Etiquette Quiz

Knowing and understanding etiquette and protocol offers an enormous advantage in today's professional landscape. This knowledge empowers individuals to navigate social and professional situations with grace, confidence, and professionalism, allowing them to conduct business on an international scale. Impeccable etiquette and adherence to protocol distinguish individuals, showcasing their professionalism, attention to detail, and cultural intelligence. By mastering these unwritten rules and established norms, individuals enhance their career prospects, positioning themselves as reliable and polished assets within their respective fields, propelling their careers forward.

The test below contains 18 relatively easy questions. Good luck and do your best.

Question 1:
Your boss, Ms. Alpha, enters the room when you're meeting with an important client, Mr. Beta. You rise and say "Ms. Alpha, I'd like you to meet Mr. Beta, our client from San Diego." Is this introduction correct?

Question 2:
At a social function, you meet the CEO of an important corporation. After a brief chat, you give him your business card. Is this correct?

Question 3:
You answer the phone for your supervisor who cannot reach his phone in time. You ask: "Who's calling, please?" Are you correct?

Question 4:
You are entering a cab with a client. You position yourself so the client is seated curbside. Is this correct?

Question 5:
You are hosting a dinner at a restaurant. You have pre-ordered for everyone and indicated where he or she should sit. Are you correct?

Question 6:
A toast has been proposed in your honor. You say "thank you" and take a sip of your drink. Are you correct?

Question 7:
You are in a restaurant and a thin soup is served in a cup with no handles. To eat it you should:

A. Pick it up and drink it.
B. Use the spoon provided, not picking up the cup at all.
C. Eat half of it with a spoon and drink the remainder.
D. Use the spoon provided, picking up the cup to finish the soup completely.

Question 8:
You are at a dinner and champagne is served with the dessert. You simply can not drink champagne yet know the host will be offering a toast. You should:

A. Tell the waiter "no champagne".
B. Turn over your glass.
C. Ask the waiter to pour water into your champagne glass instead.
D. Say nothing and allow the champagne to be poured.

Question 9:
You are at a table in a restaurant for a business dinner. Midway through the meal, you're called to the telephone. What do you do with your napkin?

A. Take it with you.
B. Fold it and place it to the left of your plate.
C. Loosely fold it and place it on the right side.
D. Leave it on your chair.

Question 10:
You are hosting a dinner party at a restaurant. Included are three other couples, including your most valuable client and his wife. You instruct the waiter to:

A. Serve your spouse first.
B. Serve your client's spouse first.
C. Serve you first.
D. Serve you and your spouse last.

Question 11:
You are invited to a reception and the invitation states "7:00 to 9:00 p.m." You should, or you may:

A. Arrive at 6:55 p.m.
B. Arrive any time between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
C. Arrive any time between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
D. Arrive around 9.00 p.m.

Question 12:
You are introduced to a new colleague. Which sentence is clearly wrong?

A. Hello, I have heard so much about you.
B. How do you do?
C. It is a pleasure to meet you.
D. Hello, how are you?

Question 13:
You are talking with a group of four people. With whom do you make eye contact?

A. With the person to whom you are speaking at that moment.
B. Each of the four, moving your eye contact from one to another.
C. With the other three people you are not speaking at that moment.
D. No particular person.

Question 14:
The waiter is coming toward you to serve wine. You do not want any. You turn your glass upside down. Are you correct?

Question 15:
When you greet a visitor in your office, you should:

A. Say nothing about where the visitor should sit and let the visitor sit where he or she wishes.
B. Tell the visitor where to sit.
C. Say "Please sit anywhere".
D. Simply sit down yourself and the visitor will find a place himself or herself.

Question 16:
You are invited to dinner in a private home. When do you take your napkin from the table and place it on your lap?

A. Immediately when you sit down.
B. Wait for the host or hostess to take his or her napkin before taking yours.
C. Wait for the oldest person at the table to take his/hers.
D. Wait for the acknowledged head of the table to take his or hers before taking yours.

Question 17:
You are scheduled to meet a business associate for a working lunch and you arrive a few minutes early to find a suitable table. Thirty minutes later your associate still has not arrived. You should:

A. Order your lunch and eat.
B. Continue waiting.
C. Tell the head waiter you're not staying and give him a card to present to your associate to prove you were there.
D. Call your associate after fifteen more minutes.

Question 18:
You have forgotten a lunch with a business associate. You feel terrible and know he is furious. You should:

A. Write a letter of apology.
B. Send flowers.
C. Keep quiet and hope he forgets about it.
D. Call and set up another appointment.

