DLAB Syllabic Stress Identification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In which word is the stress on the SECOND syllable? (Capitals indicate stress.)
- re-CORD (verb: to record) (Correct answer)
- RE-cord (noun: a record)
- COM-plex (adjective: complex)
- PRO-test (noun: a protest)
Correct answer: re-CORD (verb: to record)
re-CORD (verb) stresses the second syllable; RE-cord (noun) stresses the first.
English has many noun-verb minimal pairs distinguished by stress: RE-cord (noun) vs re-CORD (verb), PRO-test (noun) vs pro-TEST (verb), COM-plex (adjective) vs com-PLEX (verb, to complicate). 're-CORD' as a verb places stress on the second syllable. This pattern of stress shift based on grammatical category is a key phonological concept tested in the DLAB.
Question 2: Which word has primary stress on the third syllable?
- un-der-STAND (Correct answer)
- UN-der-stand
- un-DER-stand
- Under-STAND-ing
Correct answer: un-der-STAND
'Understand' has stress on the third syllable: un-der-STAND.
The word 'understand' is a three-syllable word: un-der-stand. Natural English stress falls on the last syllable: un-der-STAND. This is because 'understand' is a verb compound and the final element (-stand) carries the primary stress. 'Understanding' (four syllables: un-der-STAND-ing) shifts stress slightly but the primary stress remains on 'STAND'.
Question 3: In the invented language Zorathi, stress always falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable. Which word in 'BREN-ak-olu' correctly shows this rule? (Word has 3 syllables: bren-ak-olu.)
- bren-AK-olu (Correct answer)
- BREN-ak-olu
- bren-ak-OLU
- BRENAK-olu
Correct answer: bren-AK-olu
Penultimate = second-to-last. In a 3-syllable word, that's syllable 2: bren-AK-olu.
Penultimate stress means the second-to-last syllable receives primary stress. 'Bren-ak-olu' has three syllables: 1=bren, 2=ak, 3=olu. Second-to-last = syllable 2 = 'ak'. Stress representation: bren-AK-olu. This is the stress pattern of languages like Polish and Swahili, and is a common rule tested in invented language stress exercises.
Question 4: The word 'photography' has how many syllables, and where is the primary stress?
- 4 syllables, stress on 2nd: pho-TOG-ra-phy (Correct answer)
- 3 syllables, stress on 1st: PHO-tog-ra
- 4 syllables, stress on 1st: PHO-tog-ra-phy
- 4 syllables, stress on 3rd: pho-tog-RA-phy
Correct answer: 4 syllables, stress on 2nd: pho-TOG-ra-phy
'Photography' = pho-TOG-ra-phy (4 syllables, stress on 2nd).
Syllable count for 'photography': pho (1) - tog (2) - ra (3) - phy (4) = 4 syllables. Primary stress falls on the second syllable 'tog': pho-TOG-ra-phy. Compare: PHO-to (photo, 2 syllables, 1st stress), pho-TOG-ra-phy (photography, 4 syllables, 2nd stress), pho-to-GRAPH-ic (photographic, 4 syllables, 3rd stress). Stress shifts with suffixation in English.
Question 5: In invented Telvari, words with an odd number of syllables stress the middle syllable; words with an even number stress the last syllable. 'Vel-a-kor' has 3 syllables. Where is the stress?
- vel-A-kor (middle syllable) (Correct answer)
- VEL-a-kor (first syllable)
- vel-a-KOR (last syllable)
- vel-A-KOR (last two)
Correct answer: vel-A-kor (middle syllable)
3 syllables = odd → stress middle (syllable 2): vel-A-kor.
Telvari stress rule: odd syllable count → middle syllable gets stress; even count → last syllable. 'Vel-a-kor' has 3 syllables (odd). Middle syllable = syllable 2 = 'a'. Stress: vel-A-kor. A 4-syllable word (even) would stress the last syllable. Testing both conditions requires careful syllable counting and rule selection.
Question 6: Which of these English words has stress on the FIRST syllable?
- TEL-e-phone (Correct answer)
- te-LE-phone
- tel-e-PHONE
- te-le-PHO-ne
Correct answer: TEL-e-phone
'Telephone' stresses the first syllable: TEL-e-phone.
In 'telephone' (3 syllables: tel-e-phone), primary stress falls on the first syllable: TEL-e-phone. This follows the common English pattern for three-syllable nouns where stress is on the first syllable (e.g., TEL-e-phone, HOS-pi-tal, EL-e-phant). The DLAB tests familiarity with English stress patterns as a baseline for learning new ones.
DLAB Syllabic Stress Identification 2
In which word is the stress on the SECOND syllable? (Capitals indicate stress.)