Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CAT4 Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct choice highlights the role of semantics in the parsing process. In the context of the garden path and constraint-based approaches, comparing how and when semantics comes into play is crucial for understanding the differences in these parsing strategies.

In garden path models, parsing is primarily based on syntactic structure, which means that during the initial stages of parsing, the focus is on grammatical correctness rather than meaning. In contrast, constraint-based approaches integrate various types of information—including semantic cues—earlier in the parsing process. This allows for a more flexible interpretation of sentences, as these approaches can draw on semantic knowledge to resolve ambiguities and make predictions about how to interpret incoming words.

Thus, the timing and involvement of semantics in parsing reveal the fundamental differences between these two approaches. Understanding this aspect is essential for grasping how each method processes language and arrives at meaning in different ways.