Optimistic Explanatory Style Scale, OESS Test - the question form
Questions: 29 · 6 minutes
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1. A secret admirer gives you flowers. You think:
A. I must be someone she likes.
B. No surprise—I am liked by many people.
2. You win an election for an official position.
A. I put a lot of time and effort into winning this election.
B. I always work hard.
3. You miss an important meeting. You think:
Sometimes I forget to check my planner.
Sometimes my memory lets me down.
4. You hosted a great party.
A. I was especially good that evening.
B. I am generally a good host.
5. You fail an important exam. You think:
A. I did not prepare well for it.
B. I am less intelligent than the others who took this exam.
6. You prepared a special meal for a friend, and she barely touched it.
This time, I did not have much time to cook.
I am a poor cook.
7. You lose a sporting competition that you have trained for over a long period of time.
A. I am not very successful in this sport.
B. I have poor athletic ability.
8. In an argument with a friend, you lose your temper.
She was in a bad mood.
She is always pushing me to the limit.
9. Your bonus was taken away because you did not submit a report on time. You think:
A. This time I did not manage to submit it on time.
B. I always turn in materials later than I should.
10. The team you are rooting for wins a match.
A. They played well that day.
B. They are a good team (professionals who know what they are doing).
11. You asked someone out on a date, but they turned you down. You think:
I did not manage to be convincing and charming enough.
Probably I am unattractive.
12. At a party, you are repeatedly asked to dance. You think:
A. I looked especially good that day.
B. I generally do well at parties.
13. You have started learning a foreign language, but you are making very slow progress. You think:
A. Our teacher is not very good.
B. I have always found it difficult to learn a language.
14. You did very well in a job interview.
A. I felt especially confident during the interview.
B. I do well in job interviews.
15. Your supervisor gives you too little time to finish a project, but you complete it on time.
I am good at this kind of work.
I work efficiently.
16. You saved a drowning person by giving rescue breathing.
A. I know a few techniques that help save a drowning person.
B. I know what to do in critical situations.
17. While on vacation, you go on a guided tour and are placed in a terrible hotel. You think:
A. This time, I chose an unlucky tour company.
B. In general, my vacations do not go well.
18. A friend says something that really hurts your feelings. You think:
A. He was in a bad mood today and took it out on me.
B. He is always talking without thinking about other people's feelings.
19. Your supervisor asks you for advice. You think:
A. I am a specialist in the area they were interested in.
B. I am good at giving valuable advice.
20. A friend thanks you for helping them through a difficult time.
A. It was important to me to help them in a difficult moment.
B. I care about other people’s problems.
21. Your doctor tells you that you are in good physical shape.
A. I try not to forget to exercise regularly.
B. I pay a lot of attention to my health.
22. Your supervisor is dissatisfied with the quality of the report you submitted yesterday.
A. I did not spend enough time preparing this report.
B. My supervisor is always dissatisfied with me.
23. Your girlfriend (wife) plans a romantic weekend for you.
A. She needed a change of scenery.
B. She likes new places.
24. You left home and forgot to turn off the water tap, flooding your apartment and the neighbors’ apartment. You think:
My mind was on something else, and I do not even know how I forgot to turn off the tap.
Things go wrong for me every day.
25. You are asked to lead an important project.
A. I recently successfully completed a similar project.
B. I am a good leader.
26. You won a prestigious award.
A. I found a solution to an important problem.
B. I won because I am the best.
27. You spent money on an expensive piece of exercise equipment (a food processor, etc.), but it turned out to be completely useless.
A. The advertising for this product seemed convincing to me.
B. I do not know how to manage my money.
28. You gained a couple of pounds over the weekend and cannot seem to lose the weight.
A. The diet I tried did not work for me.
B. Diets do not work for me.
29. You unexpectedly find that the electricity in your apartment is being disconnected for nonpayment.
A. I forgot to add money to my account.
B. I do a poor job of keeping track of my spending.
1. A secret admirer sends you flowers. You think:
A. I guess they like me.
B. No surprise—I am liked by many people.
2. You win an election for a position.
A. I spent a lot of time and effort to win this election.
B. I always work hard.
3. You miss an important appointment. You think:
Sometimes I forget to check my planner.
Sometimes my memory lets me down.
4. You hosted an excellent party.
A. I was especially good that evening.
B. I am generally a good host.
5. You fail an important exam. You think:
A. I did not prepare well for it.
B. I am less intelligent than the others who took this exam.
6. You prepared a special meal for a friend, and they barely ate any of it.
A. This time, I had little time to prepare the meal.
B. I am a poor cook.
7. You lose a sporting competition that you have trained for a long time.
I am not very successful in this sport.
I have poor athletic ability.
8. In an argument with a friend, you lose your temper.
A. They were in a bad mood.
B. They are always getting on my nerves.
9. Your bonus was taken away because you did not submit a report on time. You think:
A. This time I did not manage to submit it on time.
B. I always turn in my work later than I should.
10. The team you support won a match.
A. They played well that day.
B. They are a good team (professionals who know what they are doing).
11. You asked someone out, but they said no. You think:
I was not convincing and charming enough.
Probably I am unattractive.
12. At a party, you are repeatedly asked to dance. You think:
I looked especially good that day.
I generally do well at parties.
13. You have started learning a foreign language, but you are making very slow progress. You think:
A. We have a poor teacher.
B. I have always found it difficult to learn a language.
14. You did very well in a job interview.
A. I felt especially confident during the interview.
B. I usually do well in job interviews.
15. Your supervisor gives you too little time to finish a project, but you complete it on time.
I am good at this kind of work.
I work efficiently.
16. You saved a drowning person by giving rescue breathing.
A. I know several techniques that can help save a drowning person.
B. I know what to do in critical situations.
17. While on vacation, you go on a guided tour and are placed in a terrible hotel. You think:
This time, the tour company let me down.
As a rule, my vacations do not turn out well.
18. A friend says something that really hurts you. You think:
A. She was in a bad mood today and took it out on me.
B. She is always talking without thinking about other people's feelings.
19. Your supervisor asks you for advice. You think:
A. I am a specialist in the area they were interested in.
B. I am able to give valuable advice.
20. A friend thanks you for helping her when she was in trouble.
A. It was important to me to help her at a difficult time.
B. I care about other people's problems.
21. Your doctor tells you that you are in good physical shape.
A. I try not to forget to exercise regularly.
B. I pay a lot of attention to my health.
22. Your supervisor is dissatisfied with the quality of a report you submitted yesterday.
A. I did not spend enough time preparing this report.
B. My supervisor is always dissatisfied with me.
23. Your boyfriend (husband) plans a romantic weekend for you.
A. He needed a change of scenery.
B. He likes new places.
24. You left home without turning off a faucet, flooding your apartment and your neighbors’ apartment. You think:
My mind was on something else, and I don’t even know how I forgot to turn off the faucet.
Something goes wrong for me every day.
25. You are asked to lead an important project.
A. I recently completed a similar project successfully.
B. I am a good leader.
26. You have won a prestigious award.
A. I found a solution to an important problem.
B. I won because I am the best.
27. You spent money on an expensive exercise machine (a food processor, etc.), but it turned out to be completely useless.
A. The advertising for this product seemed convincing to me.
B. I do not know how to manage my money.
28. You gained a couple of pounds over the weekend and cannot seem to lose them.
A. The diet I tried did not work for me.
B. Diets do not work for me.
29. You unexpectedly find that your electricity is being disconnected in your apartment due to nonpayment.
A. I forgot to top up my account.
B. I do not keep track of my spending very well.