Lesson 3.2.2.1.2

3.2.2.1.2 Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: thinking depends on language Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.2.2.1.2, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: thinking depends on language: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 6: Language, thought and communication, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis propose about language and thinking?

    • That all human languages share one grammar, so every speaker thinks in exactly the same way
    • That the language a person speaks influences how they think about and categorise the world
    • That thinking is fully formed before language, so words only label existing ideas
    • That language and thinking are controlled by separate brain areas that never interact in adults

  2. Which version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the stronger claim?

    • The weak version, which says language only affects how quickly people name objects they recognise
    • Linguistic relativity, which says language influences but does not completely fix what a person can think
    • Universal grammar, which says all languages share an innate structure that fixes what speakers think
    • Linguistic determinism, which says language completely determines what a person can think

  3. Which is a weaker form of the hypothesis, consistent with thinking depending on language only in a limited way?

    • Linguistic determinism, where language makes some ways of thinking impossible for any speaker
    • Linguistic relativity, where language makes some ways of thinking easier without making others impossible
    • Overextension, where a child applies one word to too many objects because the meaning is still developing
    • Universal grammar, where a shared innate structure makes every language produce the same thinking

  4. A language has one word for both 'blue' and 'green'. Under the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which prediction is most consistent?

    • Speakers name blue and green equally quickly, because colour vision is identical in all humans
    • Speakers see blue and green as identical only after they are taught the single shared word
    • Speakers cannot see any difference between blue and green objects, whatever language they speak
    • Speakers may find it harder to make quick distinctions between blue and green than speakers with separate words

  5. Which example would best support linguistic relativity?

    • All speakers recognise the same colour in the same way, whatever their number of colour words
    • Speakers of a language with fixed compass directions remember spatial locations differently from other speakers
    • Children learn the same grammar rules at the same age in several countries at once
    • Adults remember a list of random words equally well whatever their first language

  6. Who is most closely associated with the idea that language shapes thought, giving the hypothesis its name?

    • Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, psychologists who studied the cognitive development of children
    • Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguists who studied language and culture
    • Donald Hebb and Wilder Penfield, neuroscientists who studied learning and the cortex
    • Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker, linguists who argued that grammar is innate in all humans

  7. What is the central claim of linguistic relativity?

    • Language completely determines the thoughts a speaker can have, so no two languages can describe the same idea
    • Language is innate and identical in every person, so culture never changes how people think
    • Language affects how speakers perceive, remember and categorise experience, without fully determining thought
    • Language has no effect on perception, but changes how speakers pronounce and spell words

  8. A language has no past tense. Which claim fits a weak Sapir-Whorf view?

    • Speakers must be taught a past tense before they can think about anything that happened yesterday
    • Speakers may express time less precisely in speech, yet still understand that events happened in the past
    • Speakers cannot understand that events happened in the past, since their language has no way to express it
    • Speakers remember past events with exactly the same detail as speakers of languages with a past tense

  9. An argument says Sapir-Whorf is supported because bilinguals judge distances differently depending on which language they use. What is the key reasoning?

    • Changing the language used changes the judgement, suggesting language influences how distance is judged
    • Bilinguals always judge distance the same way, which shows language has no effect on thought
    • Bilinguals forget their first language, so their judgements rely only on the second language
    • Bilinguals are slower at all tasks, which shows learning two languages damages memory

  10. Which finding would most directly challenge the strong form of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

    • Speakers of a language without a word for a concept can still recognise that concept when shown it
    • Speakers of a language with a rich emotion vocabulary describe their feelings in more detail
    • Speakers of a language with fewer colour words remember colours more slowly when names are shown
    • Speakers of a language with extra words for a concept are quicker to name that concept in daily life

  11. Which is a key criticism of the strong Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

    • It is hard to explain how people think about new ideas when their language lacks words for them
    • It is hard to explain why children learn grammar at different ages in different countries
    • It is hard to explain why speakers of one language always use identical sentence structures
    • It is hard to explain why speakers of different languages can all learn to read with equal skill

  12. A language describes family relationships with far more specific words than English does. Which prediction fits linguistic relativity?

    • Speakers remember family relationships exactly as English speakers do, since memory is unaffected by language
    • Speakers may notice and remember family relationships in more detail, since their language makes them easy to express
    • Speakers cannot understand family relationships unless they are taught the English words for each one
    • Speakers stop using the family words once they start learning a second language at school

  13. Which term is used for the claim that language completely controls what a person can think?

    • Linguistic relativity, the weaker version, claiming language influences but does not limit thought
    • Linguistic determinism, the strong version of the hypothesis, claiming language sets the limits of thought
    • Universal grammar, the proposal that all human languages share an innate structure
    • Overextension, where a child applies one word to a wider range of objects than the adult meaning

  14. Which pair correctly matches a term with its meaning?

    • Universal grammar: language is learned only through imitation of the speech of parents
    • Overextension: a child learns the exact adult meaning of a word after hearing it a few times
    • Linguistic relativity: language influences thought but does not fully determine it
    • Linguistic determinism: language influences thought but does not fully determine it

  15. Which evidence is often cited in discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

    • Studies testing whether people can ride a bicycle after learning to read a second language
    • Studies counting how many words children know at age two in one language, with no comparison group
    • Studies comparing how speakers of different languages describe space, time or colour, and their memory
    • Studies measuring the height and weight of speakers of different languages to see whether language affects growth

  16. Which study design would best test whether language shapes memory for events?

    • Comparing memory for the same events between speakers of two languages that encode a distinction differently
    • Testing one speaker of one language, so any difference is attributed to individual memory
    • Asking speakers to recall their favourite childhood holiday, with no comparison group at all
    • Measuring the reaction time of speakers to tones played through headphones in a quiet room

  17. Which of these is a testable prediction from the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

    • Children learn a second language in the same number of weeks whatever their first language
    • Adults name a familiar object faster in a dark room than in a brightly lit room
    • Speakers of all languages remember the same list of words after a fixed time has passed
    • Speakers of a language with compass directions locate objects differently from left-right speakers

  18. Why do researchers find it difficult to test the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis conclusively?

    • Language can only be studied in a laboratory, so researchers cannot observe real speakers in daily settings
    • Language, culture and experience are closely linked, so the effect of language alone is hard to separate
    • Every language has exactly the same effect on thinking, so there are no differences to examine
    • Thinking cannot be measured at all, so only grammar and spelling can be studied in participants

  19. Which statement about bilingualism is linked to the Sapir-Whorf idea?

    • Bilinguals cannot learn a second language until the age of twelve, so earlier learning is impossible
    • Bilinguals use identical grammar in both languages, so switching never changes how they think
    • Bilinguals may describe the same event differently depending on the language they are using
    • Bilinguals always forget their first language after learning a second language in adulthood

  20. A study finds speakers of Language A name colours faster than speakers of Language B, but both perceive colours equally well. What is best supported?

    • Language completely determines colour perception, so Language B speakers cannot see colours they lack names for
    • Language has no effect on memory, so the naming difference must be due to differences in diet
    • Language may affect how quickly colours are named and remembered, without changing basic perception
    • Language A speakers have better eyesight, which explains why they name colours faster

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