Face masks are commonly used in rituals and performances.

They not only hide the real

faceof the mask wearer but they often evoke powerful emotions in the audience---anger, fear,
sadness, joy. You might think, because so many things vary cross-culturally, that the ways in
which emotions are displayed and recognized in the face vary too. Apparently they do not.
Recent research on masks from different cultures supports the conclusion that masks, like faces,
tend to represent certain emotions in the same ways. We now have some evidence that the
symbolism used in masks is often universal.

The research on masks builds on work done by anthropologists, who used photographs of
individuals experiencing various emotions. These photographs were shown to members of
different cultural groups who were asked to identify the emotions displayed in the photographs.
Emotions were identified correctly by most viewers, whatever the viewers native culture.

Coding schemes were developed to enable researchers to compare the detailed facial
positions of individual portions of the face (eyebrows, mouth, etc.) for different emotions. What
exactly do we do when we scowl? We contract the eyebrows and lower the corners of the
mouth; in geometric terms, we make angles and diagonals on our faces. When we smile, we
raise the corners of the mouth; we make it curved.

Psychologist Joel Arnoff and his colleagues compared two types of wooden face masks
from many different societies---masks described as threatening versus masks associated with
nonthreatenting functions. As suspected, the twp sets of masks had significant differences in
certain facial elements. The threatening masks had eyebrows and eyes facing inward and
downward and a downward-facing mouth. In more abstract or geometrical terms, threatening
features generally tend to be angular or diagonal and nonthreatening features tend to be curved
or rounded. A face with a pointed beard is threatening; a babys face is not. The theory is that
humans express and recognize basic emotions in uniform ways because all human faces are
quite similar, skeletally and muscularly.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss? D

(A) The techniques for comparing facial expressions across cultures

(B) The photography of faces and masks

(C) Cultural variations in mask making

(D) The uniformity of facial expressions in revealing emotions

2. According to the passage, masks are used in performances to B

(A) disguise the real emotions of the performers

(B) cause members of the audience to have strong emotional reactions

(C) remind the audience that an illusion is being created

(D) identify the cultural background of the performers

3. The word they in line 2 refers to A

(A) masks

(B) rituals

(C) performances

(D) emotions

4. The word evidence in line 6 is closest in meaning to C

(A) concern

(B) interest

(C) proof

(D) reference

5. What does the author mean by stating, the symbolism used in masks is often universal
(lines 6)? D

(A) Masks are sometimes used to hide emotions.

(B) Performers often need help conveying emotions to an audience.

(C) Not all societies use masks in their rituals and performances.

(D) People from different cultures generally express certain emotions in similar ways.

6. The word schemes in line 11 is closest in meaning to A

(A) systems

(B) presentations

(C) proposals

(D) investigations

7. What does the author suggest by stating, in geometric terms, we make angles and
diagonals on our faces. (lines 13-14) ? C

(A) Different portions of the face are used to show specific emotions.

(B) It is difficult to use objective terminology to describe facial expressions.

(C) Facial expressions can be described in terms of shapes.

 (D) Precise methods of classifying emotions have not been developed.

8. The word significant in line 17 is closest in meaning to B

(A) excellent

(B) important

(C) continuous

(D) genuine

9. The passage mentions a babys face inline 20 as an example of a C

(A) typical human face

(B) source of inspiration in the creation of masks

(C) nonthreatening face

(D) face that expresses few emotions.