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IELTS Practice Listening: Match Headings ID: #57428 Medium Handshake
Instructions ›

Match the gestures with their messages. Choose the appropriate letters.

What message is sent by each of the following gestures?

FOR AUSTRALIAN MEN

a weak handshake

1

crushing handshake

2

half handshake

3

half handshake (FOR AUSTRALIAN WOMEN)

4

long handshake (women)

5

full, firm handshake (men)

6

FOR BOTH SEXES

no eye contact during handshake

7

Transcript:

You will hear a talk about the meaning and importance of handshakes in Australian culture. Now listen carefully and answer the questions. Shaking hands is the most accepted way of touching someone you don't know. And the idea of touching them is, in itself, important. If you don't shake someone's hand when they are clearly expecting it, the message you are sending is that you're not interested in them. So I advise you, fellows, to shake hands here, even if you don't normally do so in your own country. If you think that simply shaking hands is enough, though, then you'd better listen to what I have to say next. How you shake hands is almost as important as the act itself. How you shake hands tells the other person a lot about you. It's true, and especially so of men. Here's what I mean. A limp or weak handshake by a man has the same meaning as no handshake at all. The message is, I'm not very interested in you. Think about this, because I know that some of you may come from cultures that accept limp handshakes as normal. Here, even if you don't intend to, you may send the wrong message. Is the best way, then, to use all your muscles and crush and possibly hurt the other person's hand? Man-to-man handshakes in Australia are sometimes like this. The message behind this kind of handshake is aggressiveness and a desire to compete. Unless you specifically want to communicate these feelings to the other person, you don't have to shake hands with all your strength. One more type of male handshake that can send the wrong message is the half handshake. Here, only the front half of the fingers is offered to the other person's hand. The message is that you have little confidence that you're shy. I'm not a strong or courageous person. That's what a half handshake says. Let's look now at how it is for women. Until recently, Women in Australia felt no great need to shake hands during introductions. That's changed as more and more women are working in business, government and academia. The way that women used to shake hands with men was to give only half the hand, that is, the fingers only. This gave little impression or message, at least to men. Nowadays, women are having to learn again how to shake hands. Now, women are beginning to offer all of the hand, the fingers and palm. The other person's hand is held and shaken firmly, but not too hard. This communicates to the other person more of a feeling of confidence or strength than the old-fashioned way of doing it. How long should you shake hands? That's right, the length of time you shake hands also says something about you. If a man lets go of the other person's hand too quickly, what kind of message do you think that sends? Releasing your hand quite soon indicates that you don't want to get too involved, or you're not very interested in the other person. That goes for both women and men. However, It's both more acceptable and more common for two men to shake hands for a longer time, even as long as six or seven seconds. The message in this case is 'I like you' and generally indicates that the two men think they'll get on well. Finally, what do you do with your eyes when you're shaking a stranger's hand? In this society at least, you should look at the other person straight in the eyes. If you look somewhere else, like looking down or to the side, this sends a negative message to the other person. The other person may think you're being arrogant, that your action says, I am better than you. Another unpleasant message that comes across when there is no eye contact is, You don't exist or I don't recognize your existence. So you see, there really is quite a lot to consider when shaking hands in this culture. As silly as it may sound, practising handshaking, say with a friend, may be a good way to become confident so that the next time you need to introduce yourself in a formal setting here in Australia, you will feel comfortable knowing you did it the right way.
7 gaps
Options
no message
confidence
lack of confidence
lack of interest
arrogance
competence
competitiveness
mutual liking
recognition
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.

Question Focus: What message a weak handshake sends for Australian men

Why this is correct: The speaker describes a weak handshake as sending the same message as not shaking hands at all. This matches no message because the limp handshake effectively communicates nothing meaningful.

Passage Reference: A limp or weak handshake by a man has the same meaning as no handshake at all. The message is, I'm not very interested in you.

Tips: Listen carefully when the speaker compares two things as having the same meaning.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • lack of confidence: This is tempting because a weak action can feel shy, but the speaker does not say this here. This is a paraphrase trap.
  • lack of interest: While the passage mentions 'not very interested', the option 'no message' better captures the idea that the handshake fails to communicate anything. This is a partial truth trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • limp = weak
  • interested = caring

Question Focus: What message a crushing handshake sends for Australian men

Passage Reference: The message behind this kind of handshake is aggressiveness and a desire to compete.

