It’s time for another quiz!
For this new quiz, I’ve created questions based on information found in Colin Baker’s book A Parents’ and Teachers’ Guide to Bilingualism. To read my review of this fine book, as well as an insightful interview with the author, see Recommended Resources: “A Parents’ and Teachers Guide to Bilingualism” by Colin Baker.
Good luck!
1. Research shows that the human fetus can respond to sounds from the external world—which has implications for bilingual development—from around how many weeks in the womb?
a. Around 18 to 20 weeks
b. Around 22 to 24 weeks
c. Around 26 to 28 weeks
d. Around 30 to 32 weeks
2. The “one person-one language” (OPOL) approach is a well-known strategy for nurturing a child’s bilingual ability. How old is the term “one person-one language”?
a. Over 50 years old
b. Over 100 years old
c. Over 200 years old
d. Over 500 years old
3. Fred Genesee, a top Canadian expert on childhood bilingualism, has estimated that children need a certain minimum amount of exposure in the minority language, as a percentage of their total language input, in order for bilingualism to proceed well. What is that percentage?
a. 20%
b. 30%
c. 40%
d. 50%
4. What metaphor does Dr. Baker use to convey how two languages are stored in the brain?
a. Two icebergs
b. A flower garden
c. Fraternal twins
d. An egg with a double yolk
5. Language delay—when a child is very late in beginning to talk, or lags well behind peers in language development—is often wrongly attributed to bilingualism. Language delay has a variety of causes, but the precise reason is not known in what percentage of cases?
a. Approximately one-fourth
b. Approximately one-half
c. Approximately two-thirds
d. Approximately three-fourths
6. Research conducted by Ellen Bialystock, of York University in Canada, has shown that, on average, bilinguals show symptoms of Alzheimer’s later than monolinguals. How many years later?
a. 1 to 3 years later
b. 4 to 6 years later
c. 7 to 8 years later
d. 9 to 10 years later
7. What is one potential disadvantage of bilingualism reported by Dr. Baker?
a. The child mixes the two languages and develops the poor habit of code-switching.
b. The child goes through a “silent period” where they refuse to speak any language at all.
c. Both languages are underdeveloped and the child is unable to cope in school in either language.
d. Both languages have low prestige and this negatively affects the child’s self-esteem.
8. What is meant by “passive” or “receptive” bilingualism?
a. Showing a negative attitude toward the second language because of its perceived lack of prestige
b. Showing only interest in reading and writing a second language, not communicating in that language
c. Being able to understand (and sometimes read) in a second language without speaking or writing in that language
d. Being able to speak the second language, but refusing to do so because both parents speak the majority language
9. What is the term used for situations where the second (majority) language becomes dominant, even replacing a child’s first (minority) language, as with some immigrant families?
a. Semilingual
b. Language loss
c. Sequential bilingualism
d. Subtractive bilingualism
10. The movement for Immersion Bilingual Education—where children are immersed in the second language, often from the start of their schooling—began in 1965 in which country?
a. Canada
b. The United States
c. Switzerland
d. Finland
Now give these two quizzes a try, too…
What Do You Know About Bilingualism? Take This Quiz and Test Your Knowledge! (based on the book Bilingual: Life and Reality by François Grosjean)
Take This Quiz on Bilingual Acquisition in Children! How Many Will You Get Right? (based on the book Bilingual First Language Acquisition by Annick De Houwer)

7 Responses
Hello Adam,
Amazing questions but so precise!
For information, I did a chronicle about the Ronjat’s book (100 years old, which he wrote thanks to the advices of his friend Grammont) in my blog.
Using Esperanto, I think I succeed with far less than 30% exposure because of the regularity of the language and the proximity between French and Esperanto. For sure, I would advise 30% or more in Korean to succeed in Korean/Esperanto, for example.
Cheers,
Cyrille
Cyrille, it was nice to hear from you. Thanks for your helpful comment. I hope you and your kids are having a fun and Esperanto-filled summer!
For sure, Amy is in London and Mary in Leipzig. As soon as they come back, we all move to Stockholm to meet friends. They will talk French for only 2 weeks!
Thank you for this fantastic quiz, Adam!
I’ve had the chance to follow some lessons on bilingualism with François Grosjean in Zurich.
I have a question concerning the answer under 4.: I know that you refer to Bakers book, but wasn’t it J. Cummins who used the iceberg model for his dual interdependence hypothesis (if I’m not mistaken in 1978) first?
Ute, I’m glad you enjoyed this little quiz!
As for the iceberg idea, you may be right, but I don’t really know where this metaphor first appeared. It’s also true, of course, that icebergs are a fairly common metaphor in many domains so it doesn’t surprise me that both men have reached for it in their work.
Thanks for these quizzes! I am a high school ESL teacher teaching college students in an ESL methods class. I will be using them in our first class.
Gail, you’re welcome! I hope you and your students have fun with them!