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Phonetics items test your ability to transcribe with IPA, identify place-manner-voice for consonants, and read distinctive feature charts. Expect 3-5 items.
Try answering before revealing the rationale — mark misses to retry later.
Q1.The consonant /ʒ/ (as in 'measure') is classified as:
Correct: B. /ʒ/ is voiced, palatal (post-alveolar), and a fricative — as heard in 'measure' or 'vision.'
Q2.Which set of features distinguishes /p/ from /b/?
Correct: C. Both /p/ and /b/ are bilabial stops. They differ only in voicing: /p/ is voiceless, /b/ is voiced.
Q3.The word 'shoe' is transcribed in IPA as:
Correct: A. 'Sh' = /ʃ/ (voiceless palatal fricative). 'oo' as in 'shoe' = /u/. Correct transcription is /ʃu/.
Praxis Path unlocks a full question bank + 132-question timed mock exam and spaced-repetition flashcards.
How much IPA do I need to know?
All English consonants and 12 common vowels. You do not need cross-linguistic symbols.
What are distinctive features?
Binary phonological properties (+/− voice, +/− nasal, etc.) that distinguish sounds systematically.
Do I need to know suprasegmentals?
Basic awareness of stress, intonation, and rate is enough — Praxis doesn't require advanced prosodic transcription.