Question

question 40
jill is visiting her boyfriends family in china. she points at him with her index finger during a conversation, which his family doesnt seem to like. her boyfriend later explains that she should point with an open hand instead of using a finger. why is this instruction needed?
the meaning of gestures is not universal.
the action of pointing does not have symbolic meaning.
jill was attempting to be rude to his family.
sanctions exist in china, but not in the united states where jill is from.

Explanation:

Gestures can have different meanings in different cultures. In some cultures, pointing with an index finger may be considered rude or disrespectful, while in others, it may be a neutral or even positive gesture. Since Jill is in China (a different cultural context than her own likely), the meaning of her gesture (pointing with index finger) is not the same as it might be in her home culture. The instruction to use an open - hand instead is because the meaning of gestures (like pointing) is culturally specific (not universal).
The second option is incorrect because pointing does have symbolic meaning (just varies by culture). The third option is wrong as there's no indication Jill was trying to be rude. The fourth option about sanctions is not relevant to the gesture - meaning issue.

Answer:

The meaning of gestures is not universal.