Answer:
IT IS BEACUSE HEY ADOPT THIS HABIT OF SHAKING
Answer:
From this line, we can infer that kenniston is very responsible; organized. I'm not sure of the entire context of the story, but from this sentence, we can see that kenniston is most likely a natural leader, declining a suggestion (whatever it is) that would prevent him from carrying out his duties/responsibilities.
Because it isn’t a commonly known measure anymore, simply is not used much.