neco 2023 english_language | Oral

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Question 1 View Details
Fill in the missing IPA vowel symbols for each blank in the three words below. 1) b_ _t (meaning "bat") 2) s_ _t (meaning "seat") 3) p_ _t (meaning "pot") Write the three symbols in order, separated by commas.
A. æ, iː, ɔ
B. æ, i, ɒ
C. ɑ, iː, ɒ
Correct D. æ, iː, ɒ

Correct Answer: D

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Question 2 View Details
In the spoken sentence below three words are stressed incorrectly for the intended meaning. Identify each word and state the correct primary‑stress placement (first or second syllable). "I will *object* to the *object* you *record*."
Correct A. object - second syllable (reCORD); object - first syllable (OBject); record - second syllable (reCORD)
B. object - first syllable (OBject); object - second syllable (obJECT); record - first syllable (REcord)
C. object - first syllable (obJECT); object - first syllable (OBject); record - second syllable (reCORD)
D. object - second syllable (reCORD); object - second syllable (obJECT); record - first syllable (REcord)

Correct Answer: A

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Question 3 View Details
Four word pairs are given. For each pair, indicate whether the contrast is a vowel contrast, a consonant contrast, both, or none. (a) beat - bit (b) ship - chip (c) cat - cut (d) dog - dock Write your answer as a list of four labels in the same order, e.g., "vowel, consonant, …".
A. none, vowel, consonant, none
Correct B. vowel, consonant, vowel, consonant
C. vowel, vowel, consonant, consonant
D. consonant, vowel, vowel, consonant

Correct Answer: B

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Question 4 View Details
Read the passage below about intonation patterns in English. "English speakers use three basic intonation contours. A falling contour marks a statement or a command, e.g., ‘She is leaving.' A rising contour signals a yes‑no question, e.g., ‘Are you coming?' A fall‑rise contour is used to show contrast or correction, e.g., ‘I said *blue*, not *green*.'" Based on the passage, which intonation pattern would a speaker most likely use to correct a previously stated fact? Provide the name of the contour (falling, rising, or fall‑rise).
Correct A. fall‑rise
B. falling
C. rise‑fall
D. rising

Correct Answer: A

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Question 5 View Details
A short dialogue is given below. For each line, indicate (i) which word carries the primary stress (choose the stressed word) and (ii) whether the line uses falling intonation (statement) or rising intonation (question). Write your answer as a series of pairs, e.g., "blackboard - first syllable, rising". A: "Did you see the *blackboard* fall?" B: "No, I saw the *black board* was moved." A: "Then the *classroom* is empty now."
A. blackboard - first syllable, rising; black board - second syllable, rising; classroom - first syllable, falling
Correct B. blackboard - first syllable, rising; black board - second syllable, falling; classroom - first syllable, falling
C. blackboard - first syllable, falling; black board - second syllable, rising; classroom - first syllable, rising
D. blackboard - second syllable, rising; black board - first syllable, falling; classroom - second syllable, falling

Correct Answer: B

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Question 6 View Details
During a pronunciation drill, the word "cane" is pronounced as /kæn/. (a) Identify the vowel sound error by naming the vowel contrast involved, and (b) give the correct IPA transcription of the word.
A. /kɪn/
B. /kæn/
Correct C. /keɪn/
D. /kɑːn/

Correct Answer: C

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Question 7 View Details
Which syllable of the word "photographer" carries the primary stress? State the syllable number (counting from the beginning).
A. 4
B. 3
C. 1
Correct D. 2

Correct Answer: D

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Question 8 View Details
From the following list of words: bat, bet, bit, bot, but, pat, pet, pit, pot, put, identify (a) the pair that differs only by a vowel sound (vowel contrast) and (b) the pair that differs only by a consonant sound (consonant contrast). Provide the two words for each pair.
A. (a) bat - bit; (b) bet - pet
Correct B. (a) bat - bet; (b) bat - pat
C. (a) bet - bit; (b) bat - bot
D. (a) bot - but; (b) pat - pot

