Table of Contents
Passage
A. Gesture is any action that sends a visual signal to an onlooker. To become a gesture, an act has to be seen by someone else and has to communicate some pieces of information to them. It can do this either because the gesturer deliberately sets out to send a signal or it can do it only incidentally. The hand-wave is a Primary Gesture,because it has no other existence or function.
Therefore, to make it a gesture, first, it should be clear and unambiguous. Others would be able to understand it instantly when it is shown to them. Nor may any component of a gesture, its force, its direction and amplitude of movement, be altered: otherwise, confusion or misunderstanding may occur.
B. Most people tend to limit their use of the term “gesture” to the primary form the hand-wave type—but this misses an important point. What matters with gesturing is not what signals we think we are sending out, but what signals are being received. The observers of our acts will make no distinction between our intentional primary gestures and our unintentional, incidental ones.
This is why it is preferable to use the term “gesture” in its wider meaning as an “observed action”. This can be compared to the ring of a telephone. The speed, tone and intensity of a telephone remain the same for any phone call. Even the length of time before being told that the number you are dialing is not answering, unless the caller hangs up, is the same.
C. Some gestures people use are universal. The shoulder shrug is a case in point. The shrug is done by bringing the shoulders up, drawing the head in, and turning the palms upwards so as to reveal that nothing is hidden. The shoulder shrug can also demonstrate submission or that what is being said isn’t understood.
Another example is that an angry person usually expresses his rage by waving his clenched fist rapidly and forcefully. Surprisingly, you may find that people of different cultures will do the same when they are offended. That is to say, a commonly accepted gesture is shared by them. But if the way the hand is clenched changes, or the amplitude of force and the direction the fist is waved alters, the gesture no longer means the same.
D. So, is gesture born with us or is it developed as we grow up? Recent research found that gesture is more like a spontaneous reaction when we face certain situations. And we just do that automatically. When people talk, they almost always gesture with their hands. This expressive movement can be coaxed into a choreographic form if observed carefully.
People can practice spontaneous gesture by forming pairs, then observing and questioning each other. They then show the group what they have collected from their partners. It is fun to surprise a group using this technique. Because spontaneous gestures are often unconscious, people will sometimes be surprised to have their gestures mirrored back to them, saying “Did I really do that?”
E. The attention of research was also drawn to cultural themes. Researchers discovered that if a person has a good set of teeth, he or she would be prone to have a bigger smile than he or she should when good things happen. And if a person possesses a bad set of teeth, he or she would tend to have his or her mouth shut when being teased. And people’s reaction to the same joke also varies: some laugh out loud while others titter.
However, this does not cause confusion and it helps to develop our “behavioural”, which is an important aspect of our identity. It was referred to as a Gesture Variant, which indicates that individuals’ gesture production is a complex process, in which speakers’ internal and external factors and interactions could play a role in multi-modal communication.
F. During the research, an interesting phenomenon soon caught researchers’ attention. A hand purse gesture, which is formed by straightening the fingers and thumb of one hand and bringing them together so the tips touch, pointing upwards and shaping like a cone, carries different meanings in different countries.
In Malta, it means heavy sarcasm: “you may seem good, but you are really bad.”; in Tunisia, it is against recklessness, saying “slow down”; in Italy, it means “What’s the matter?” or “What are you trying to say?”; in France, it means “I am afraid”. However, this gesture has no clear meaning in American culture. And of course, the way the gesture is conducted is similar in different countries.
G. But what will happen if the gestures of different countries confront each other? The situation is further complicated by the fact that some gestures mean totally different things in different countries. To take one example, in Saudi Arabia, stupidity can be signalled by touching the lower eyelid with the tip of the forefinger. But this same gesture, in various other countries, can mean disbelief, approval, agreement, mistrust, scepticism, alertness, secrecy, craftiness, danger, or criminality.
So people are faced with two basic problems where certain gestures are concerned: either one meaning may be signalled by different actions, or several meanings may be signalled by the same action, as we move from culture to culture. The only solution is to approach each culture with an open mind and learn their gestures as one would learn their vocabulary. These all require considerable skill and training and belong in a totally different world from the familiar gestures we employ in everyday life.
