Unit 7: Humour Excercise Solution
(Why Do We Laugh Inappropriately?)

Working with words

A. The following words are synonyms and antonyms of the verb ‘laugh’. Group them into synonyms and antonyms.

Synonyms
chuckle, giggle, chortle, crackle, snicker, groan, smirk, whoop

Antonyms
grin, sob, grimace, frown, pout, scowl, cry, moan

B. Match the following emotions with their definitons.

a. fear
an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm

b. anger
a strong feeling of displeasure

c. surprise
an unexpected event, fact, etc.

d. disgust
a feeling of strong disapproval aroused by something unpleasant

e. sadness
affected with grief or unhappiness

f. happiness
a pleasurable or satisfying experience

g. relief
removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing

h. triumph
a great victory or achievement

i. contentment
the quality or state of being satisfied 

C.The author writes, “… the contagious nature of laughter means that waves of mirth can catch on more easily when there are more people.” Find out the situations in which the following types of laughter are found.

Ans.:

1.Etiquette laughter:This type of laughter takes place in order to show correct or polite behaviour towards others. For instance, when you see your boss at the lift and smile at him, this condition is called etiquette laughter.

2.Snorting laughter:This kind of laughter occurs in the condition when one makes a sudden, intense laugh that exits your body via your nose, causing you to snort.

3.Stress-relieving laughter: Stress-relieving laughter kind of laughter occurs in the situation when someone outbursts their laughs when they are under stress.

4.Silent laughter:Silent laughter occurs in the situation when someone essentially laughs deeply without using their vocal cords

5.Nervous laughter:This kind of laughter occurs in conditions when a person physically reacts to stress, tension, confusion, or anxiety. 

6.Cruel laughter:Cruel laughter is that type of laughter that arises in a person when he/she sees the other person in pain or agony. For instance, when a person laughs when he sees another person falling down of a tree or on the road, then it is termed as cruel laughter.

Comprehension

A. Complete the following sentences with words/ phrases from the text.

a.According to Sophie Scott, laughter is one of the important and misunderstood behaviours.

b.After her study in Namibia, Scott came to the realization that laughter is one of our richest vocal tics.

c.Studies have shown that there are six universal emotions based on facial expressions. 

d.Scott found out that most of the laughs have nothing to do with humour.

e.The couples who laugh at each other are likely to stay together for longer.

f.The primary way of communication of grown-up people is laughter.

g.Comedians usually find it easier to work in larger places due to the contagious nature of laughter.

Answer the following questions.

a. Why do people giggle at someone’s pain or suffering ?

Ans. People giggle when they see someone in pain or suffering (but not in blood and bones everywhere). This happens because laughing is a natural phenomenon and one cannot avoid it.

b.What did Scott’s study in Namibia come up with ?

Ans.: Scott’s study in Namibia came up with idea that laughter is one of our richest vocal tics. 

c. How is laughter a social bonding? 

Ans.: Laughter is a social bonding because it brings people together and helps them to bond since when one laughs with people it shows them that the person likes them, agrees with them or that he/she is in the same group as them.

d.According to the author, what role does laughter play in husband-wife relationship? 

Ans.: According to the author, laughter helps to open up about personal information, improves the relationship and helps the couples to find it much easier to dissipate tension after a stressful event.

e.How does laughter work as a painkiller? 

Ans.: Laughter works as a pain killer because laughter correlates with increased pain threshold by encouraging the release of endorphins- chemicals that should also improve social bonding.

f.What did the study find about the relation between laughter and brain? 

Ans.: The study found that laughter seems to tickle the brain’s mirror regions – the areas that tend to mimic other’s actions.

g.What are two emotions that the author associates with infants and adults?

Ans.: The two emotions that the author associates with infants and adults are crying and laughing.

h.How does a stand-up comedian take audience’s laughter?

Ans.: A stand-up comedian takes the audience’s laughter as a booster to his performance because the contagious nature of laughter means that waves of mirth can catch on more easily when there are more people.

i.Show the relation between laughter and crowd.

Ans: In large crowds, the laughter seems to occur in contagious nature that waves of mirth which can catch on the audience more easily but it doesn’t happen so with a single person. 

j.What does the author mean when he says ‘there is always a meaning to it?” 

Ans.: When the author says ‘there is always a meaning to it’, he means that the laughter is never neutral. Rather, the laughter can appear trivial, ephemeral and pointless. In addition to this, different people have different understanding and their study too, have different findings even for the same laughter.

Critical thinking

a.Do you agree that ‘the couples, who laugh together, stay together?’ Is it important for married couples to have the same sense of humor ? Why ? 

Ans.: A sense of humour refers to the ability to find things funny, general enjoyment in doing so, or the particular types of things one finds funny. Sharing laughter with the person having the same sense of humour, even for a moment, creates a bond between the persons. It connects them emotionally and cognitively and temporarily levels any other differences in their intellectual, cognitive or task-oriented perspectives. The sense of “belonging” through a shared view is affirming each individual and is fortifying and bonding their connection. The various studies conducted found that having the same sense of humour among couples was beneficial to develop their relationship strong. Laughter is a social bonding because it brings people together and helps them to bond since when one laughs with people it shows them that the person likes them, agrees with them or that he/she is in the same group as them. In this text too, according to the author, laughter helps to open up about personal information, improves the relationship and helps the couples to find it much easier to dissipate tension after a stressful event.

