Discourse Analysis

MCQs
1. What is discourse analysis?
a) The study of sentence structures
b) The study of language in use beyond the sentence level (Correct
Answer)
c) The study of phonetics
d) The study of word meanings
2. Which approach studies discourse in relation to social and historical
contexts?
a) Structuralism
b) Generative Grammar
c) Socio-historical approach (Correct Answer)
d) Pragmatics
3. What is cohesion in discourse?
a) Logical flow of ideas
b) The use of linguistic devices to link sentences together (Correct
Answer)
c) The study of phonetics
d) Intonation in speech
4. Reference in discourse refers to:
a) The relationship between two texts
b) How words refer to objects, people, or concepts (Correct Answer)
c) The study of sentence structure
d) The use of metaphors in speech
5. Coreference occurs when:
a) A speaker uses direct speech
b) A word has multiple meanings
 c) Two or more expressions refer to the same entity (Correct Answer)
d) A sentence lacks cohesion
6. Theme in discourse refers to:
a) The subject of a sentence
b) The starting point of a clause (Correct Answer)
c) A metaphorical expression
d) The object of a sentence
7. Rheme in discourse refers to:
a) The new information in a clause (Correct Answer)
b) The old information in a clause
c) The subject of a sentence
d) The tone of a text
8. Which sentence follows proper theme-rheme structure?
a) "The sun rises in the east." (Correct Answer)
b) "To the store, went she."
c) "He late arrived to the meeting."
d) "Yesterday was raining it."
9. Which of the following is an adverbial clause?
a) "Although he was tired, he continued working." (Correct Answer)
b) "She said that she was happy."
c) "The boy, who was hungry, ate quickly."
d) "It is raining outside."
10. Ellipsis in discourse refers to:
a) Repetition of words
b) Omission of words that are understood from context (Correct
Answer)
c) Use of complex vocabulary
d) A form of substitution
11. Turn-taking in conversation ensures:
a) Random speaking without structure
b) Smooth and organized communication (Correct Answer)
c) One speaker dominates the discussion
d) No response from the listener
12. Which is an example of an adjacency pair?
a) "Hello!" – "Hi!" (Correct Answer)
 b) "She likes coffee."
c) "The car is red."
d) "It was raining outside."
13. Speech acts refer to:
a) Actions performed through language (Correct Answer)
b) Grammar rules in speech
c) Phonetic changes in words
d) Written discourse
14. According to politeness theory, face-threatening acts:
a) Do not exist in formal settings
b) Enhance social harmony
c) Challenge someone’s self-image (Correct Answer)
d) Are always positive
15. Discourse markers are used to:
a) Structure discourse and guide interpretation (Correct Answer)
b) Separate sentences
c) Indicate tense
d) Create phonetic emphasis
16. Political speeches use discourse to:
a) Entertain the audience
b) Persuade and influence (Correct Answer)
c) Avoid communication
d) Provide random information
17. Which discourse feature is commonly found in advertisements?
a) Cohesion
b) Persuasive language (Correct Answer)
c) Face-threatening acts
d) Ellipsis
18. Journalistic discourse is characterized by:
a) Objectivity and factual reporting (Correct Answer)
b) Random sentence structure
c) No use of discourse markers
d) Frequent grammatical errors
19. Facebook discourse is unique because:
a) It follows strict grammar rules
 b) It is spontaneous and multimodal (Correct Answer)
c) It is only used for formal communication
d) It is unrelated to discourse analysis
20. What is a key feature of media discourse?
a) Intonation patterns
b) Audience engagement (Correct Answer)
c) Isolated sentences
d) Lack of coherence
21. Which of the following is NOT a discourse marker?
a) However
b) Because
c) Table (Correct Answer)
d) On the other hand
22. Which of the following sentences contains ellipsis?
a) "I wanted to go to the party, but I couldn't." (Correct Answer)
b) "She went to the store."
c) "The weather is nice today."
d) "This is a new book."
23. Substitution in discourse refers to:
a) Using pronouns to replace nouns
b) Replacing a word or phrase with another (Correct Answer)
c) Repeating the same word
d) Removing words completely
24. "That-complement" in discourse occurs in which sentence?
a) "She said that she was tired." (Correct Answer)
b) "She is very happy."
c) "Who is calling?"
d) "The sky is blue."
25. Which sentence demonstrates coherence?
a) "Because I was hungry, I made a sandwich." (Correct Answer)
b) "The cat is on the table. The TV is loud."
c) "Running fast store bought milk."
d) "Yesterday, sleeping dog barked."
