英语词汇学第九单元测试题2(附答案)上课讲义

英语词汇学第九单元测试题2(附答案)

C9 Test-2

I. Each of the statements below is followed by four alternative answers. Choose the one that would best

complete the statement.

1. The fixity of idioms depends on .

A. idiomaticity

B. structure

C. grammaticality

D. style

2. Idioms are generally felt to be .

A. formal

B. informal

C. casual

D. intimate

3. In the idiom “move heaven and earth”, is used.

A. simile

B. metonymy

C. personification

D. juxtaposition

4. A large proportion of idioms were first created by .

A. linguists

B. poets

C. working people

D. ruling class

5. Forms and functions of idioms are .

A. different

B. identical

C. not necessarily identical

D. not identical at all

6. Slang expressions are often peculiar to and varieties.

A. stylistic, affective

B. social, regional

C. professional, cultural

D. cultural, social

7. The semantic unity of idioms is also reflected in the relationship between the literal meaning of each

word and the meaning of the idiom.

A. illogical

B. lexical

C. grammatical

D. logical

8. Idioms nominal in nature function as .

A. adverbs

B. modifiers

C. nouns

D. adjectives

9. In “Fire and water are good servants, but bad masters”, figure of speech is .

A. simile

B. personification

C. metonymy

D. euphemism

10. The tone implied by “a big cheese” is .

A. positive

B. interesting

C. neutral

D. derogatory

II. Decide whether the following are true or false.

( )1. Idioms are generally felt to be informal; therefore they are usually inappropriate for formal settings. ( )2. The stylistic features of idioms are fixed and unchangeable.

( )3. Idioms are peculiar to native culture and language.

( )4. The fixity of idioms is absolute.

( )5. The idiomaticity is gradable and may best be thought in terms of a scale.

( )6. Idioms are fixed in structure and so can never be changed.

( )7. Idioms are usually difficult to understand because the meanings of idioms are not in many cases the total of individual words.

( )8. All idioms are used in their figurative senses.

( )9. Since each idiom is a semantic whole, each can be replaced by a single word.

( )10. Semantic unity and structural stability are general features of idioms, but there are many exceptions. III. Match the words and expressions in Column A with their rhetorical features in Column B.

Column A Column B

1.by hook and crook A. reiteration

2.neither fish, flesh, nor fowl B. synecdoche

3.play fast and loose C. rhyme

4.like a rat in a hole D. personification

5.fall into good hands E. hyperbole

6.cut the ground from under sb. F. alliteration

7.powder one’s nose G. juxtaposition

8.from cradle to grave H. repetition

9.push and shove I. euphemism

10. year in year out J. metaphor

11. The pot calls the kettle black. K. simile

12. a flood of tears L. metonymy

IV. Identify the types of idiomatic variations in the following expressions.

1. talk thirteen to the dozen

2. It’s an ill wind.

3. fortune’s wheel

4. “The leopard! But he did change them, Dinny.”

“He did not, Auntie: he had no spots to change.”

5. Thank one’s stars

V. Define the following terms.

1. semi-idioms

2. true idioms

3. regular combinations

4. sentence idioms

5. phrase idioms

VI. Answer the following questions. Your answers should be clear and short.

1. What is the difference between phraseological fusions and phraselogical unities?

2. How to understand “structural stability” of idioms?

3. How are idioms classified according to grammatical functions?

VII. Analyze and comment on the following.

1. Conway would have preferred to talk in Chinese, but so far he had not let it be known that he spoke any

Eastern tongue; he felt it might be a useful card up his sleeve.

Pick out the idiom (or its variation) in the sentence and make comments on it.

2. The sudden death of his only child was a bolt from the blue to the old woman.

Pick out the idiom in the sentence. Explain its meaning, effect, grammatical structure and functions, and rhetorical features.