Etiquette Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. You accidentally interrupt someone during a conversation. How should you recover?
Finish your point quickly so the interruption takes less time.
Explain why your point could not wait before giving the floor back.
Remain silent for the rest of the conversation to compensate.
Apologize briefly and invite the person to finish what they were saying.
2. You arrive at a busy counter and cannot tell where the queue ends. What should you do?
Stand near the counter until a gap appears.
Choose the person who seems least likely to object and stand ahead of them.
Begin a second line and let the staff decide which line to serve.
Ask nearby people where the line ends, then join it there.
3. An invitation requests an RSVP by Friday, but you already know you cannot attend. What is the most courteous response?
Say nothing unless the host contacts you personally.
Wait until the event has passed so the host does not feel rejected.
Decline promptly rather than waiting until Friday.
Accept provisionally and cancel if the host asks for confirmation.
4. You need to say an unfamiliar person's name aloud at an event. What is the best way to avoid an incorrect assumption?
Ask the person privately how they pronounce their name, then follow their lead.
Avoid using the name throughout the event.
Use the pronunciation that seems most common for that spelling.
Ask someone else with a similar name to choose the pronunciation.
5. You are emailing the same announcement to many people who do not know one another. How should you address recipient privacy?
Put every address in the To field because all recipients are receiving identical news.
Place the recipients in BCC so their addresses are not shared with the group.
Use CC so recipients can remove their own addresses if desired.
Send the list first and ask whether anyone objects to having their address visible.
6. You offer your seat on a crowded bus, and the other passenger politely declines. What should you do next?
Accept the answer graciously and allow the person to decide for themselves.
Ask why the person does not want to sit down.
Leave the seat empty to show that the offer remains available.
Continue insisting until the person accepts the seat.
7. If you need to cough or sneeze and do not have time to reach a sink, what is the best immediate response?
Cover your mouth with your bare hand and continue as normal.
Turn your face away without covering the cough or sneeze.
Use a tissue or your elbow, then clean your hands as appropriate.
Hold it in, even if doing so causes another loud cough moments later.
8. Background noise begins unexpectedly while you are on a group video call. What is the best immediate response?
Keep speaking at a higher volume so everyone can hear you.
Mute your microphone until you can speak without disrupting the call.
Leave the call without telling anyone why.
Ask every participant to mute while you address the noise.
9. A person using a mobility device appears to be having difficulty with a heavy door. What is the most respectful first step?
Take hold of the mobility device and guide the person through.
Open the door without speaking and decide how much help is needed.
Ask whether assistance would be helpful and follow the person's response.
Find someone who knows the person before offering any assistance.
10. While introducing two people, you suddenly forget one person's name. What should you do?
Briefly apologize and ask the person to remind you of their name.
Skip both names and hope they introduce themselves later.
Guess the name so the introduction keeps moving.
Ask the other person whether they remember it.
11. You accidentally damage an item you borrowed from a friend. What should you do?
Explain that ordinary lending always involves a chance of damage.
Return it without mentioning the damage unless your friend notices.
Keep it until you can find an identical replacement without explanation.
Tell your friend promptly, apologize, and offer to repair or replace it.
12. You arrive late to a theater after the performance has started. What is the most courteous course of action?
Use your phone's flashlight to find your assigned seat independently.
Ask seated audience members to move until you reach your seat immediately.
Wait beside the entrance while discussing seating options with your companion.
Follow staff guidance and enter at an appropriate moment with minimal disruption.
13. A restaurant order arrives differently from what you requested. What is the most courteous way to address it?
Eat it without comment, then post a public complaint afterward.
Calmly explain the issue to the server and state the correction you need.
Describe the server's mistake to nearby diners before requesting help.
Call across the room so the problem is corrected quickly.
14. A child receives a gift they do not particularly like while the giver is present. What response best demonstrates good manners?
Ask whether the giver kept the receipt before saying anything else.
Explain honestly why the gift does not suit the child's tastes.
Thank the giver for thinking of the child without criticizing the gift.
Say the child will probably appreciate it more when they are older.
15. During a shared meal, there is no urgent reason to check your phone. Where should it generally be?
Silenced and put away so your attention remains with the group.
In your hand, provided you only read messages and do not reply.
Face down beside your plate so notifications are less visible.
On the table with the sound on in case something interesting arrives.
16. After accepting a dinner invitation, you realize you have a dietary restriction the host may not know about. What is the most considerate approach?
Wait until the meal is served and then identify what you cannot eat.
Tell the host promptly, explain the restriction simply, and offer a manageable solution if helpful.
Send the host a complete replacement menu that meets your needs.
Bring a separate meal without mentioning it beforehand.