Cognitive Analysis of Imprecise Temporal Expressions

Objective To see how people interpret vague descriptions of time in text. Examples of vague expressions are: "many days", "more than one hour", "about 2 months".

Instructions All the following questions are fictional. Each question shows a sentence comprising 2 to 3 descriptions of time that can be precise or imprecise. The target descriptions of time to be evaluated will be underlined. There are no right or wrong answers, or trick questions. Please work quickly and do not think too long about the exact meaning of the question. *** All questions must be answered before submitting the form.

Questions

1. (T149) About the following sentence: Since 2007 business sales have been very high. We have now enjoyed several years of increased profits, which will fund our advertising for many years to come. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in years) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 more than 25 years.

2. (T103) About the following sentence: 9 years ago John injured his leg badly and is currently trialling a new treatment. Which one do you consider the most appropriate option to express the amount of time since when the event associated with the underlined expression occurred? Select one... [days] [weeks] [months] [years]

3. (T138) About the following sentence: The Aptley Zoo closed 4 years ago, but hopes to re-open to the public in some days. The animals were transferred from other zoos over the last 18 months. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in days) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 more than 90 days.

4. (T079) About the following sentence: The TV show was first aired 15 months ago, but in less than 1 month it had received negative ratings. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in days) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 days.

5. (T033) About the following sentence: Jill painted her home two months earlier than Tom and spent weeks recycling unwanted household items. She last decorated two years ago. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in weeks) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 more than 26 weeks.

6. (T129) About the following sentence: In the first week of March, 2014 it rained heavily. However it was very sunny approximately 4 weeks later. Then rain again in the next month! What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in days) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 more than 60 days.

7. (T123) About the following sentence: The band released its first single one year ago. In about 2 months it will release its second album and hopefully a third next year! What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in days) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... less than 30 30 35 40 45 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 75 80 85 90 and Select one... 30 35 40 45 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 75 80 85 90 more than 90 days.

8. (T094) About the following sentence: The country began importing beer 18 years ago, more than 18 months after the residents campaigned for it. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in months) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 and Select one... 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 more than 48 months.

9. (T099) About the following sentence: Rivora's song was first released on 07/02/2007. That is more than 1 year after the original was released. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in months) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 more than 36 months.

10. (T113) About the following sentence: The new nursery opened its doors in March this year but it took days for all 20 children to finally be admitted. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in days) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 more than 180 days.

11. (T009) About the following sentence: In January 2007 I started the flexible course. It will last no more than 8 weeks. I plan to complete the next level in July. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in weeks) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 weeks.

12. (T133) About the following sentence: The charity tennis match will be held in May 2012, approximately 4 years after the last charity tournament. We hope the money raised will fund the match next year. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in months) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... less than 36 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 and Select one... 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 more than 60 months.

13. (T013) About the following sentence: Jo graduated from college one year ago. Even though she did not have a job less than 7 years before, she currently works as an accounts assistant. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in years) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 years.

14. (T145) About the following sentence: Jim Stevenson won a Gold medal on 16/10/2010. He was in the newspapers for a few weeks after, until another celebrity made the news on the 2nd of December! What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in weeks) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 and Select one... 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 more than 26 weeks.

15. (T046) About the following sentence: It snowed badly in late January last year. Temperatures were especially low for about 25 days. What do you consider the most appropriate period of time (in days) for the highlighted expression? Something between Select one... less than 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 and Select one... 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 more than 45 days.