Correct Answer: B

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Question 9 View Details
State the primary stress position in the word "economics". Indicate the stressed syllable by its position number from the start of the word.
A. 1
B. 4
Correct C. 3
D. 2

Correct Answer: C

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Question 10 View Details
The sentence "You have finished your homework?" is spoken as a question. (a) Classify the sentence type, (b) specify the appropriate intonation pattern (rising, falling, rise‑fall), and (c) describe the pitch movement using the terms rising, falling, or rise‑fall.
A. (a) tag question; (b) rise‑fall intonation; (c) pitch rises then falls
B. (a) wh‑question; (b) falling intonation; (c) pitch remains level
C. (a) statement; (b) falling intonation; (c) pitch falls towards the end
Correct D. (a) yes‑no question; (b) rising intonation; (c) pitch rises towards the end

Correct Answer: D

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Question 11 View Details
Listen to the words "ship" and "sheep". Identify the vowel sound in each word using IPA symbols and state which vowel is longer in duration.
A. \/eɪ\/ in "ship" and \/æ\/ in "sheep"; the vowel \/eɪ\/ is longer.
B. \/iː\/ in "ship" and \/ɪ\/ in "sheep"; the vowel \/iː\/ is longer.
C. \/ɪ\/ in "ship" and \/iː\/ in "sheep"; the vowel \/ɪ\/ is longer.
Correct D. /ɪ/ in "ship" and /iː/ in "sheep"; the vowel /iː/ is longer.

Correct Answer: D

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Question 12 View Details
Compare the initial consonants of the words "thin" and "then". State the place and manner of articulation for each consonant and indicate the phonetic feature that distinguishes them.
A. \/θ\/ is a voiceless alveolar fricative; \/ð\/ is a voiced alveolar fricative; they differ in place of articulation.
B. \/θ\/ is a voiceless dental fricative; \/ð\/ is a voiced dental fricative; they differ in aspiration.
C. \/θ\/ is a voiceless dental stop; \/ð\/ is a voiced dental stop; they differ in manner of articulation.
Correct D. /θ/ is a voiceless dental fricative; /ð/ is a voiced dental fricative; they differ in voicing.

Correct Answer: D

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Question 13 View Details
In the word "photography", indicate which syllable carries the primary stress and write the stress pattern using the symbols ˈ for primary stress and ˌ for secondary stress.
A. Primary stress on the fourth syllable "phy"; stress pattern: pho­to­graˈphy.
Correct B. Primary stress on the second syllable "to"; stress pattern: phoˈto­gra­phy.
C. Primary stress on the third syllable "gra"; stress pattern: pho­toˈgra­phy.
D. Primary stress on the first syllable "pho"; stress pattern: ˈpho­to­gra­phy.

Correct Answer: B

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Question 14 View Details
When asking the yes‑no question "Are you coming?", describe the intonation contour of the sentence, specifying whether the pitch rises or falls at the end and the general pitch movement across the sentence.
A. The sentence has a level intonation; pitch remains steady throughout, with no change on "coming?".
B. The sentence uses a falling intonation; pitch drops toward the end, falling on "coming?".
Correct C. The sentence uses a rising intonation; pitch rises toward the end, peaking on "coming?".
D. The sentence employs a rising‑then‑falling contour; pitch rises in the middle and falls sharply at "coming?".

