Here is a revision of a little quiz to introduce the
topic of height in a nonverbal or other communication class. It contains both historical and contemporary
personalities and should play well in the classroom.
The
Self-test
Try estimating the heights of the following famous
people whom you’ve probably read about or heard about (but probably not seen in
person) by circling the guessed height. In each of these examples, one of the
heights given is correct.
1.
Baby Face Nelson (bank robber and murderer in the 1930s): 5ʹ5ʺ,
5ʹ11ʺ, 6ʹ2ʺ
2.
Ludwig Van Beethoven (influential German composer): 5’6”,
6’0”, 6’5”
3.
Kim Kardashian (media personality): 5’2”, 5’5”, 5’8”
4.
Buckminster Fuller (scientist, credited with inventing the
geodesic dome): 5’2”, 5’10”, 6’3”
5.
Bruno Mars (singer): 5’5”, 5’8”, 5’10”
6.
Mahatma Gandhi (Indian political leader whose civil
disobedience led to India’s independence from British rule): 5’3”, 5’8”, 6’0”
7.
Jada Pinkett Smith (actor): 5’0”, 5’6”, 5’9”
8.
Joan of Arc (military leader, burned for heresy at age 19,
and declared a saint) 4’11, 5’4”, 5’10”
9.
T. E. Lawrence of Arabia (adventurer and British army
officer) 5’5”, 6’0”, 6’5”
10.
Salma Hayek (actor): 5’2”, 5’5”, 5’8”.
The Follow-up
This exercise was designed to see if you
would overestimate the heights of a number of these people. Fame seems to be
associated with height, and so most people would think these people were/are
taller than they really were/are. The specific heights for all are the shortest
heights given above: Baby Face Nelson, 5¢5ʺ; Ludwig Van
Beethoven, 5¢6ʺ; Kim Kardashian, 5’2”; Buckminister Fuller, 5¢2ʺ; Bruno Mars, 5’5”; Mahatma Gandhi, 5¢3ʺ; Jada
Pinkett Smith, 5’0”; Joan of Arc, 4¢11ʺ; T. E.
Lawrence, 5¢5ʺ; and Salma Hayek, 5¢2ʺ.
