Given below are two statements: Statement I: Much of non-verbal communication…
2023
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: Much of non-verbal communication is based on arbitrary use of symbols by different cultures.
Statement II: A great amount of non-verbal communication is iconic and possibly understood universally.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Answer: A. Both Statement I and Statement II are correct — ConceptNon-verbal signs can acquire meaning in more than one way. Symbols are conventional when their meaning is learned within a culture; signs are iconic…
- A.
Both Statement I and Statement II are correct
- B.
Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
- C.
Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
- D.
Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
Non-verbal signs can acquire meaning in more than one way. Symbols are conventional when their meaning is learned within a culture; signs are iconic when their form resembles what they convey. Some basic facial expressions may therefore be broadly recognized across cultures.
Application
Statement I describes cultural convention: a head movement can mean agreement in one culture and disagreement in another. Statement II describes iconicity and possible universality: basic facial expressions for emotions such as joy, fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and surprise have recognizable forms across many cultures.
Contrast
Both statements correct combines the conventional and iconic mechanisms.
Both statements incorrect excludes both documented mechanisms.
Statement I correct and Statement II incorrect excludes the cross-cultural iconic mechanism.
Statement I incorrect and Statement II correct excludes the culture-specific conventional mechanism.
Cross-check
The two statements are complementary, not contradictory: non-verbal communication includes culture-specific arbitrary symbols as well as iconic cues that may be understood across cultures.
Result
Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.