26. Which of the following is an example of a relative clause?
a) "The man who lives next door is friendly." (Correct Answer)
 b) "She left the room quickly."
c) "I saw him at the market."
d) "It is raining today."
27. Which tense is commonly used in news headlines?
a) Past tense
b) Present simple (Correct Answer)
c) Future tense
d) Past perfect
28. Which of the following is an example of direct speech?
a) She said, "I am tired." (Correct Answer)
b) She told me that she was tired.
c) I heard she was tired.
d) I think she might be tired.
29. An imperative sentence in discourse serves to:
a) Ask a question
b) Give a command or request (Correct Answer)
c) Express uncertainty
d) Show emotion
30. What is the role of turn-taking in a conversation?
a) To interrupt the speaker
b) To ensure smooth communication (Correct Answer)
c) To dominate the conversation
d) To prevent interaction
31. Which of the following is a politeness strategy?
a) Being rude
b) Using indirect requests (Correct Answer)
c) Speaking loudly
d) Ignoring the listener
32. Which is an example of a face-threatening act?
a) Criticizing someone in public (Correct Answer)
b) Giving a compliment
c) Asking a question
d) Smiling at someone
33. Which of the following is an example of backchanneling?
a) "Uh-huh, I see." (Correct Answer)
 b) "Let’s go now."
c) "Who are you?"
d) "I don’t understand."
34. In political discourse, repetition is often used to:
a) Confuse the audience
b) Reinforce key ideas (Correct Answer)
c) Introduce humor
d) Create ambiguity
35. Which of the following is a characteristic of written discourse?
a) More complex sentence structures (Correct Answer)
b) Instant feedback
c) More interruptions
d) Use of gestures
36. Which of the following is NOT a function of discourse markers?
a) Structuring speech
b) Showing relationships between ideas
c) Adding random words (Correct Answer)
d) Indicating cause and effect
37. Which of the following is an example of a question tag?
a) "You are coming, aren’t you?" (Correct Answer)
b) "Where are you going?"
c) "I like pizza."
d) "He ran fast."
38. Which is an example of a formal discourse marker?
a) "However" (Correct Answer)
b) "Yeah"
c) "Uh-huh"
d) "Well"
39. What is the function of cohesion in discourse?
a) To connect ideas logically (Correct Answer)
b) To create isolated sentences
c) To make a text more ambiguous
d) To prevent communication
40. Which of the following is an example of intertextuality?
a) A speech that references a famous book (Correct Answer)
 b) A sentence with a grammatical error
c) A dialogue between two people
d) A single-word response
41. Which of the following is an example of a conversational
implicature?
a) "It's cold in here." (implying someone should close the window)
(Correct Answer)
b) "The sky is blue."
c) "This is my book."
d) "She is tall."
42. What is an important feature of narrative discourse?
a) Chronological sequence of events (Correct Answer)
b) Random ordering of ideas
c) Lack of coherence
d) No connection between sentences
43. Which of the following is a typical structure of a narrative?
a) Orientation, complication, resolution (Correct Answer)
b) Beginning, middle, no end
c) Random sequence of sentences
d) Only a resolution without a setup
44. Which of the following is an example of a discourse marker
used to contrast ideas?
a) "However" (Correct Answer)
b) "Furthermore"
c) "Because"
d) "So"
45. In discourse analysis, coherence refers to:
a) Logical flow of ideas in a text (Correct Answer)
b) Use of pronouns
c) Only spoken discourse
d) Isolated sentences
46. Which of the following is an example of a hedging statement?
a) "I think it might rain tomorrow." (Correct Answer)
b) "It will rain tomorrow."
 c) "I know it is raining."
d) "It never rains here."
47. Discourse markers are used in speech to:
a) Help structure the conversation (Correct Answer)
b) Change sentence meaning
c) Create grammatical errors
d) Remove coherence
48. What is the role of tense and aspect in discourse?
a) To show time relationships between events (Correct Answer)
b) To make a text less clear
c) To introduce new vocabulary
d) To replace sentence subjects
49. A relative clause is used to:
a) Provide additional information about a noun (Correct Answer)
b) Indicate past tense
c) Replace pronouns
d) Connect two unrelated ideas
50. What is adjacency pair in discourse?
a) A two-part exchange in conversation (Correct Answer)
b) Two unrelated utterances
c) A long speech by one person
d) An ambiguous statement
51. A key feature of political discourse is:
a) Persuasion and influence (Correct Answer)
b) Ambiguity and confusion
c) Lack of structure
d) No use of rhetoric
52. Journalistic discourse is mainly characterized by:
a) Objectivity and factual reporting (Correct Answer)
b) Subjective opinions
c) Use of slang
d) No structure
53. Which of the following is a key function of discourse analysis in
media?
