Answers and Explanations—3.10 Communication through Gesture

P1	Paragraph 1	Comments
S1	Throughout the world, people communicate using body language.	People everywhere use body language.
2	Communicating through nonverbal, or physical, “language” occurs within and across cultures.
3	Research has shown that gesture plays numerous roles in the effectiveness of our communication.	Gesture makes our communication more effective.
4	Speech accompanied by gesture has been found to be much more engaging to the listener, and therefore greatly improves comprehension.
5	Gesture during speech has been correlated with speakers who rise as leaders in society.
6	Gesturing can also be beneficial to the speaker: one study found that children who were forced to gesture while talking through math problems learned better than children who were forced not to gesture.	Also benefits the speaker: better learning.
7	The gesturing children later scored higher on tests of similar problems.

	The phrase “accompanied by” in the passage is closest in meaning to	VOCABULARY. “Accompany” = go together with, be a companion to.
✗	A studied with	Unrelated. Speech is not being studied with gestures, rather it is being used or combined with gestures.
✗	B betrayed by	Unrelated. Although “betrayed” often takes on the negative definition of being revealed through trickery or treachery, in language or communication it typically means to unintentionally reveal. For example, “Although she said she wanted to stay longer, her yawn betrayed her exhaustion.”
✗	C unlinked to	Opposite.
✓	D paired with	Correct. “Speech accompanied by gesture” = speech paired with gesture, speech that has gesture happening at the same time.

	According to paragraph 1, there is evidence that gesturing helps children to	Fact. S6–7 describe research that focused on children’s use of gestures and how that was “beneficial.”
✗	A study math more effectively between tests	The passage never mentions studying between tests.
✗	B help each other grasp quantitative concepts	The passage does not describe group work or collaborative learning done by the students.
✗	C do math in a more concrete, informal way using their hands	Exactly how the gesturing helped the students to do better is never described.
✓	D be more successful at learning math	Correct. S6–7: “children who were forced to gesture while talking through math problems learned better than children who were forced not to gesture. The gesturing children later scored higher on tests of similar problems.” This evidence supports the claim that gesturing helps children learn math better (although it never specifies how).

P2	Paragraph 2	Comments
S1	The act of gesturing during speech is as universal as speech itself, and in fact, both vocalizing and gesturing physically involve the same area of the brain, leading scientists to surmise that they are evolutionarily linked.	Gesturing during speech is universal. Both use the same brain parts and may be linked through evolution.
2	Even blind people gesture when speaking to other blind people.	Blind people gesture to other blind people.
3	Helen Keller, the author and activist, and the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree, had learned by the age of seven to communicate with her parents by hand gestures.	Example: Helen Keller.
4	Soon after, she learned a manual alphabet through finger spelling.

	The word “surmise” in the passage is closest in meaning to	VOCABULARY. “Surmise” = guess, hypothesize, speculate on the basis of limited evidence.
✓	A speculate	Correct. “Both vocalizing and gesturing … involve the same area of the brain, leading scientists to surmise that they are evolutionarily linked” = these behaviors involve the same part of the brain, leading scientists to speculate or guess that they’re linked through evolution.
✗	B doubt	Opposite.
✗	C confirm	Too strong. “Confirm” = prove, claim with 100% certainty.
✗	D deny	Opposite (and too strong).

	All of the following are mentioned about gesturing in paragraph 2 EXCEPT:	Negative Fact. Gesturing is discussed throughout P2, so the three wrong answers could be anywhere. One answer is not mentioned in P2.
✗	A It involves the same part of the brain as speaking.	S1: “vocalizing and gesturing physically involve the same area of the brain.”
✗	B It was used by Helen Keller to communicate with her parents.	S3: “Helen Keller… had learned by the age of seven to communicate with her parents by hand gestures.”
✗	C Its occurrence during speech is as universal as speech itself.	S1: “The act of gesturing during speech is as universal as speech itself.”
✓	D It is more suited to communicating subtle ideas than speech.	Correct. This idea is never expressed in P2.