Likewise, there are growing evidences from different studies which strengthen the claim that one of the secrets to a long and happy relationship is to laugh together often. The married couples who make fun of each other and introduce laughter as their daily source of enjoyment and humour are physically and emotionally attached to each other. So, I agree that ‘the couple, who laugh together, stay together.” So, in my opinion, it is important for married couples to have the same sense of humour.

b.Some people believe that sometimes crying is good for health. Do you believe it? Give your reasons. 

Ans.: Crying is something we have done since the moment we were born, the crucial action that helped us to fill our lungs with air.

But as we grow older, we are often conditioned to think that crying is a sign of weakness and something that needs to be stopped immediately. Crying is not only a natural response to certain emotions, but it can also be good for us.

Occasional crying at the interval of a certain period of time releases Oxytocin and ease both physical and emotional pain. Once the endorphins are released, your body may endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help go into somewhat of a numb stage. Oxytocin can give you a sense of calm or well-being Some of the benefits of laughing have been presented below are:

Helps the body release stress: Stress tightens your muscles and causes tension to build up. Crying helps release pent-up feelings and provides an outlet for stress. It’s a way of self-soothing and helps the body relax.

Eases physical and emotional pain: Crying releases hormones (like Oxytocin) and chemicals (like endorphins) into the body that help improve mood and ease pain. These feel-good chemicals can help you feel calmer and allow you to cope with emotional Situations.

Signals to others that we need support: Whether conscious or not, crying is a way to communicate our needs. When we cry with friends or family, it lets them know that we are in the need of comfort and care. It helps encourage closeness and strengthens our social bonds.

WRITING

Write a paragraph narrating an event from your life when you were involved in contagious laughter.

Ans.: This was the event that occurred to me last Saturday when I was watching a comedy show in the living room of my house. ‘The Ellen Show’ in my room. I was busy the whole morning with the preparation of my presentation for the next day. When I got tired of my preparation, I started watching the show. “The Ellen Show’ is a comedy American show hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The guest in the show was Brad Pitt, a popular American actor. The host was playing rapid-fire round with Brad Pitt in the show when the actor misspelt a word that created a different meaning. Getting another meaning of the misspelt word from Brad Pitt, Ellen DeGeneres could not control her laughter and laughed so loudly in her show that Brad Pitt and all the audiences also started laughing uncontrollably. Such came there an expression that I did not know when I myself burst into great laughter. I completely forgot that I was in a living room where my parents were busy with their work. Observing my activities and laughter, they too could not control their laughter and started laughing at me. This moment was so hilarious that I could not stop myself from laughing. And, at the same time, i.e. during our laughter, there came our neighbours too. Seeing me and my parents burst into laughter, they too started laughing looking at us. This was the event from my life when I was involved in contagious laughter.

B.Write a description of your favourite comedian explaining his/her personality, acting. performance and uniqueness.

Ans.: The most familiar name in the world cinema is that of Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) who is my favourite comedian. His contribution to the development of cinema will be remembered forever. He was associated with all its main aspects like acting, direction, production, etc of comedy shows. The typical image of Charlie Chaplin won him global popularity as a comic

actor. He was a man of stature with a bowler hat, cane moustache and turned-out feet which made the audience laugh. He began his film career in the age of silent films, but his gesture and posture reduced the deficiency of sound to a great extent. He gave a memorable performance in such silent screen classics as ‘The Kid’, ‘The Gold Rush’, ‘The Champion’ and ‘Shoulder Arms’. Sound in films came at the end of 1920s. Then he presented such brilliant talkies to the world as City Lights’ (1931). ‘Modem Times’ (1936), ‘The Great Dictator (1940) and Limelight (1952). All these films were written by Chaplin himself. The audiences were greatly entertained by the marvellous ideas and incomparable comedy of Charlie Chaplin. For his splendid contribution to cinematic art, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1975, when he was 86.

Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889, in a South London slum.

His father and mother both were stage singers. He passed hard days as a child and started giving musical performances when he was only 5. By the time he turned eight, he had become a seasoned performer. In 1914, he went to Hollywood (U.S.A.) where he acquired great fame as an actor. Once, he made a record number of 35 films in a single year. He left the U.S.A. in 1951 for Europe but when he came back, he was refused entry in the U.S.A. on the ground of suspected communist links. Then he settled in Switzerland and died there in 1977.

Though Charlie Chaplin was mainly known as a great comedian, he was the most dominant figure in world cinema during his lifetime. By his innocent and childlike pranks, he endeared himself to millions of audiences around the world.

Grammar

B. Put the frequency adverbs in appropriate place and rewrite the following sentences.

a. I forget to do my homework. (sometimes)

Sometimes I forget to do my homework.

b. My father has touched an alcoholic drink in his life. (never)

My father has never touched an alcoholic drink in his life.

c. My father goes for a walk on Saturdays. (often)

My father often goes for a walk on Saturdays.

d. We go to the movie theatre. (occasionally)

We occasionally go to the movie theatre.

e. My brother is in America. He telephones us. (from time to time)

My brother is in America. He telephones us from time to time.

f. My mother gets up at five o’clock. (always)

My mother always gets up at five o’clock.

g. He does not like alcoholic drinks but takes some wine. (now and then)

He does not like alcoholic drinks but now and then takes some wine.

h. I drink my tea with milk. (generally)

Generally, I drink my tea with milk.

i. Have you been to Agra? (ever)

Have you ever been to Agra?

j. The restaurant hours vary as it is booked for special events. (frequently)

The restaurant hours vary frequently as it is booked for special events.