a) Examining how language shapes ideology (Correct Answer)
 b) Creating grammatical structures
c) Removing cohesion
d) Avoiding persuasion
54. Which of the following is a feature of advertising discourse?
a) Persuasive language (Correct Answer)
b) Complex scientific jargon
c) Academic tone
d) Lack of audience awareness
55. In Facebook discourse, what is a common feature?
a) Multimodal communication (Correct Answer)
b) Formal, structured dialogue
c) Strict grammatical rules
d) No interaction
56. What is the purpose of ellipsis in spoken discourse?
a) To omit unnecessary words (Correct Answer)
b) To add more complexity
c) To change meaning
d) To repeat information
57. What is an example of substitution in discourse?
a) "I bought a red car. This one is blue." (Correct Answer)
b) "I saw John. He was happy."
c) "That is my book."
d) "She is my friend."
58. Which of the following is NOT a type of cohesion?
a) Lexical cohesion
b) Grammatical cohesion
c) Acoustic cohesion (Correct Answer)
d) Referential cohesion
59. What is the function of a discourse marker like "by the way"?
a) To introduce a new topic (Correct Answer)
b) To show contrast
c) To indicate agreement
d) To summarize
60. Which of the following is an example of a presupposition in
discourse?
 a) "Have you stopped smoking?" (Correct Answer)
b) "I like coffee."
c) "She is tall."
d) "This is my book."
61. Which of the following is an example of a performative speech
act?
a) "I promise to call you tomorrow." (Correct Answer)
b) "The weather is nice today."
c) "She is running fast."
d) "I think he is late."
62. In pragmatics, an indirect speech act occurs when:
a) The literal meaning differs from the intended meaning (Correct
Answer)
b) A command is given directly
c) The meaning is always explicit
d) The sentence has only one interpretation
63. Which of the following is an example of register variation in
discourse?
a) Using formal language in a business meeting (Correct Answer)
b) Speaking the same way in all situations
c) Ignoring context while speaking
d) Avoiding changes in speech style
64. What is multimodal discourse?
a) Communication using multiple modes like text, images, and sound
(Correct Answer)
b) Only written discourse
c) Communication limited to spoken language
d) The study of grammar rules
65. Which of the following is an example of a power relation in
discourse?
a) A teacher giving instructions to students (Correct Answer)
b) A casual conversation between friends
c) A child telling a story
d) A group of people sharing jokes
66. In discourse analysis, presupposition refers to:
a) Assumptions made within an utterance (Correct Answer)
b) Directly stated facts
c) Explicit information in a sentence
d) New information introduced in discourse
67. What is an example of an exophoric reference?
a) "Look at that!" (Correct Answer)
b) "The book on the table is mine."
c) "She told me she was coming."
d) "I read the novel you gave me."
68. In political discourse, euphemisms are used to:
a) Soften harsh realities (Correct Answer)
b) Make language more complex
c) Confuse the audience
d) Create grammatical errors
69. What is an example of hyperbole in discourse?
a) "I’ve told you a million times!" (Correct Answer)
b) "The dog is in the yard."
c) "I read a book yesterday."
d) "She is my friend."
70. Which of the following is NOT a feature of spoken discourse?
a) Hesitation and pauses
b) Instant feedback
c) Highly structured sentences (Correct Answer)
d) Informal expressions
71. What is the primary function of discourse analysis?
a) To study how language is used in context (Correct Answer)
b) To analyze isolated words
c) To focus only on sentence grammar
d) To ignore language in interaction
72. Which of the following is an example of deixis in discourse?
a) "This book is mine." (Correct Answer)
b) "The cat is on the table."
c) "The sun is hot."
d) "She runs fast."
73. Which type of deixis refers to time?
a) Temporal deixis (Correct Answer)
b) Spatial deixis
c) Person deixis
d) Textual deixis
74. Which of the following statements best defines conversational
implicature?
a) Meaning inferred beyond the literal words spoken (Correct Answer)
b) Direct and explicit communication
c) A misunderstanding in conversation
d) The use of metaphors in speech
75. What is the main function of politeness strategies in discourse?
a) To maintain social harmony (Correct Answer)
b) To confuse the listener
c) To avoid communication
d) To create arguments
76. Which of the following is a feature of narrative discourse?
a) A sequence of events leading to a resolution (Correct Answer)
b) Random speech without coherence
c) A conversation with no structure
d) Short, unrelated sentences
77. What is the role of cohesion in written discourse?
a) It ensures clarity and logical flow between sentences (Correct
Answer)
b) It creates fragmented ideas
c) It removes sentence structure
d) It adds unnecessary complexity
78. Which of the following sentences contains an anaphoric
reference?
a) "John bought a new phone. He loves it." (Correct Answer)
b) "I need to go there tomorrow."
c) "This is a beautiful painting."
d) "Look at that!"
