Midterm Review
CS 4705
Julia Hirschberg
1
Sample Midterm
• Question types
– Definitions
– True/False
– Exercises
– Short answers
Definitions
• Lemma
A lemma is an abstract form, shared by word forms
having the same stem, part of speech, and word sense,
which stands for the class of words with same stem.
For example, cat is the lemma for the word class
including “cat, cats”.
• If you are told to give examples, give at least one
– Otherwise you will lose points
True/False
• For each statement, say whether it is true or false; if
false, say why it is false. E.g.
• Earley parsers are bottom-up parsers.
• Answer:
– False
– Why? Earley parsers are top-down parsers.
Exercises
• Write a grammar that covers the following fragment
of English
John gave a book to Mary.
Give them a book.
A book was given to John.
They gave a very expensive book.
The book was very expensive.
• How would you start out?
• How would you check to make sure your grammar
will cover the data?
Short Answers
• Describe the major features of the Earley algorithm.
What are its strengths and weaknesses?
– How would you organize your answer?
– What must it include?
Tips: Studying
• Make sure you have done all the assigned reading
• If you missed a lecture, watch it on line
• Go over all the class slides
– If anything seems unfamiliar, look it up in the textbook
– If you still don’t understand, post a question on
Courseworks (but don’t wait too long to do this – we’ll try
to answer all questions posted up thru Monday afternoon
before the exam)
• Join a study group
– Hypothesize likely questions and answer them as a group
Tips: Taking the Exam
• Allocate your time
– We’ll suggest the amount of time each section should take
and you should try to stay within this estimate as a
maximum
– You can always go back if you end up with more time
• Read each question completely to make sure you understand
what is required
– If you are unsure, raise your hand and we will come over
• Do all the easy questions first
– Don’t write more than you need to on any of them
– You can always go back if you have time
Procedures
• Arrive on time or early if possible
• Space yourselves with a seat between each person
– We’ll be using the overflow room behind this
classroom as well as our classroom
• No electronics of any kind are allowed
• If you need to get anything in a bag, ask permission
first
• Be prepared to stay in the room the whole time of the
exam – in an emergency, ask permission to leave