Which scientist argues that language is not an adaptation?
Charles Darwin
Richard Dawkins
Leda Cosmides
Stephen Jay Gould

Which word means "a nonadaptive element arising as a byproduct of other processes"?
Spiedel
Sponton
Nonadapton
Spandrel

How might memes relate to language?
They are transmitted by language
Their fidelity is improved by language
They might have played a role in causing the evolution of language
All of the above

What is the hypothesized function of the grammar module?
To store lists of vocabulary words
To remember irregular words
To recognize and apply normal grammatical rules
To help people learn foreign languages easily

What is the hypothesized function of the mental dictionary?
To store vocabulary words and idioms
To tell us the parts of speech of words
To alert us when someone uses a word incorrectly
To record words in new languages

Why do most people have difficulty learning a foreign language after puberty?
The brain's structure does not allow new input after puberty
No one tries to learn a new language after puberty
Puberty brings on hormonal changes that decrease the brain's ability to store new information
The period of "linguistic plasticity" has passed, and the brain's language module is less receptive to new information

What is Specific Language Impairment (SLI)?
A difficulty learning a certain language that does not affect the ability to learn other languages
A genetic impairment of language acquisition ability
A rare disease afflicting the bilingual causing difficulty remembering a specific language
A disease causing difficulty pronouncing the sounds of a certain language

In what process is Broca's area implicated?
Memorization
Learning to write
Language production
Creativity

Which is a symptom of Wernicke's aphasia?
Difficulty comprehending others' speech and naming objects
Difficulty producing grammatical sentences
Difficulty with control of the tongue and larynx
Difficulty understanding conceptual words

Which statement is characteristic of the Standard Social Science Model?
The human mind has many specific instincts tuned by cultural influences
The human mind is entirely controlled by genes
The human mind is essentially infinitely malleable by cultural forces
The human mind is an illusion

How has language benefited memes?
It has made memes less likely to retain information through many copies, allowing a faster mutation rate
It has caused memetic transmission to become more efficient and more high-fidelity
It has restricted the number of memes that can be communicated effectively
It has locked humans into only one method of communicating memes

In which example is language seen as an integral part of culture?
The practice of conducting Catholic services in Latin is ended
A committee agrees to publish its minutes in English and Spanish
A high school student takes a Portuguese course to satisfy a graduation requirement
Hebrew is taught in private Jewish schools

Which dialect has ignited controversy over its proper use in American schools?
Ebonics
Spanish
British English
Yiddish

Which innovation best liberates memes from the fallibility of human memory?
The wheel
Written language
A state-supported class of scribes
Indoctrination of children with dogma

What is a logographic writing system?
A system that uses symbols to represent words
A system that uses symbols to represent syllables
A system that uses symbols to represent sounds
A system that supplements text with pictures or graphics

Which type of writing system is generally most efficient and adaptable?
Logomorphic
Logographic
Syllabary
Alphabetic

Why is the alphabetic system vulnerable to regional variations in pronunciation?
Alphabetic systems do not have standardized ways of writing words
Alphabetic systems use the sound of a word to determine its spelling
Alphabetic systems are the least efficient writing system
People have difficulty learning alphabetic systems and therefore cannot spell

How might illogical or inconsistent spelling flourish?
By conferring status on those who remember the rules
By being enforced by dictionaries and language authorities
By conveying a formal tone or indicating the authority of the speaker
All of the above

Which two languages are most closely related?
English and German
Japanese and Portuguese
Chinese and Sanskrit
Russian and Spanish

With which meme set is Latin most closely associated today?
Catholic doctrine
Unitarian history
Greek democracy
Celtic culture