Islamic University-Gaza
Course : Syntax
English Department
Date: Januaryth15, 2011
Dr. Walid Amer
office hour-exam
Time: Two hours
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Part one
Answer the following questions:
1. Account for the ungrammaticality of the following by choosing the right
answer from a, b, or c for each sentence below:
a. *Bill praises often his mother in law.
A. head government. B. antecedent government. C. adjacency
principle
b. *the club was closed the police
A. theta criterion B. case filter C. antecedent government.
c. *The Zionist soldiers killed himself.
A. Principle a of binding theory.
B. antecedent government.
C. principle b of binding theory.
d. *Mary looks to himself as a top student.
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C. principle a of binding
theory.
e. *Who did you sent the letter t ?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C empty category principle
f. *Who did you say that t visited the zoo?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C empty category principle
g. *Who do you think t hunted the tiger?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C empty category principle
h. *Who did you have the claim that the Palestinians blame t for
the current blockade?
A. antecedent government. B. subjacency principle C empty
category
i. * France to help the Palestinian government is unexpected
A. projection principle B. subjacency principle C empty category
principle
j. *John is proud of herself
A. projection principle B. subjacency principle C. no co indexation.
2. Using the split inflection hypothesis, draw a structural representation of the
following sentences showing how each underlined argument is assigned Case and
theta –role.
a. I did not answer the assignment which the teacher gave .
b. He sent me a reply that I did not expect.
c. Qatala zayd-un hind-an .
3. Draw a structural diagram for the sentences below showing how the
underlined arguments are assigned Case.
a. Maktab-u l-modeer
b. John’s pen
Part two
Answer two only of the following questions:
1. what are the main types of referring expressions?
1. Trace the main types of lexemes, illustrating your answer with
examples
2. Explain briefly the main types of referents.
Islamic University-Gaza
Course : Syntax
English Department
Date: April 6th, 2009
Dr. Walid Amer
office hour-exam
Time: Two hours
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Part one
Answer the following questions:
1. Account for the ungrammaticality of the following by choosing the right
answer from a, b, or c for each sentence below:
a. *Bill praises often his mother in law.
A. head government. B. antecedent government. C. adjacency
principle
b. *the club was closed the police
A. theta criterion B. case filter C. antecedent government.
c. *The Zionist soldiers killed himself.
A. Principle a of binding theory.
B. antecedent government.
C. principle b of binding theory.
d. *Mary looks to himself as a top student.
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C. principle a of binding
theory.
e. *Who did you sent the letter t ?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C empty category principle
f. *Who did you say that t visited the zoo?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C empty category principle
g. *Who do you think t hunted the tiger?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C empty category principle
h. *Who did you have the claim that the Palestinians blame t
for the current blockade?
A. antecedent government. B. subjacency principle C empty
category
i. * France to help the Palestinian government is unexpected
A. projection principle B. subjacency principle C empty category
principle
j. *John is proud of herself
A. projection principle B. subjacency principle C. no co indexation.
2. Using the split inflection hypothesis, draw a structural representation of the
following sentences showing how each underlined argument is assigned Case and
theta –role.
a. I did not answer the assignment which the teacher gave .
b. He sent me a reply that I did not expect.
c. Qatala zayd-un hind-an .
3. Draw a structural diagram for the sentences below showing how the
underlined arguments are assigned Case.
a. Maktab-u l-modeer
b. John’s pen
Part two
Answer two only of the following questions:
1. what are the main types of referring expressions?
3. Trace the main types of lexemes, illustrating your answer with
examples
4. Explain briefly the main types of referents.
Islamic University-Gaza
Course : Syntax and semantics
English Department
Date: June 16th, 2010
Dr. Walid Amer
Final-exam
Time: Two hours
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Part one syntax .
Answer two of the following questions the first one is inclusive:
1. Tick T or F in front of the following sentences:
a. Projection principle plays a trivial role in x-bar syntax
b. C-command is crucial for applying adjacency principle in case
assignment.
c. The argument is not necessarily assigned a theta-role.
d. The NP and CP are not barriers to government.
e. The IP and NP are barriers to movement.
f. Case assignment of possessive argument is to the right in English.
g. English is of rich person while Arabic is poor in this property .
h. PRO is available in both Arabic and English.
i. Pro is controlled in English and Arabic.
j. A pronominal must be governed in natural languages.
k. English is of head initial NP while Arabic is of head final NP.
l. Preposition stranding is available in English but not French.
m. German has few alternating verbs that accept Double object and
dative constructions.
n. R-expressions must be c-commanded.
o. Chain is only assigned one case and one theta role.
