Question

Read the following passage from Dale Carnegie—who was a motivational writer and speaker in the
twentieth century—and then answer the question.
The speaker whose thoughts and emotions are welling within him like a mountain spring will not
have much trouble to make gestures; it will be merely a question of properly directing them. If his
enthusiasm for his subject is not such as to give him a natural impulse for dramatic action, it will avail
nothing to furnish him with a long list of rules. He may tack on some movements, but they will look
like the wilted branches nailed to a tree to simulate life. Gestures must be born, not built. A wooden
horse may amuse the children, but it takes a live one to go somewhere (Carnegie 122).
Which of the following is the best paraphrase of this passage?
1. The public speaker whose ideas and feelings rise within them like an overflowing spring
will have no trouble making gestures. The speaker will merely have to direct those gestures. If they are not enthusiastic enough about the subject to be moved to dramatic action,
no list of rules will change that. They may add some movements or gestures, but they will
look like the dead branches nailed to a tree to simulate life. Gestures are born, not built. A
wooden horse may amuse kids, but only a live horse can actually carry you somewhere.
2. Dale Carnegie writes, “The speaker whose thoughts and emotions are welling within him
like a mountain spring will not have much trouble to make gestures; it will be merely a
question of properly directing them” (122).
3. According to Dale Carnegie, a public speakers’ gestures and dramatic physical movements
must grow out of the speaker’s passion and interest in the subject. If the speaker has no
passion, no rules will make artificial or contrived gestures effective (122).
4. As Dale Carnegie noted, our gestures as public speakers should follow naturally from our
knowledge of—and enthusiasm for—our subjects. In other words, if we are knowledgeable,
passionate, and mindful of our body language, our physical appearance and movements
will inevitably create drama and interest for our audience as we speak. However, if we are
disengaged or uninterested in the topic, we will not be able to fake interest with rote physi

Answer 1

3

Option 3 captures the main point succinctly: gestures must come from genuine passion and cannot be made effective by rules alone. Options 1 is overly close to the original wording (and essentially restates it), 2 is only a partial quote, and 4 adds ideas (e.g., knowledge and “mindfulness” of body language) that the passage does not assert.