Quiz on Peirce's Semiotics: Icon, Index, and Symbol

Who describes the three categories of sign (Icon, Index, and Symbol)?

• Charles Peirce

• Roland Barthes

• Ferdinand de Saussure

• Tzvetan Todorov

What type of sign looks like what it is representing?

• Index

• Icon

• Arbitrary

• Symbol

What is an index?

• A sign that resembles its object.

• A sign that has no relationship with its object.

• A sign that has a cause-and-effect relationship with its object.

• A sign that can only be understood by social convention.

The most appropriate example of a symbol is?

• Photo

• Words in a language

• Statue

• Map

Which of the following is an example of an icon?

• A red traffic light

• The word 'tree'

• A photograph of a dog

• Smoke

What does Peirce's model of signs help us understand?

• The structure of sentences

• The history of language

• How we use signs to communicate

• How to create art

Which of the following is an index?

• Paw prints

• A photograph of a dog

• A traffic light

• The word 'dog'

What is the relationship between a symbol and its meaning?

• It is inherent and obvious.

• It is arbitrary and learned.

• It is always understood universally.

• It is based on physical resemblance.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an icon?

• It visually imitates the object.

• It has a tangible relationship with the signified.

• It is based on social conventions.

• It resembles the object it represents.

What is an example of a symbol in everyday life?

• A traffic light

• A photograph

• The letter 'A'

• A footprint