VEPT Pronunciation and Intonation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which word has the primary stress on the SECOND syllable?
- PREsent (noun)
- preSENT (verb) (Correct answer)
- REcord (noun)
- PERmit (noun)
Correct answer: preSENT (verb)
When 'present' functions as a verb, the stress shifts to the second syllable: preSENT.
Question 2: In English, which sentence pattern typically uses FALLING intonation?
- Yes/no questions
- Statements of fact (Correct answer)
- Questions seeking confirmation
- Lists with more items to follow
Correct answer: Statements of fact
Declarative statements of fact use falling intonation to signal a completed thought.
Question 3: The 'th' sound in 'think' is produced by:
- Placing the tongue between the teeth and pushing air (Correct answer)
- Pressing the lips together
- Curling the tongue back toward the palate
- Pressing the tongue against the upper teeth
Correct answer: Placing the tongue between the teeth and pushing air
The voiceless 'th' in 'think' is an interdental fricative made by placing the tongue between the teeth.
Question 4: What does 'connected speech' mean in pronunciation?
- Speaking one word at a time with clear pauses
- The way sounds change and link when words are spoken naturally together (Correct answer)
- Using only short simple sentences
- Emphasizing every content word equally
Correct answer: The way sounds change and link when words are spoken naturally together
Connected speech refers to the natural phonological modifications (linking, reduction, assimilation) that occur when words are spoken in a continuous stream.
Question 5: Which of the following demonstrates 'elision' in spoken English?
- Saying 'gonna' instead of 'going to'
- Dropping the /t/ in 'last night' so it sounds like 'las' night' (Correct answer)
- Linking the /r/ sound between two words
- Raising pitch at the end of a question
Correct answer: Dropping the /t/ in 'last night' so it sounds like 'las' night'
Elision is the omission of a sound, as when the /t/ in 'last' is dropped before a consonant in fast speech.
Question 6: The Versant test evaluates pronunciation partly by measuring:
- The number of words spoken per minute only
- How closely the test-taker's speech patterns match native-speaker models (Correct answer)
- Whether the speaker uses formal vocabulary
- The length of pauses between sentences
Correct answer: How closely the test-taker's speech patterns match native-speaker models
Versant uses automated speech recognition to compare a speaker's phoneme production and prosody against native-speaker norms.
Question 7: Which vowel sound distinguishes 'ship' from 'sheep'?
- A long /iː/ vs. a short /ɪ/
- A front vowel vs. a back vowel
- A tense vowel vs. a lax vowel — both described by /ɪ/ vs. /iː/
- Both A and C are correct descriptions (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Both A and C are correct descriptions
'Ship' uses the short lax /ɪ/ vowel and 'sheep' uses the long tense /iː/ vowel — these are both accurate characterizations of the distinction.
VEPT Pronunciation and Intonation 2
Which word has the primary stress on the SECOND syllable?