	According to paragraph 2, how was Helen Keller able to use an alphabet composed of gestures?	Fact. S4 discusses the “manual alphabet” that Keller learned.
✓	A She learned it.	Correct. S4: “she learned a manual alphabet through finger spelling.”
✗	B She discovered it independently.	Not supported in the text.
✗	C She developed it while earning her degree.	Not supported in the text.
✗	D It was taught to her by her parents.	S4 does not say whether Keller learned the manual alphabet from her parents.

P3	Paragraph 3	Comments
S1	With regard to specific physical gestures, some are universal, while others vary across cultures.	Some gestures are universal, while others vary.
2	Some anthropologists and psychologists believe the smile to be a universal gesture for happiness or contentment.	Universal (according to some): smile.
3	Another gesture believed to be universal is the act of a child stroking his or her own cheek, often with the back of the palm, to call for his or her mother.	Other examples that might be universal.
4	It has been reported that this gesture occurs spontaneously among children across cultures who have not been taught it.
5	Additionally, some believe that clutching at one’s throat is a universal sign for choking, and that displaying one’s hands raised high above one’s head is a universal display of triumph.

	The word “reported” in the passage is closest in meaning to	VOCABULARY. “Report” = say, claim, or allege.
✗	A verified	Too strong. “Verify” = prove or confirm.
✓	B alleged	Correct. “ It has been reported that this gesture occurs” = someone has alleged or said that this gesture occurs.
✗	C concealed	Opposite. “Conceal” = keep secret or hidden.
✗	D flaunted	Too specific, and oddly so. “Flaunt” = show off, display in a boastful way.

	According to paragraph 3, what do some people believe about the gesture used by a child to call for his or her mother?	Fact. S3 describes this gesture and what some people believe about it.
✗	A It can also mean triumph.	A different gesture means triumph (S5).
✗	B It typically involves the front of the palm.	S3: “often with the back of the palm.”
✓	C It is shared universally.	Correct. S3: “believed to be universal.”
✗	D It represents a stroke on the cheek that a mother might give.	This may be plausible. But S3 doesn’t indicate what the gesture might represent or mean symbolically.

	How is paragraph 3 related to other aspects of the discussion of gesture in the passage?	Purpose. P3 goes right away to specific examples: “With regard to specific physical gestures, some are universal, while others vary across cultures.” The rest of the paragraph describes various examples.
✗	A It describes a dispute between two schools of thought about gestures.	No dispute is described.
✗	B It challenges earlier claims about gestures and presents a compromise.	No challenge is given.
✓	C It applies general concepts discussed earlier to specific examples of gestures.	Correct. P1–2 discuss gesturing in general and argue that it is universal. P3 applies the concept of universality (discussed earlier) to specific examples of gestures.
✗	D It outlines a process through which gestures achieve qualities previously discussed.	The “qualities previously discussed” could include universality. But P3 never discusses how gestures become universal or achieve universality. No process of development is described.

P4	Paragraph 4	Comments
S1	There is far more variation in gesturing across cultures than commonality, however.	But there’s more difference across cultures.
2	A gesture that varies by culture is holding up two fingers, the first and second fingers, in a skyward V-shape.	Various examples.
3	In the United States, this is a gesture for “peace.”
4	In Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, however, it is used to signify contempt for authority.
5	Accordingly, it is regarded as hostile and potentially rude.
6	Similarly, an upward thumb (“thumbs up” in American English) is used to express approval in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Russia.
7	But in Latin America, West Africa, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, it is an insult.
8	And wagging the index finger to beckon “come here” in the United States is, in the Philippines, considered insulting when directed toward another person; there, it is restricted to beckoning dogs.
9	Therefore, to use it toward a person indicates that you see that person as inferior.
10	Finally, in Japan, it is polite to give an object to another person using two hands, but not with only one—a behavior that is viewed as acceptable and harmless in other places.