79. Which of the following is an example of endophoric reference?
a) "As mentioned earlier in this document..." (Correct Answer)
 b) "He is over there."
c) "Look at that sign!"
d) "I will call her soon."
80. Which of the following is an example of a direct speech act?
a) "Pass me the salt." (Correct Answer)
b) "It would be nice if you could pass the salt."
c) "This food needs more salt."
d) "I wonder if there is any salt left."
81. Which discourse analysis method examines power dynamics in
conversation?
a) Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Correct Answer)
b) Syntax analysis
c) Phonetics
d) Lexical semantics
82. What is an example of intertextuality in discourse?
a) A novel that references another famous book (Correct Answer)
b) A simple declarative sentence
c) A one-word response in a conversation
d) A greeting between two people
83. Which type of discourse is commonly associated with
persuasion?
a) Political discourse (Correct Answer)
b) Weather reports
c) Mathematics textbooks
d) Medical prescriptions
84. In media discourse, framing refers to:
a) The way information is presented to shape perception (Correct
Answer)
b) The use of background music
c) The physical structure of newspapers
d) The organization of TV schedules
85. Which of the following is a characteristic of online discourse?
a) Use of emojis and abbreviations (Correct Answer)
b) Strict grammatical rules
 c) No interaction between users
d) Only formal communication
86. What is an example of a filler in spoken discourse?
a) "Uh... I think so." (Correct Answer)
b) "The dog is barking."
c) "She is my sister."
d) "We left early."
87. Which of the following is an example of a hedging statement?
a) "It might be possible that he is late." (Correct Answer)
b) "He is definitely late."
c) "She will be there at 6 PM."
d) "I am sure of this."
88. What is the purpose of backchanneling in conversation?
a) To show active listening and encourage the speaker (Correct
Answer)
b) To interrupt the speaker
c) To introduce a new topic
d) To express disagreement
89. Which of the following is an example of a cataphoric
reference?
a) "Before she arrived, Maria had called me." (Correct Answer)
b) "John was late. He missed the bus."
c) "I love this song!"
d) "The dog is barking loudly."
90. Which term refers to strategies used to repair
misunderstandings in conversation?
a) Conversational repair (Correct Answer)
b) Conversational breakdown
c) Discourse blocking
d) Speech hesitation
91. In discourse analysis, which theory examines politeness in
interaction?
a) Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory (Correct Answer)
b) Chomsky’s Universal Grammar
 c) Grice’s Cooperative Principle
d) Speech Act Theory
92. Which of the following is an example of a phatic expression in
discourse?
a) "Hello, how are you?" (Correct Answer)
b) "The earth revolves around the sun."
c) "She is my sister."
d) "It rained yesterday."
93. In media discourse, sensationalism is used to:
a) Attract audience attention with exaggerated language (Correct
Answer)
b) Provide unbiased factual reports
c) Maintain grammatical accuracy
d) Reduce emotional impact
94. Which of the following is NOT a function of a discourse
marker?
a) Organizing speech
b) Indicating logical relationships
c) Providing new grammatical rules (Correct Answer)
d) Maintaining coherence
95. In discourse analysis, intertextuality refers to:
a) The relationship between texts and references to other texts
(Correct Answer)
b) Using only one text without connections
c) Avoiding external influences
d) Ignoring previous discourse
96. Which feature of discourse is primarily studied in Critical
Discourse Analysis (CDA)?
a) Power and ideology in language use (Correct Answer)
b) Pronunciation patterns
c) Sentence-level grammar
d) Phonetic transcription
97. What is the purpose of deixis in discourse?
a) To point to time, place, or people in context (Correct Answer)
b) To change sentence structure
 c) To eliminate ambiguity
d) To introduce new vocabulary
98. Which of the following is an example of a that-complement
clause?
a) "I believe that she is honest." (Correct Answer)
b) "She left early."
c) "What time is it?"
d) "She was very happy."
99. What is the function of substitution in discourse?
a) To replace a word or phrase with another to avoid repetition
(Correct Answer)
b) To repeat the same word multiple times
c) To remove a word completely
d) To introduce ambiguity in meaning