Why this is correct: When describing a very strong handshake, the speaker says it shows aggressiveness and a desire to compete. This directly matches competitiveness.

Tips: Do not choose a positive-sounding option if the speaker describes the action negatively.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • confidence: Being strong can sound positive, but the speaker links it to competition, not confidence. This is a partial truth trap.
  • competence: Skill or ability is never mentioned here. This is a context shift trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • crush = squeeze very hard
  • aggressive = forceful

Question Focus: What message a half handshake sends for Australian men

Passage Reference: One more type of male handshake that can send the wrong message is the half handshake. Here, only the front half of the fingers is offered to the other person's hand. The message is that you have little confidence that you're shy. I'm not a strong or courageous person. That's what a half handshake says.

Why this is correct: The speaker explains very clearly that a half handshake shows little confidence. He even repeats the message to make it very clear.

Tips: When the speaker explains a gesture in detail, that meaning is usually tested.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • lack of interest: Interest was linked to a weak handshake earlier, not this one. This is a sequence trap.
  • no message: The speaker explains the message in detail, so it is not no message. This is a negation trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • half = not complete
  • confidence = self-belief

Question Focus: What message a half handshake sends for Australian women

Passage Reference: The way that women used to shake hands with men was to give only half the hand, that is, the fingers only. This gave little impression or message, at least to men.

Why this is correct: The speaker says a woman's half handshake gave little impression or message. Offering only fingers shows the woman is not interested enough to give a full handshake, matching lack of interest.

Tips: Notice when the speaker compares men and women. The meaning can change.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • no message: While the passage says 'little impression or message', the half handshake does communicate something - a lack of engagement. This is a partial truth trap.
  • confidence: The speaker says the opposite of confidence here. This is a negation trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • impression = feeling
  • at least = especially

Question Focus: What message a longer handshake sends for women

Passage Reference: This communicates to the other person more of a feeling of confidence or strength than the old-fashioned way of doing it.

Why this is correct: The speaker explains that women are now learning to offer the full hand and shake firmly. This communicates a feeling of confidence or strength. The word confidence appears directly in the passage.

Tips: In matching questions, choose the option that fits the social meaning, not just one word.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • competence: Competence means skill or ability, but the speaker says 'confidence or strength', not competence. This is a partial truth trap.
  • mutual liking: Mutual liking is about shared feelings, not personal strength. This is a context shift trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • firm = strong but not hard
  • communicates = shows

Question Focus: What message a full, firm handshake sends between men

Passage Reference: It's both more acceptable and more common for two men to shake hands for a longer time, even as long as six or seven seconds. The message in this case is 'I like you' and generally indicates that the two men think they'll get on well.

Why this is correct: The speaker says a longer handshake between men shows I like you and that they will get on well. That clearly means mutual liking.

Tips: Pay attention when the speaker explains what a gesture means emotionally.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • confidence: Confidence is mentioned elsewhere, but here the focus is on liking the other person. This is a context shift trap.
  • recognition: Recognition is about noticing someone, not liking them. This is a paraphrase trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • acceptable = OK
  • get on well = have a good relationship

Question Focus: What message no eye contact sends during a handshake

Passage Reference: If you look somewhere else, like looking down or to the side, this sends a negative message to the other person. The other person may think you're being arrogant, that your action says, I am better than you.

Why this is correct: The speaker says clearly that avoiding eye contact can make the other person think you are being arrogant. This is stated directly.

Tips: When the speaker lists several meanings, focus on the strongest or clearest one.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • lack of interest: Interest was linked earlier to hand strength and time, not eye contact. This is a context shift trap.
  • recognition: The speaker mentions recognition, but as an additional idea, not the main one tested here. This is a partial truth trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • arrogant = thinking you are better
  • existence = being real

General Tips:

  • Questions follow the order of the recording, so use the previous answer to predict what comes next.
  • Listen for explanations like "the message is" or "this communicates" - these often signal the answer.
  • Be careful when the speaker compares men and women. Meanings can change.
  • Do not choose an option just because it sounds positive or logical. Choose what the speaker actually says.
  • The speaker may explain one gesture in detail - that detail is usually tested.

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