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LanguageCert Practice Reading: Part 3: Multi-Text Attribution ID: #60293 Hard Facial Expressions and Human Emotions
Instructions ›
Read the four texts about facial expressions. There are seven questions about the texts. Which text gives you the answer to each question? Choose the correct text (A–D) for each question.
A The emotions that people feel play out on their faces and in body language, and it’s widely accepted that these emotions are easy to recognise. For example, a smile generally equates with happiness or joy, a frown denotes sadness, and a scowl informs others that someone is feeling annoyed. However, evidence from many years of research shows that basing assumptions about how someone is feeling on these beliefs doesn’t yield accurate results. The majority of the time, facial expressions do reflect the feelings generally associated with them, but there are many apparent discrepancies: people frown when they’re deep in concentration, they smile in order not to betray feelings of insecurity, and they scowl in confusion. The same expression doesn’t reflect the same feeling each time it’s used. One study found that in large urban cultures, people scowl when they’re angry only 30% of the time, which leaves 70% of the time when a scowl means something quite different.
B The fact that people aren’t as good as they think at recognising how someone is feeling has implications for designers of AI who are developing systems to figure out users’ emotions. Such technologies have many potential applications. For example, robots help autistic children acquire social skills and, in the foreseeable future, there could be cars that can detect when a driver is distracted, warning them before a mishap occurs. Law enforcers could perhaps use AI technologies to predict people’s reactions in certain situations. Computers haven’t historically been emotionally intelligent and don’t recognise the emotions of the user. But how users interact with them could be made smoother if they were programmed to identify people’s reactions. Technologies that have the capacity to respond to the user’s frustrations may be a real possibility before long. It’s an idea that, if implemented on a large scale, could revolutionise the way people and computers work together.
C Psychologists have long worked on the assumption that humans have six basic emotions that are instantly recognisable around the world. These comprise happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the facial expressions linked with these emotions are universal, expressed in the same way across cultures, in those who are blind, and in many animal species. In one study, an international group of participants were shown the same set of photos in which actors posed with exaggerated expressions of the six emotions. Researchers found that there was a high degree of consistency between participants regarding the emotion that they believed was being expressed. More recent research, however, suggests that correctly recognising emotions isn’t so straightforward. Even at an individual level, humans are inconsistent at recognising the genuine emotion. Facial expressions carry meaning, but they represent a wider range of meaning than was previously thought.
D Recent research indicates that people aren’t very successful at recognising the emotions of others from facial expressions alone. Nonetheless, they’re able to communicate effectively with one another, and this is due to a number of other signals that help determine how someone is feeling. People are adept at understanding tone of voice, body language, the significance of any words used, and facial movements. A mouth turned downwards at the corners may mean that a person is feeling sad, but it may also be a reflection of frustration and boredom. Indeed, researchers suggest that it makes more sense to think of facial expressions in terms of categories. For example, a smile may be an expression of joy, but it may also represent amusement or surprise. It’s possible to determine the feeling being conveyed by taking note of how long a smile is held, how wide it is and what happens directly before and after it.
In which text does the writer exemplify ways in which an understanding of facial expressions can help certain groups in society?
In which text does the writer offer alternative interpretations of familiar facial expressions?
In which text does the writer challenge the once commonly held view that human emotions are restricted in number?
In which text does the writer refer to a study that has led previous findings to be questioned?
In which text does the writer identify specific features of expressions that are commonly linked to particular feelings?
In which text does the writer explain how people use a range of clues to help them interpret facial expressions correctly?
In which text does the writer suggest a way in which one kind of relationship might be improved?
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.

Question Focus: Asks which text gives examples of reading emotions helping particular groups.

Why this is correct: Text B gives examples of who benefits, such as robots helping autistic children learn social skills. That is understanding expressions helping certain groups.

Question Focus: Asks which text says a common expression can mean something different.

Why this is correct: Text A gives other meanings for familiar faces: a frown can mean concentration, a smile can hide worry, a scowl can mean confusion. Those are alternative readings.

Question Focus: Asks which text questions the old idea that there are only a few emotions.

Why this is correct: Text C first gives the old view of just six basic emotions, then says faces carry a wider range of meaning than thought. That challenges the idea that emotions are few.

Question Focus: Asks which text mentions research that casts doubt on earlier results.

Why this is correct: Text C reports newer research that questions the earlier belief that emotions are easy to read. That is a study leading old findings to be doubted.

Question Focus: Asks which text names exact faces that usually go with certain feelings.

Why this is correct: Text A names specific faces and the feelings they usually show: smile-happiness, frown-sadness, scowl-annoyed. That identifies the features linked to feelings.

Question Focus: Asks which text says we read feelings using many clues, not just the face.

Why this is correct: Text D lists the many clues we use - tone of voice, body language, words and face movements - to read feelings well. That matches using a range of clues.

Question Focus: Asks which text suggests making one type of relationship better.

Why this is correct: Text B suggests the relationship between people and computers could improve if machines could read our reactions. That is bettering one kind of relationship.

General Tips:

  • Read all four texts first and note each one's main claim about faces.
  • Questions use paraphrasing, so match the meaning, not the exact words.
  • Several texts mention 'emotions' - pick the one with the exact point asked.
  • For 'example' questions, look for a text that names real cases or groups.

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