Module 1> page 5)

5. Why are there three types of clause structure?

A) To show the tripartite nature and analysis of clauses
from a functional perspective.
B) Each type of clause structure corresponds to a diferent mood,
i.e., declarative, interrogative and negative.
C) Each type of clause structure corresponds to the following
distinction: simple, complex (subordination) and compound
(coordination).
D) To refect the diferent conceptualizations of reality by the
speakers.

There are 3 strands of meaning that form the basis of a FUNCTIONAL

INTERPRETATION OF GRAMMAR (the representational meaning, the
interpersonal meaning and the textual meaning). Each of them derives
from a diferent approach to the subject, and each type of meaning is

MOCK TEST 2 FOR UNIT 1 ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS

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 encoded by its own structures. The three types of structure combine to
produce one single realization in words: the clause or simple sentence.

(+ Info > Module 1> pages 1-5)

6. Which of the following is a defnition of a non-fnite clause?

Which terms do the other three defnitions correspond to?
A) A clause where the form of the verb chosen refects the
speaker’s wish to express tense or modality. > A FINITE
CLAUSE, page 12.
B) A clause which is complete in itself, i.e., it does not form part of
a larger structure. > AN INDEPENDENT CLAUSE, page 13.
C) A clause where the form of the verb chosen refects the
speaker’s wish not to express tense or modality. > A
NON-FINITE CLAUSE, page 12.
D) A clause which is not integrated into the main clause and adds
supplementary information. > A SUPPLEMENTIVE UNIT, page
14.

7. What does a verbless clause lack? Think of a couple of

examples.
A) A verb and often a subject also.
B) A verb.
C) A subject.
D) Supplementary information, like subject and verbal tense.

Verbless clauses are a subsidiary type of clause. They lack a verb and
often a subject too. Thee omitted verb is typically a form of be and is
recoverable from the situational or linguistic context.

Examples: Let us do so, if possible, with our mobile phones

switched of. (=if it is possible)
So, you’re coming! Great! (=it is great)

(+ Info > Module 2> page 15)

8. Which of the following is NOT a syntactic element of a clause?

Do you understand why?
A) Circumstantial adjunct
B) Stance adjunct
C) Connective adjunct
D) Subjunctive adjunct

When dealing with syntactic elements or functions, we have three types

of adjuncts (Circumstantial Adjuncts, Stance Adjuncts and Connective
Adjuncts), and the subjunctive adjunct is not one of them.

(+ Info > Module 2> page 17)

9. Identify which of the following is NOT a primary element or

function of a group.

MOCK TEST 2 FOR UNIT 1 ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS

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 A) Agent
B) Head
C) Complement
D) Qualifer

Nominal groups, adjectival groups and adverbial groups are

composed of three primary elements: a head (h) preceded by a
pre-modifer (m) and followed by a post-modifer (m) This last
element is sometimes called a “qualifer”.

A complement (c) is a special type of post-head element.

Complements of nouns and adjectives are introduced by a preposition
(good at chess) or by a that-clause which is controlled by the head-word
of the group (the belief that he is right).

On the other hand, as we saw in Module 1 the “Agent” is one of the

“participants” of the “semantic structure”. It is the participant that
carries out the action described.

(+ Info about syntactic elements of groups> Module 2> page 18)

(+ Info about the clause as representation> Module 1> page 5)

10.Which of the following elements are obligatory in a

prepositional phrase?
A) Head
B) Head and complement
C) Head, complement and modifer
D) Head, complement, modifer and qualifer

Prepositional Phrases (PP) have two obligatory elements: A

prepositional head (h) and a complement (c). They also can have an
optional modifer (m), which is typically realized by an adverb degree
(e.g. right, quite):

mch right | across | the road

quite | out of | practice

(See “qualifer” in the explanation for test number 9.)

(+ Info > Module 2> page 19)

11.What is a fnite operator used for?

A) For expressing tense and modality together.
B) To form fnite clauses.
C) To form negative and interrogative clause structures.
D) To describe a fully informative state of afairs.

English language uses fnite operators to form negative and

interrogative clause structures. Depending on the verb form used,
tense and modality can be expressed both by morphological changes in
MOCK TEST 2 FOR UNIT 1 ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS
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 the lexical verb (I drive/drove, I walk/walked) and by the use of
auxiliaries (I will be driving, Did you see me driving?).

(+ Info > Module 2> page 19)

12.What type of operator is ‘do’?

A) It forms a type of its own.
B) Primary
C) Modal
D) Finite

English language uses fnite operators to form negative and interrogative

clause structures. The operator is a verb of one of the following types:

• Primary (to be & to have)

• Modal (can could, will, would, shall, should, may, might,
ought)
• The “do” operator

(+ Info > Module 3> page 21)

13.Which of the following is NOT a way of negating a clause?

A) Using a fnite operator with the particle ‘not’.
B) Using the particle “not” with a non-fnite verb in a dependent
clause.
C) Using a non-verbal negative word.
D) Using an assertive verb in combination with a
non-assertive determiner.

There are three ways of negating a clause:

• Option A: By using a fnite operator with the particle ‘not’ (is

not, cannot, isn’t, can’t…)
• Option B: By using the particle “not” with a non-fnite verb in a
dependent clause (not wishing to disturb them)
• Option C: By using a non-verbal “nuclear” negative word
(nobody, nothing, no, never…) or not-negation + any (I
haven’t any money / I have no money)

Therefore option D is NOT a way of negating a clause.

(+ Info > Module 3> pages 22 - 23)

14.What are non-factual meanings related to?

A) Positive declarative clauses.
B) Non-fulfllment or potentiality.
C) Assertive units.
D) Negative, interrogative, declarative, comparative and
conditional clauses.

ASSERTIVE FORMS VS. NON-ASSERTIVE FORMS

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 Assertive forms (some and its compounds, already, still, a lot) have
factual meanings and typically occur in positive declarative clauses
(I have some money).

Non-assertive words are associated with non-factual meanings

in the sense of non-fulfllment or potentiality, which is a feature
of negative, interrogative, conditional and comparative clauses, and
semi-negative words such as without and hardly, among others
(Examples: I don’t have any money, Did you say anything?, Hardly
anyone knew his name).

(+ Info > Module 2> page 23)

15.What is the Theme in the sentence: “The students were

awarded the prize”?
A) A participant.
B) A circumstance.
C) A process.
D) A beneficiary.

As we have seen in test number 5, there are 3 strands of meaning that

form the basis of a FUNCTIONAL INTERPRETATION OF GRAMMAR (the
representational meaning, the interpersonal meaning and the textual
meaning). Each of them derives from a diferent approach to the subject,
and each type of meaning is encoded by its own structures. The three
types of structure combine to produce one single realization in words:
the clause or simple sentence.

In “The students were awarded the prize”, we have a passive clause in

which, from a representative or experiential approach to
functional grammar, “the students” can be defned as a
PARTICIPANT. However, if we analyze the same unit from a textual
perspective, it functions as the point of departure or THEME or
point of departure of the clause.

(+ Info > Module 1)

MOCK TEST 2 FOR UNIT 1 ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS

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