Question
Read the source paragraph below, and then decide which of the two multiple-choice paragraphs that follow is correct. (Click on the correct paraphrase.)
The source (from page 57 of Peter Farber’s book Word Play):
The source (from page 57 of Peter Farber’s book Word Play):
Most speakers unconsciously duel even during seemingly casual conversations, as can often be observed at social gatherings where they show less concern for exchanging information with other guests than for asserting their own dominance. Their verbal dueling often employs very subtle weapons like mumbling, a hostile act which defeats the listener’s desire to understand what the speaker claims he is trying to say (but is really not saying because he is mumbling!). Or the verbal dueler may keep talking after someone has passed out of hearing range, which is often an aggressive challenge to the listener to return and acknowledge the dominance of the speaker.
A According to Peter Farber, people at parties and other social events often “unconsciously duel” in conversations in order to assert “dominance” over others. For example, a speaker may mumble, thus preventing a listener from understanding what is said. Or he or she may continue talking after the listener has moved away, a “challenge to the listener to return and acknowledge the dominance of the speaker” (Farber 57).
B Peter Farber states that in social gatherings people often compete unconsciously to assert their own dominance. Sometimes they use subtle techniques like “mumbling,” to force listeners to work hard to hear what the speaker is saying. Or they talk even after a potential listener has passed out of hearing range, an aggressive attempt at forcing the listener to return and acknowledge the superiority of the speaker (Farber 57).
This question is taken from English 1A – Reading and Composition » Spring 2022 » Quiz 7 Paraphrasing Sources