	It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that	Inference. You are not told where to look specifically in P4. But the right answer must be clearly supported in the text of P4.
✓	A in the Philippines, one may find it offensive to be addressed with a gesture typically used for dogs	Correct. S8: “wagging the index finger to beckon ‘come here’ in the United States is, in the Philippines, considered insulting when directed toward another person; there, it is restricted to beckoning dogs.”
✗	B in Iraq, wagging the index finger is unacceptable	S8–9 relate that this gesture is considered offensive in the Philippines. Iraq is not mentioned.
✗	C in the United States, a “thumbs up” is not always a positive gesture	The passage only describes the positive meaning of this gesture in the United States (S6).
✗	D in Japan, it is polite to use a single hand to pass an object to another person	Opposite. In Japan, unlike many other places, this would be seen as rude. Instead, polite behavior would have someone give an object to someone else using both hands.

	The phrase “restricted to” in the passage is closest in meaning to	VOCABULARY. “Restricted to” = limited to, confined to, constrained to.
✗	A provided to	Unrelated. “Provided to” (given to) doesn’t share the meaning that the use is only for that purpose.
✗	B banned from	Opposite. This would mean that the gesture could not be used to beckon dogs. The original meaning is that the gesture is only used (or should only be used) to beckon dogs.
✗	C compressed into	The physical sense of “restriction” is not meant here.
✓	D limited to	Correct. “There, it is restricted to beckoning dogs” = there, the gesture is limited to beckoning dogs, it is only used for this purpose.

P5	Paragraph 5	Comments
S1	A multicultural, transnational community that makes regular and systematic use of gesture to communicate is the deaf community.	The deaf community worldwide uses gesture in systematic ways.
2	Unlike the casual gestures used sporadically within a culture to express opinion and emotion, including exaggerated gestures for effect (such as pantomime), within the deaf community there exist fully developed sign languages that correspond to spoken language.	Fully developed sign languages.
3	There is, however, no universal sign language used across cultures.	But no universal sign language.
4	For example, Denmark, Germany, France, and Turkey all have distinct sign languages.	Examples.
5	In the United States and the English-speaking parts of Canada, the primary sign language used in deaf communities is American Sign Language (ASL).
6	ASL is closely related to French Sign Language (FSL), and ASL dialects are also used in other countries around the world, including in West Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.

	Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted portion of the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.	Simplify Sentence. S2 is complicated. The core idea is that the deaf community uses fully developed sign languages, as developed as spoken languages. These sign languages are contrasted to the casual, sporadic gestures that are used more widely for expression.
✗	A Cultures in general tend to use gesture to convey more casual emotion and opinion than is expressed through fully developed sign languages by the deaf community.	The original sentence never claims that the fully developed sign languages do not express casual emotion and opinion. What is contrasted is the casual, sporadic use of gestures by the general population with the fully developed use of sign languages by the deaf community.
✓	B The deaf community makes use of sign languages that are fully developed, unlike casual, expressive gestures used at random by general populations.	Correct. This rephrasing captures the key ideas in the original sentence.
✗	C The deaf community uses casual gestures sporadically to express emotion and fully developed sign languages to correspond to spoken language.	This version fails to mention the broader populations within a culture. The original sentence attributes the casual use of gestures to those broader populations, not to the deaf community.
✗	D The sporadic, exaggerated use of casual gestures to express emotion and opinion is not limited to the deaf community, which also has developed fully formed sign languages.	This version also fails to mention the broader populations that make casual use of gestures.

	According to paragraph 5, American Sign Language (ASL) is used as a primary language by deaf communities in at least part of which of the following countries?	Fact. S5–6 mention countries and regions where ASL is used.
✗	A Denmark	Mentioned as having a distinct sign language.
✓	B Canada	Correct. S5: “In the United States and the English-speaking parts of Canada, the primary sign language used in deaf communities is American Sign Language (ASL).”
✗	C France	While ASL is close to FSL (French Sign Language) according to S6, the passage does not state that ASL is used in France as a primary language.
✗	D Germany	Mentioned as having a distinct sign language.