Answer 1:

"Ms. Alpha, I'd like you to meet Mr. Beta, our client from San Diego." Is this introduction correct? No. The correct way is this: "Mr. Beta, may I introduce Ms. Alpha" or "Mr. Beta, may I introduce to you Ms. Alpha." In this case the client is introduced, or somebody is introduced to him. The client is the most important person. People are introduced to the client, not the other way around.

Answer 2:
At a social function, you meet the CEO of an important corporation. After a brief chat, you give him your business card. Is this correct? No, this is wrong, unless he asks for the business card. Resist the urge to "quickly score" a contact.

Answer 3:
You answer the phone for your supervisor who cannot reach the phone in time. You ask: "Who's calling, please?" Are you correct? No you are not. In this case it is none of your business who is calling.

Answer 4:
You are entering a cab with a client. You position yourself so the client is seated curbside. Is this correct? Yes. When your client steps out of the cab, he or she will be on the curbside and therefore won't have to deal with getting out in traffic or sliding across the seat.

Answer 5:
You are hosting a dinner at a restaurant. You have pre-ordered for everyone and indicated where he or she should sit. Are you correct? Yes. It will make everybody's life so much easier. Also, many times at a restaurant people feel awkward when they do not know where they are supposed to sit.

Answer 6:
A toast has been proposed in your honor. You say "thank you" and take a sip of your drink. Are you correct? No. If you do, then you're toasting yourself. Other people toast in your honor and in that case you do not sip.

Answer 7:
You are in a restaurant and a thin soup is served in a cup with no handles. To eat it you should: (B and/or D) Use the spoon provided. It's not a cup of coffee, for heaven's sake. And don't slurp, either.

Answer 8:
You are at a dinner and champagne is served with the dessert. You simply cannot drink champagne yet know the host will be offering a toast. You should: (D) Say nothing and allow the champagne to be poured. It's more polite not to call attention to yourself and the fact that you can't drink champagne. You may lift the glass to acknowledge the toast without sipping.

Answer 9:
You are at a table in a restaurant for a business dinner. Midway through the meal, you are called to the telephone. What do you do with your napkin? (D) Leave it on your chair. Definitely don't put it on the table as this is only done when dinner is finished.

Answer 10:
You are hosting a dinner party at a restaurant. Included are two other couples, and your most valuable client and his wife. You instruct the waiter to: (B and/or D) Serve your client's spouse first and/or serve you and your spouse last. Sort of a trick question, but this is important.

Answer 11:
You are invited to a reception and the invitation states "7:00 to 9:00 p.m." You should: (B) Arrive anytime between 7:00 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. Point of the question/answer is that it is terribly impolite to arrive early (before 7.00 p.m.) and at the same time it is impolite to arrive after 8.30 p.m. as the event lasts until 9.00 p.m.

Answer 12:
You are introduced to a new colleague. Which sentence is clearly wrong? (A) Hello, I have heard so much about you. This is rude as it means that you have been speaking with others about this person.

Answer 13:
You're talking with a group of four people. With whom do you make eye contact? (B) Make eye contact with all of the individuals in the group so all the persons feel they are part of the conversation.

Answer 14:
The waiter is coming toward you to serve wine. You do not want any. You turn your glass upside down. Are you correct? No. Again, do not call attention to yourself or your  dislike of your host's chosen beverage.

Answer 15:
When you greet a visitor in your office, you should: (B) Tell the visitor where to sit. This will make him or her feel more comfortable. A good way of doing this is by saying: "Please take a seat", and at the same time pulling out the chair a bit. "Just sit anywhere" is simply plain wrong.

Answer 16:
You are invited to dinner in a private home. When do you take your napkin from the table and place it on your lap? (B and/or D) Wait for the host or for the acknowledged head of the table to take his or her napkin before taking yours.

Answer 17:
You are scheduled to meet a business associate for a working lunch and you arrive a few minutes early to find a suitable table. Thirty minutes later your associate still has not arrived. You should: (A) Order your lunch and eat. You have waited 30 minutes. Expect an apology later.

Answer 18:
You have forgotten a lunch with a business associate. You feel terrible and know he is furious. You should? (D) Call and set up another appointment. Do not forget to apologize for your error.

18: Congratulations! You're savvy and polite, and know how to make others feel comfortable and important.

14-17: You're doing well, but you may miss a detail here and there. Take a little time to brush up.

11-13: You may find yourself doing or saying the wrong thing too often. Observe the behavior of others and learn from it. A guide to business etiquette will help you considerably.