2016 Spring
Advanced Syntax
Szécsényi
YOUR NAME:
ADVANCED SYNTAX EXAM
Working time: 90 mins.
The questions are based on Newson et al: Basic English Syntax with Exercises, QuirkGreenbaum: A Student’s Grammar of the English Language, and the lectures.
1. Multiple choice questions (20)
1. The derivational equivalent of SAI is
A. I-to-C movement.
B. Wh-movement.
C. DP-movement.
D. V-to-I movement.
2. Which of the following sentences contains I-to-C movement?
A. Who should I call?
B. Who should call me?
C. Both.
D. Neither.
3. Which of the following sentences is a raising construction?
A. I believe him to be the best.
B. I believe that he is the best.
C. He seems to be the best.
D. It seems that he is the best.
4. What is the Case avoidance principle about?
A. Caseless DPs
B. DPs assigned different Cases by two potential Case assigners
C. Clausal arguments
D. Clausal modifiers
5. Aspectual auxiliary verbs
A. are dummy auxiliaries.
B. express perfective or progressive meanings.
C. are always finite.
D. can assign nominative Case.
6. What is the restriction on the position of VP-adverbs?
A. They have to precede the subject.
B. They have to precede the base position of the verb.
C. They have to precede the surface position of the verb.
D. There are no restrictions, they can be adjoined freely.
2016 Spring
Advanced Syntax
Szécsényi
7. What explains the ungrammaticality of the following sentence: Peter invited not his
relatives (intended grammatical form: Peter did not invite his relatives)?
A. the EPP
B. the HMC
C. the SAI
D. the Doubly-Filled Comp Filter
8. What is the difference in the potential positions of adverbs and the negative particle?
A. Nothing. Both adverbs and the negative particle appear between finite tense and the
lexical verb.
B. The position of the adverb is more rigidly fixed than the position of the negative particle.
C. The position of the negative particle is more rigidly fixed than the position of the adverb.
D. The two are in complementary distribution.
9. Why do wh-words have to undergo movement?
A. In order to get the operator interpretation.
B. In order to agree with the I head.
C. In order to be assigned Case.
D. In order to be assigned theta-role.
10. What is the difference between the structural position of restrictive and non-restrictive
relative clauses?
A. Nothing. Both of them are adjoined to N’.
B. Nothing. Both of them are adjoined to NP.
C. Restrictive relative clauses are adjoined to N’, non-restricive relatives to NP.
D. Restrictive relative clauses are adjoined to NP, non-restrictive relatives to N’.
11. Why can the operator be empty in relative clauses as opposed to questions?
A. Because relative clauses are always embedded. We have empty operators in embedded
questions as well.
B. It is related to finiteness. In non-finite constructions we always have empty operators.
C. Because the modified noun makes the operator recoverable in relative clauses.
D. Because the wh-element undergoes movement only in questions.
12. What cannot ever be found in the head position of a CP?
A. +wh features
B. wh-elements
C. inflections
D. complementizers
13. Why is the following sentence ungrammatical: *It seems John to have left?
A. The expletive has no Case.
B. John has no Case.
C. The expletive has no theta-role.
D. John has no theta-role.
2016 Spring
Advanced Syntax
Szécsényi
14. What explains the ungrammaticality of the following sentence: John1 seems that it is
likely t1 to have met Mary?
A. Relativized Minimality
B. HMC
C. the Case Filter
D. the EPP
15. How many adjoined constituents are present in the following sentence: Biggs, I wouldn’t
trust completely.
A. zero
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3
16. What is the maximum number of light verbs (thematic and functional) within a clause?
A. 4
B. 5
C. 6
D. 7
17. Where can PRO appear?
A. In any position without Case.
B. In the subject position of non-finite CPs.
C. In the subject position of non-finite IPs.
D. In the subject and object position of non-finite CPs.
18-20: Match the construction-types to the sentences.
A. subject control
B. object control
C. ECM
D. raising
18. Mary seems to be feeding the elephants.
19. The electrician believed the owner of the flat to have done a good job.
20. The teacher told the students to register for the course next semester.
2. True or false statements. Corrects the false questions (10)
1. The lexical verb cannot undergo movement to C.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. The lexical verb cannot undergo movement to I.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. HMC accounts for why verbs cannot precede the negative particle.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. An agentive light verb is never present in a passive sentence.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5. In simple sentences there is always a nominative subject.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6. Functional light verbal heads can assign accusative Case.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
7. In a phrasal verb construction the base position of the particle is within a VP.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8. The tense light verb always precedes the perfective light verb.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2016 Spring
Advanced Syntax
Szécsényi
9. Non-finite I can assign accusative Case.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
10. An intransitive verb never has an object.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Explain why the following sentences are ungrammatical. (10)
*The cat put off the dog its food.
*I don’t know if and when I should go.
4. Draw trees for the following sentences. (10)
The letter might eventually arrive.
What were they watching?