Assertiveness Quiz
Questions: 15 · 10 minutes
1. A friend keeps asking for a favor after you have already said you cannot do it. How do you respond?
Repeat my answer calmly without adding new excuses or entering a long debate.
Offer a smaller version of the favor even though I do not have capacity for it.
Give in because continued refusal now feels uncomfortable.
Explain my reasons again and say no, though I may keep discussing it if they push.
2. A supervisor asks you to add a new task, but completing it would jeopardize work already due. What do you do?
Take it on and try to absorb the extra work quietly.
Say I am busy but accept unless the supervisor withdraws the request.
Explain the workload conflict and ask which task should take priority.
Accept initially, then later mention that one of the deadlines may slip.
3. A friend says that a comment you made hurt them, although you did not intend it that way. How do you respond?
Explain my intention first so they understand that I did not mean harm.
Acknowledge the impact, listen to their view, and explain my intent without using it to dismiss them.
Apologize quickly and change the subject before the conversation becomes heavier.
Give the situation time and wait for the discomfort to fade.
4. At a gathering, someone asks about a personal subject you do not want to discuss. What is your likely response?
Answer briefly despite my discomfort, then try to change the subject.
Say that I would rather not discuss it and redirect the conversation.
Use humor or vagueness to avoid answering without naming the boundary.
Share what they asked for because refusing would feel impolite.
5. During a meeting, the group supports a plan that you believe overlooks an important problem. What are you most likely to do?
Keep my concern to myself and support the plan so the meeting can move forward.
Mention my concern privately to someone I trust after the meeting.
Raise the concern, but soften it enough that my preferred change may remain unclear.
State the concern and my reasoning clearly, then invite the group to discuss it.
6. Someone gives you instructions that leave an important detail unclear. What do you usually do?
Ask the person a specific question about the missing detail before proceeding.
Try to infer what they meant and begin without asking.
Ask someone else how they would interpret the instructions.
Ask a broad follow-up such as “Is there anything else?” and hope it clarifies the issue.
7. You agreed to help with a project, but an unexpected obligation means you can no longer do everything promised. What do you do?
Wait and hope I can somehow manage both obligations.
Notify the person early, state what I can still do, and renegotiate the commitment.
Hint that things have become difficult and wait for them to suggest reducing my role.
Explain that I need to do less, but agree to the original plan if they seem upset.
8. After you share an idea, another person summarizes it in a way that misses your central point. What do you do?
Correct one small detail but avoid challenging their main interpretation.
Calmly restate my central point and check whether my meaning is now clear.
Let their interpretation stand to avoid making the exchange awkward.
Send a written clarification later rather than address it in the moment.
9. You realize that you spoke sharply to someone during a stressful moment. What do you do next?
Act normally and assume they will understand that I was stressed.
Send a friendly message without directly mentioning what happened.
Apologize, but spend most of the conversation describing the pressure I was under.
Acknowledge the specific behavior, apologize for its impact, and give them room to respond.
10. You are unlikely to meet a deadline without assistance. How would you approach a capable colleague?
Mention that I am extremely busy and wait to see whether they offer help.
Keep working alone because asking would feel like imposing.
Ask for help, but apologize at length and leave the amount of help vague.
Explain the situation, request specific help, and make clear that they can decline.
11. A discussion becomes tense, and both people have started repeating themselves. What do you do?
Keep presenting more evidence until the other person recognizes my point.
End the discussion and avoid returning to the subject.
Suggest a pause and agree on a specific time to continue when both are calmer.
Pause the conversation without deciding whether or when to revisit it.
12. A service provider makes an error that costs you time, then initially resists correcting it. How do you handle the exchange?
Describe the error and requested remedy clearly, then discuss realistic options if the first request is refused.
Express my frustration but leave it to them to decide what should happen next.
State what I want, but retreat from the request if they become defensive.
Accept the outcome rather than prolong an uncomfortable interaction.
13. You receive an invitation for an evening when you need time to recover and recharge. What response fits you best?
Accept because declining might disappoint the person.
Delay replying and hope the invitation becomes irrelevant.
Decline, but offer several explanations so the decision seems acceptable.
Thank them and decline clearly without treating my need for time as something to defend.
14. You receive criticism that contains one useful point but is delivered unfairly. What are you most likely to do?
Agree outwardly so the exchange ends, even if I feel misrepresented.
Focus only on the useful point and leave the unfair part unaddressed.
Defend myself immediately before considering whether any part is useful.
Pause, acknowledge the useful point, and calmly challenge the part I believe is unfair.
15. Friends ask where you would like to eat, and you have a genuine preference. How do you respond?
Name my preference and ask what everyone else thinks.
Suggest the general type of food without naming the place I want.
Say that anything is fine, even though I would prefer something specific.
Name my preference, then immediately say it does not matter if anyone hesitates.