MCQ
Second-Language Acquisition MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 10 Second-Language Acquisition questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1Match the LSRW skills in List I with the most appropriate Classes 1-5 classroom activity in List II. List I: (a) Listening (b) Speaking (c) Reading (d) Writing. List II: (1) Children copy short familiar sentences from the board with correct spacing. (2) Children take turns describing a picture using simple sentences. (3) The teacher reads a picture story aloud while children look at the pictures. (4) Children read big-print classroom labels and short captions on charts. Choose the correct match.
Listening at the primary stage is best built when the teacher reads a picture story aloud while children watch the pictures, so (a) matches (3). Speaking grows when each child takes a turn describing a picture in simple sentences, so (b) matches (2). Reading at Classes 1 to 5 begins with big-print classroom labels and short captions, so (c) matches (4). Writing at this stage is supported when children copy short familiar sentences with correct spacing, so (d) matches (1). The four LSRW skills should be integrated, but each lesson normally foregrounds one skill while feeding the others.
Q2Read the assertion (A) and the reason (R), then choose the correct option. Assertion (A): A Class 5 child who shifts to English-medium school may sound fluent in playground English but still struggle with textbook reading. Reason (R): According to Cummins, BICS develops in roughly two years while CALP for academic English may take five to seven years to build.
Cummins (1979) showed that the social, context-supported English a child uses on the playground, BICS, develops in roughly two years, while the decontextualised academic English needed for textbook reading and writing, CALP, can take five to seven years for a second-language learner. So a Class 5 child who shifts mid-stream to an English-medium school may sound fluent in playground talk yet struggle with textbook tasks, and the timing gap between BICS and CALP explains exactly that gap. A and R are both true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q3A Class 2 child says, "I no want milk." Which classroom response is the most appropriate for a teacher who follows NCF 2005 second-language acquisition principles?
NCF 2005 treats early errors in second-language production as natural and useful. The child's sentence, "I no want milk," shows clear meaning, and the teacher's first job is to keep the affective filter low so the child stays willing to try English again. The most appropriate response is to smile, accept the meaning, gently model the standard form "I do not want milk" and invite the child to repeat. Public ridicule, group punishment or refusal to respond all damage motivation and contradict primary-stage second-language pedagogy.
Q4Which of the following is NOT a feature of an age-appropriate primary English period for Classes 1-5 second-language learners?
The question asks which option is NOT a feature of an age-appropriate primary English period. Options A, B and C match primary second-language pedagogy: rhymes and picture stories, oral work before formal print work, and pictures or real objects that make new English words comprehensible. Option D does not fit because long silent dictation of unfamiliar academic paragraphs gives no context, no oral support and too much cognitive load for Classes 1-5 learners. Therefore option D is correct.
Q5Read these statements about Cummins' BICS and CALP distinction for a Class 4 English learner. (1) BICS refers to everyday social language used on the playground and in greetings. (2) A child who can chat in English on the playground has therefore mastered the academic English needed for textbook tasks. Choose the correct option.
Cummins (1979) separates Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills, called BICS, from Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency, called CALP. BICS is the everyday social English a child uses on the playground or while greeting friends; it is supported by face-to-face context, gestures and shared activity. CALP is the decontextualised academic English needed for textbook reading, writing and content-subject tasks. Research suggests BICS often appears within about two years, while CALP can take five to seven years for a second-language learner. So a child who chats in English at break may still need strong scaffolding for textbook work.
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More questions
6Arrange the following age-appropriate steps a primary teacher uses to introduce a new English word like "umbrella" to a Class 2 child for the first time. (i) Show a real umbrella or a clear picture and let children touch or point to it. (ii) Use the new word in two or three short oral sentences linked to a rainy day. (iii) Let children say the word together while doing a small action of opening an umbrella. (iv) Help children read the word on a chart and copy it once into the notebook.
7Krashen's affective filter hypothesis says that anxiety, low motivation and low confidence raise an inner barrier that blocks comprehensible input from being acquired. Which classroom practice most directly LOWERS the affective filter for a Class 1 child new to English?
8According to Krashen's input hypothesis, what kind of language input helps a Class 3 child best acquire English as a second language?
9Read these statements about a primary English period that integrates the LSRW skills. (1) Listening and speaking should usually be foregrounded before formal reading and writing for Classes 1 to 2. (2) Even after foregrounding listening and speaking, the four skills should remain integrated within the same lesson, so that one skill feeds the others. Which option best evaluates these statements?
10Read these statements about the role of the mother tongue in primary English classrooms per NCF 2005. (1) The home language can be used as a scaffold to build meaning when the child is new to English. (2) The teacher should always translate every English word into Hindi at all stages, because no child can learn English without word-by-word translation. Which statement is correct?