P3	Paragraph 3	Comments
S1	With regard to specific physical gestures, some are universal, while others vary across cultures.
2–3	A Some anthropologists and psychologists believe the smile to be a universal gesture for happiness or contentment. Another gesture believed to be universal is the act of a child stroking his or her own cheek, often with the back of the palm, to call for his or her mother.	The concept of “universal” gestures has been introduced but not “spontaneous usage.” The contrasting “note” does not make sense here.
4	B It has been reported that this gesture occurs spontaneously among children across cultures who have not been taught it.	The concept of “universal” gestures has been introduced but not “spontaneous usage.” The contrasting “note” does not make sense here.
5	C Additionally, some believe that clutching at one’s throat is a universal sign for choking, and that displaying one’s hands raised high above one’s head is a universal display of triumph.	Correct. The passage has now talked about a gesture that is thought to be universal (a child stroking his or her own cheek…) and supports that point with the notion that it occurs spontaneously. The contrasting “note” makes sense here.
End	D	Although this is safely after any discussion of “universal” and “spontaneous,” it is too remote. The conversation has already moved on to other examples, neither of which are mentioned as being “spontaneously” used.

	It should be noted, however, that spontaneous usage in an observed number of subjects does not necessarily mean that a gesture is universal. Where would the sentence best fit?	Insert Text. This sentence discusses the connection between “spontaneous usage” and whether the gesture is “universal.” Note that this sentence indicates that the connection might not always be valid. Finally, the sentence begins with “It should be noted, however,” an indication that this sentence is additional information that contrasts with what came before. Therefore this sentence should come after information that claims “spontaneous usage” as a basis for calling a gesture “universal.”
✗	A Choice A
✗	B Choice B
✓	C Choice C	Correct.
✗	D Choice D

	Whole Passage	Comments
P1	Throughout the world, people communicate using body language…	People everywhere use body language. Gesture makes our communication more effective. Also benefits the speaker: better learning.
P2	The act of gesturing during speech is as universal as vocalization speech itself…	Gesturing during speech is universal. Both use the same brain parts and may be linked through evolution. Blind people gesture to other blind people. Example: Helen Keller.
P3	With regard to specific physical gestures, some are universal, while others vary across cultures…	Some gestures are universal, while others vary. Universal (according to some): smile. Other examples that might be universal.
P4	There is far more variation in gesturing across cultures than commonality, however…	But there’s more difference across cultures. Various examples.
P5	A multicultural, transnational community that makes regular and systematic use of gesture to communicate is the deaf community…	The deaf community worldwide uses gesture in systematic ways. Fully developed sign languages. But no universal sign language. Examples.

	People in all cultures across the world communicate through gesture.	Summary. Correct answers must be clearly expressed in the passage. They must also be among the major points of the passage. They should tie as directly as possible to the summary given.
✓	a While communicating through gesture is a universal practice, the meaning of specific gestures tends to vary across cultures.	Correct. P3–4 make this point.
✗	b A gesture used commonly to call someone in one culture could be considered demeaning in another culture.	This example is given in P4. But it is just one of many examples of how the meaning of gestures can vary. This detail is too minor to be a main idea.
✓	c Gestural communication systems, as fully developed as spoken languages, are used by deaf communities around the world.	Correct. P5 focuses on these sign languages used by deaf communities.
✗	d How well people learn a new concept can depend on whether gesture was involved.	This point was mentioned in one example of children learning math (P1). But it is not a central idea of the passage.
✓	e Evidence suggests that the use of gesture during speech has many benefits, from helping children learn to improving the effectiveness of communication.	Correct. Much of the focus of P1 is on these benefits.
✗	f American Sign Language (ASL) is not used as a primary language outside of the United States.	This is not true: ASL is used as a primary language in parts of Canada, according to P5. More to the point, this would be a minor detail.