Test on The English Genitive Case

Question 1: Greek names of more than one syllable and ending in -s take the zero genitive.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The study materials specify that Greek names of more than one syllable and ending in -s take the zero genitive, with examples like Euripides´ plays and Socrates´ bust.

Question 2: All lower animals can form the -´s genitive according to the provided study materials, exemplified by 'a bee´s sting'.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The study materials specify that 'Some lower animals' take the -s genitive, providing 'a bee´s sting' as an example. It does not state that 'all lower animals' can form it.

Question 3: Which of the following statements accurately describes the formation of the -'s genitive based on the provided study materials?

A. With most plural nouns, the written form adds both an apostrophe and an -s.

B. For singular nouns, the -´s genitive is formed by adding an inflectional morpheme (apostrophe and -s) to the noun.

C. For all nouns ending in -s, whether singular or plural, only an apostrophe is added.

D. Irregular plural nouns always follow the same rule as regular plural nouns, adding only an apostrophe.

Explanation: According to the study materials, 'The -´s genitive is formed by adding an inflectional morpheme (apostrophe and -s) to the sg. form of the N.' This confirms option 1. Option 0 is incorrect because 'With most pl. forms, an -s ending is already present, so the written form just adds the apostrophe.' Option 2 is incorrect because while some nouns ending in -s (like Greek names or famous names) might take only an apostrophe, it's not a universal rule for all nouns ending in -s. Option 3 is incorrect as 'In a few irregular pl. instances, -´s is used (the men´s books),' showing they do not always follow the same rule as regular plural nouns.

Question 4: According to the study materials, which sentence exemplifies a 'genitive of origin' meaning, as distinct from an 'objective genitive'?

A. The student's application was accepted.

B. The prisoner's release was celebrated.

C. The traveller's story fascinated everyone.

D. My mother's arrival was much anticipated.

Explanation: The study materials define 'genitive of origin' with the example 'the traveller's story', analogous to 'The traveller wrote a story.' (Section 5.3.4). 'The student's application' and 'my mother's arrival' are examples of subjective genitive (5.3.2). 'The prisoner's release' is an example of objective genitive (5.3.3).

Question 5: Is the noun as modifier structure typically used when referring to parts of animals' bodies?

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: When discussing parts of animals' bodies, the ´s genitive is usually employed, as exemplified by 'a sheep´s heart' or 'a cow´s horn', not the noun as modifier structure.