Questions
Questions 14-19
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for paragraph A-G and from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i The subconscious nature of gestures
ii The example of regional differences
iii The key factors of gestures
iv Sending out important signals
v How a well-known gesture loses its meaning
vi Performance in a specific setting
vii Recent research of Gesture Variant
viii Comparison to an everyday-use object
ix How will conflict be handled
x Individual deviation of cultural norms
- Paragraph A
- Paragraph B
- Paragraph C
Example Answer
Paragraph D i - Paragraph E
- Paragraph F
- Paragraph G
Questions 20 – 22
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 20-22 on your answer sheet.
20 According to the passage, which aspect of the ringing of a telephone is compared with gestures?
A. The length of the ringing.
B. The unchanging sound of the ringing.
C. The telephone ringing intrudes upon our life.
D. The speed of ringing signals the urgency.
21 Which of the diagrams below shows the gesture “Hand Purse”?
22 In which country should the gesture “Hand Purse” be used with caution?
A. Malta
B. Tusinia
C. Italy
D. France
Questions 23 – 25
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 23-25 on your answer sheet, write
| TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN | if the statement agrees with the information if the statement contradicts the information if there is no information on this |
23 Angry people are often in the same age range or group.
24 Personal physical characteristics may affect the gesture used.
25 A Gesture Variant can still be understood by the members of the same culture.
Question 26
According to the passage, what is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D
Write you answer in box 26 on your answer sheet.
A. to clarify the origin of gesture-based communication
B. to promote the worldwide use of gestures
C. to investigate whether gesture use affects information content
D. to explain the concept of gesture
Answers
Below are the answers, key words, synonyms and full explanations for the IELTS Reading passage Gesture (Passage 2, Questions 14–26).
Questions 14–19: Matching Headings (choose the correct heading i–x for paragraphs A, B, C, E, F and G; Paragraph D = i, given as example)
14. Paragraph A
Answer: iii (The key factors of gestures)
Key words: it should be clear and unambiguous … Nor may any component of a gesture, its force, its direction and amplitude of movement, be altered
Synonyms: key factors of gestures = the conditions a gesture must meet (clear, unambiguous, unchanged force/direction/amplitude) = “to make it a gesture, first, it should be clear and unambiguous … its force, its direction and amplitude of movement, be altered”
Explanation: Paragraph A sets out the essential factors that make an action a gesture → iii.
15. Paragraph B
Answer: viii (Comparison to an everyday-use object)
Key words: This can be compared to the ring of a telephone
Synonyms: comparison to an everyday object = compared to the ring of a telephone = “This is why it is preferable to use the term ‘gesture’ … as an ‘observed action’. This can be compared to the ring of a telephone”
Explanation: Paragraph B compares how gestures are received to a telephone’s ring — an everyday object → viii.
16. Paragraph C
Answer: v (How a well-known gesture loses its meaning)
Key words: if the way the hand is clenched changes … the gesture no longer means the same
Synonyms: a well-known gesture loses its meaning = changing how a gesture is done means it no longer means the same = “But if the way the hand is clenched changes, or the amplitude of force and the direction the fist is waved alters, the gesture no longer means the same”
Explanation: Paragraph C shows that altering a familiar gesture (e.g. the clenched fist) makes it lose its meaning → v.
17. Paragraph E
Answer: x (Individual deviation of cultural norms)
Key words: if a person has a good set of teeth … a bigger smile … people’s reaction to the same joke also varies … a Gesture Variant
Synonyms: individual deviation = personal traits/reactions differ from the norm (a “Gesture Variant”) = “individuals’ gesture production is a complex process, in which speakers’ internal and external factors and interactions could play a role”
Explanation: Paragraph E is about how individuals vary/deviate in their gestures (the “Gesture Variant”), not merely the research label → x. (Heading vii “Recent research of Gesture Variant” is a keyword trap.)
18. Paragraph F
Answer: ii (The example of regional differences)
Key words: A hand purse gesture … carries different meanings in different countries … Malta … Tunisia … Italy … France
Synonyms: example of regional differences = the same hand-purse gesture means different things in different countries = “A hand purse gesture … carries different meanings in different countries”
Explanation: Paragraph F gives the hand-purse example to show regional/country differences → ii.
