NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

In which stage do children begin to use vocabulary at a rapid rate, acquiring as many as twenty new words a day?

1. Later Multiword Stage

2. Early Multiword Stage

3. Babbling Stage

4. Two-word Stage

The correct answer is: Later Multiword Stage

The correct answer is the Later Multiword Stage. During this stage, children experience significant growth in their vocabulary and are able to acquire a substantial number of new words each day, sometimes reaching up to twenty. This rapid vocabulary development is typically characterized by the expansion of their linguistic capabilities, allowing them to form more complex sentences and engage in conversations on a broader range of topics. The Later Multiword Stage follows earlier stages of language development, where children's language use becomes more sophisticated, building on the foundation of the vocabulary and grammatical structure they’ve acquired previously. This stage often reflects not just an increase in word quantity but also improvement in understanding context and nuances in language. The Early Multiword Stage occurs before this, where children begin to combine words into simple sentences but are not yet generating vocabulary at such a rapid pace. The Babbling Stage is an earlier phase of language development where infants produce sounds and syllables, and the Two-word Stage involves basic combinations of words but lacks the vocabulary explosion seen in the Later Multiword Stage.