Correct Answer: C

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Question 15 View Details
Provide two English words that rhyme with "light" but begin with different initial consonants, and state the shared vowel sound using IPA.
A. "night" and "flight"; shared vowel sound \/eɪ\/
B. "light" and "flight"; shared vowel sound \/aɪ\/
Correct C. "night" and "flight"; shared vowel sound /aɪ/.
D. "night" and "knight"; shared vowel sound \/aɪ\/

Correct Answer: C

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Question 16 View Details
The word "fate" contains the vowel sound /eɪ/. Among the words "gate", "golf", and "got", which one contains the same vowel sound as in "fate"?
A. golf
B. got
Correct C. gate
D. guy

Correct Answer: C

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Question 17 View Details
When the informal contraction "gonna" replaces the standard phrase "going to", which phonetic changes occur? List the changes in terms of vowel quality, consonant deletion, and syllable reduction.
A. The diphthong \/oʊ\/ becomes \/ɒ\/, the \/ŋ\/ of "‑ing" is retained while the \/ɪ\/ is deleted, the final \/t\/ of "to" is omitted, and the vowel \/u\/ reduces to a schwa \/ə\/, giving \/ˈɡɒŋə\/.
Correct B. The diphthong /oʊ/ becomes /ɒ/, the /ŋ/ and /ɪ/ of "‑ing" are deleted, the final /t/ of "to" is omitted, and the vowel /u/ reduces to a schwa /ə/, giving /ˈɡɒnə/.
C. The diphthong \/oʊ\/ becomes \/ɔː\/, the \/ŋ\/ and \/ɪ\/ of "‑ing" are deleted, the final \/t\/ of "to" is omitted, and the vowel \/u\/ reduces to a schwa \/ə\/, giving \/ˈɡɔːnə\/.
D. The diphthong \/oʊ\/ becomes \/ɒ\/, the \/ŋ\/ and \/ɪ\/ of "‑ing" are deleted, the final \/t\/ of "to" is retained, and the vowel \/u\/ reduces to a schwa \/ə\/, giving \/ˈɡɒntə\/.

Correct Answer: B

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Question 18 View Details
In the narrative sentence ‘She finally reached the summit after a long climb', which word should receive primary stress to convey the sense of achievement, and why?
A. long
B. summit
Correct C. finally
D. climb

Correct Answer: C

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Question 19 View Details
The phrase ‘bright night' contains a rhyming pair. State the rhyming sound using phonetic symbols.
A. /ɪt/
B. /aɪ/
Correct C. /aɪt/
D. /eɪt/

Correct Answer: C

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Question 20 View Details
Indicate the primary stress in the word ‘photographer' using phonetic transcription.
Correct A. /fəˈtɒɡrəfər/
B. /ˈfəʊtɒɡrəfər/
C. /fəˈtɒɡrəfə/
D. /fəˈtɒɡrɪfər/

Correct Answer: A

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Question 21 View Details
Identify the vowel sound that distinguishes the words "beat" and "bit". Write the phonetic symbol of the vowel that is present in "beat" but not in "bit".
Correct A. /i:/
B. /æ/
C. /ɪ/
D. /eɪ/

Correct Answer: A

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Question 22 View Details
In the minimal pair "ship" and "sip", which consonant sound is present in "ship" but absent in "sip"? Provide its phonetic symbol.
Correct A. /ʃ/
B. \/tʃ\/
C. \/s\/
D. \/ʒ\/

Correct Answer: A

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Question 23 View Details
State which syllable carries the primary stress in the word "photograph" and give the full phonetic transcription of the word using IPA symbols.
A. first syllable; \/ˈfɒtəɡrɒf\/
B. first syllable; \/ˈfɒtɚɡrɑːf\/
C. second syllable; \/fɒˈtəɡrɑːf\/
Correct D. first syllable; /ˈfɒtəɡrɑːf/

Correct Answer: D

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Question 24 View Details
What type of intonation contour is typically used for the yes‑no question "Are you coming tomorrow?" Choose from rising, falling, or fall‑rise.
A. level
B. fall‑rise
Correct C. rising
D. falling

Correct Answer: C

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Question 25 View Details
Do the words "cane" and "pain" rhyme? If they do, write the rhyming phoneme sequence (vowel plus any following consonants) using IPA symbols.
Correct A. yes; /eɪn/
B. yes; \/eɪm\/
C. yes; \/eɪŋ\/
D. no; \/eɪn\/

Correct Answer: A

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