2. Trace the role of c-command only in binding and government
illustrating your answer with examples.
3. With reference to double object and dative constructions, show the
semantic constraints on the following verbs and state reasons:
Give, pay, e-mail, throw, offer, bring, bet, fine, deny, forgive,
distribute, push, ease, pull, contribute.
Part two: Semantics.
Answer two of the following questions the first one is inclusive:
1. Identify the type of ambiguity in the ambiguous sentences below:
a. I know whom John knows.
b. Iraqi head seeks arms
c. They are hunting dogs.
d. Some dam busters blew up banks and so did some bank robbers.
e. The British left waffles on Falklands
f. You could do with a new automobile. How about a test drive?”
g. Stolen painting found by tree.
h. Mr. Pickwick took his hat and his leave.
i. Eye Drops Off Shelf.
j. I'm glad I'm a man, and so is Lola.
2. Trace the types of anaphora illustrating your answer with examples
3. what are the main types of signaling expressions that help in determining the
gender of speaker in Arabic. Illustrate your answer with examples.
Islamic University-Gaza
Course : Syntax and semantics
English Department
Date: April 26th, 2010
Dr. Walid Amer
Mid-term-exam
Time: one hour
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Answer the following questions:
1. Account for the ungrammaticality of the following by choosing the right
answer from a, b, or c for each sentence below:
k. *Bill seems that John is ill
A. head government. B. antecedent government. C. theta criterion
l. *John seems that Mary considers t to be intelligent.
A. theta criterion B. case filter C. head government.
m. *The Zionist soldiers killed himself.
A. Principle a of binding theory.
B. antecedent government.
C. principle b of binding theory.
n. *Mary looks to himself as a top student.
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C. principle a of binding
theory.
o. *Who did you hand the jug t ?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C proper government.
p. *Who did he make the claim that John met ?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C subjacency principle
q. Which problem have they forgotten how should be solved?
A. antecedent government. B. case filter C subjacency principle
r. *Sue proved that Bill saw herself?
A. antecedent government. B. c-command C empty
category
s. * Obama to solve the Middle East problem is unexpected
A. projection principle B. subjacency principle C empty category
principle
t. *John is proud of John
A. projection principle B. subjacency principle C. principle c of binding.
2. Using the split inflection hypothesis, draw a structural representation of the
following sentences showing how each underlined argument is assigned Case and
theta –role.
d. They have not reached the agreement which we expected .
e. He sent me a reply that I did not expect.
c. Maktab-u l-modeer
d. John's book
The Islamic university
Course : syntax
Department of English
mid-term exam
Time : one hour
Dr. Walid Amer
Date: May.17th , 2009
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:‫الرقم الجامعي‬
:‫الشعبة‬
:‫اسم الطالب‬
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Answer the following questions:
1. Account for the ungrammaticality of the following sentences by selecting an
answer from a,b,c in front of each sentence below:
1. *There is certain to be a doctor in the office.
(a. antecedent government, b. c-command c. projection principle)
2. * It appears Mary to have walked to the board (a. theta criterion b.
proper government, c. subjacency)
3. *John is fond hot meals (a. case filter b adjacency principle c. empty
category principle)
4. *Mary believes that John has scratched herself a. economy principle b.
c-command
c. theta criterion)
5. *Mary believes John to have scratched herself a. projection principle,
principle A of binding c. proper government
6. *the Palestinians to confess Israel is not accepted ? (a. adjacency
principle b. subjacency principle,c. case filter.
7. * What did Bill make the claim that he read ? ( a. case filter, b.
theta criterion c. subjacency principle)
8. * What did Bill make the claim that he read in the syntax book ? (a.
adjacency principle b. subjacency principle c. command)
9. * How tall be i John will ti? (a. Empty category principle b. head
government c. theta criterion)
10. * Mr. Kerry hopes that people will vote for himself .( a. c-command and
principle.A b. principle b. and c,command c. principle c and c.command)
2. Chick whether the following sentences are true or false by ticking F or T
in front of each sentence:
a. Case under spec-head agreement in Arabic is done structurally under
government.
b. PRO is ungoverned in English while pro is governed in Arabic.
c. Expletives are Non-arguments in English.
d. Theta roles are assigned in theta bar positions
e. Movement is not accepted if costly.
f. Theta marking is available to the right is English and Arabic.
g. C-command is not crucial for binding
h. R-expression is not bound in its domain
i. Tense phrase and noun phrase are barriers for movement
j. Genitive case assignment is by determiner and agreement in English.
3. Using the non-split inflection hypothesis draw structural representation
for the following sentences:
a. They did not capture the thief who stole the shop
b. Ahmed’s nationality.