19. Paragraph G
Answer: ix (How will conflict be handled)
Key words: what will happen if the gestures of different countries confront each other? … The only solution is to approach each culture with an open mind
Synonyms: how conflict is handled = what happens when gestures confront each other, and the solution = “But what will happen if the gestures of different countries confront each other? … The only solution is to approach each culture with an open mind and learn their gestures”
Explanation: Paragraph G deals with the conflict of meanings across cultures and how to handle it → ix.
Questions 20–22: Multiple Choice
20. Which aspect of the ringing of a telephone is compared with gestures?
Answer: B (The unchanging sound of the ringing)
Key words: The speed, tone and intensity of a telephone remain the same for any phone call
Synonyms: unchanging sound = speed, tone and intensity remain the same = “This can be compared to the ring of a telephone. The speed, tone and intensity of a telephone remain the same for any phone call”
Explanation: The comparison is that a phone’s ring stays the same (constant/unchanging), just as observers receive the same signal → B.
21. Which of the diagrams below shows the gesture “Hand Purse”?
Answer: C
Key words: straightening the fingers and thumb of one hand and bringing them together so the tips touch, pointing upwards and shaping like a cone
Synonyms: hand purse = fingers and thumb brought together at the tips, pointing up in a cone = “A hand purse gesture, which is formed by straightening the fingers and thumb of one hand and bringing them together so the tips touch, pointing upwards and shaping like a cone”
Explanation: The diagram showing the fingers and thumb pinched together and pointing upward (cone shape) is the Hand Purse → C.
22. In which country should the gesture “Hand Purse” be used with caution?
Answer: A (Malta)
Key words: In Malta, it means heavy sarcasm: “you may seem good, but you are really bad.”
Synonyms: used with caution = it carries a heavily sarcastic, offensive meaning in Malta = “In Malta, it means heavy sarcasm: ‘you may seem good, but you are really bad.'”
Explanation: Because the gesture is heavily sarcastic (insulting) in Malta, it should be used cautiously there → A.
Questions 23–25: True / False / Not Given
23. Angry people are often in the same age range or group.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key words: an angry person usually expresses his rage by waving his clenched fist … people of different cultures will do the same
Synonyms: The passage compares angry people across different cultures, but says nothing about their age range or group.
Explanation: There is no information about the age of angry people → NOT GIVEN.
24. Personal physical characteristics may affect the gesture used.
Answer: TRUE
Key words: if a person has a good set of teeth, he or she would be prone to have a bigger smile … a bad set of teeth … tend to have his or her mouth shut
Synonyms: personal physical characteristics affect the gesture = the state of one’s teeth affects how one smiles = “if a person has a good set of teeth, he or she would be prone to have a bigger smile … if a person possesses a bad set of teeth, he or she would tend to have his or her mouth shut”
Explanation: Paragraph E shows a physical trait (teeth) affects the facial gesture (smiling) → TRUE.
25. A Gesture Variant can still be understood by the members of the same culture.
Answer: TRUE
Key words: this does not cause confusion and it helps to develop our “behavioural”, which is an important aspect of our identity … a Gesture Variant
Synonyms: can still be understood = does not cause confusion = “However, this does not cause confusion … It was referred to as a Gesture Variant”
Explanation: Even with individual variation, a Gesture Variant does not cause confusion, so it is still understood → TRUE.
Question 26: Multiple Choice
26. What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?
Answer: D (to explain the concept of gesture)
Key words: Gesture is any action that sends a visual signal to an onlooker …
Synonyms: explain the concept of gesture = define gesture and describe its nature, variants and cultural differences = “Gesture is any action that sends a visual signal to an onlooker”
Explanation: The passage defines gesture and explains its nature, individual variants and cultural differences — an explanation of the concept → D.
Answer Key (Quick Reference)
| Q | Answer | Q | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | iii | 21 | C |
| 15 | viii | 22 | A |
| 16 | v | 23 | NOT GIVEN |
| 17 | x | 24 | TRUE |
| 18 | ii | 25 | TRUE |
| 19 | ix | 26 | D |
| 20 | B |
