Do you know protocol and etiquette? Take a moment and try our etiquette quiz to test your knowledge. You never know; you might be an etiquette expert. After you're done, tell your friends about it. See who gets the best score.


Question 1:

In the business arena
Only men should stand for handshaking and all introductions
Only women should stand for handshaking and all introductions.
It is not necessary for men or women to stand for handshaking or introductions.
Both women and men should stand for all handshaking and introductions.


Question 2:

In the business arena, it is necessary for a man
To pull out a chair for a woman.
To stand when a woman leaves the table.
To pay for a woman’s meal.
All of the above.
None of the above.


Question 3:

For easy reading, one’s name badge should be worn
On the left shoulder.
On the right shoulder.
On the left hip.
Around one’s neck


Question 4:

The best way to meet people at a business or social function is to
Head for the bar or buffet immediately.
Introduce yourself to two people who are standing close and talking softly.
Look confident, stand in the center of the room, and wait for someone interesting to approach you.
Introduce yourself to a person standing alone or to large groups.
Stick close to those you know very well and forget about the rest.


Question 5:

If you receive an e-mail from an unknown source and realize it should be handled by someone else, you
Forward it immediately.
Forward it with a note explaining why you are sending it.
Consider it spam, delete it and forget about it.
Print it out and leave it sitting on the copy machine in the hope that someone else will take care of it.


Question 6:

If an angry customer calls to complain, you should
Put the person on hold immediately and blow off some steam in the restroom or at the water fountain.
Tell the caller he has the wrong number and hang up in self-defense.
Stay calm, get the customer’s complaint, and quickly attempt to help or get help for him.
Quickly put the caller in his place by yelling back. After all, no one has the right to talk to you that way.


Question 7:

If you have to introduce two people and you can’t remember one person’s name, you quickly recover by saying
“Do you know one another?”
“I can’t remember your name. Will you introduce yourself?”
Nothing and hoping they will introduce themselves.
“It’s been one of those days. Please tell me your name again.”
Nothing and doing nothing. After all you don’t want to embarrass yourself or others.


Question 8:

When making a business introduction, you
Wing it.
Introduce a client to the president of your company.
Introduce the president of your company to a client.
Don’t do anything. It is their responsibility to introduce themselves to one another.


Question 9:

After a meeting with a client or vendor, you
Tell her, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.”
Accompany her to the reception area or elevator.
Give her a handshake and a big hug and tell her that you can’t wait to see her again.


Question 10:

When expressing thanks to someone who has given you a gift, you
Send an e-mail because it is faster and more efficient.
Send a handwritten note.
Pick up the phone and call within seventy-two hours.
Consider a verbal thank you enough.


Question 11:

When you are dining with someone important and your cell phone rings, you
Answer it within two rings and keep the call brief.
Ignore it and pretend someone else’s phone is ringing.
Apologize and turn the phone on silent mode. The person you’re with takes priority.
Apologize, step away from the table, and take the call in the restroom.


Question 12:

When you are dining in a restaurant and you accidentally drop your fork on the floor, you
Pick it up, wipe it off, and use it anyway.
Pick it up, give it to the server, and ask him to bring you another one.
Leave it on the floor and ask the server to bring you another one.
Leave it on the floor and use your neighbor’s fork while he’s not looking.


Question 13:

At dinner, when you notice the person on your left eating the roll from your bread plate, you
Tell him he made a mistake and then ask for your roll back.
Don’t say anything and eat the roll from our other neighbor’s plate.
Don’t say anything and try to convince yourself that you didn’t need that roll anyway.
Ask the server for another roll and use the side of your dinner plate.


Question 14:

If you are carrying a small handbag, you may place it on
A desk
The back of a chair
The restaurant table
None of the above
Any of the above


Question 15:

At lunch, you notice that the stranger seated next to you has spinach in her teeth. You
Don‘t say anything, smile and look her directly in the eye.
Say something and hope you don’t embarrass her.
Make visual signals indicating that she has something in her teeth.
Wipe your teeth with your napkin and hope that she gets the hint and does the same.


Question 16:

If you have a morsel of food lodged in your teeth and you want to remove it, you
Take your knife when no one is looking and remove the morsel promptly with the blade.
Raise your napkin to your mouth and discreetly use a sugar packet or your business card to remove the morsel.
Politely ask your server for a toothpick.
Excuse yourself and go to the restroom to pick your teeth in private.


Question 17:

When you bite into a piece of meat that is tough and very difficult to chew, you
Pretend to wipe your mouth and deposit the piece of meat in your napkin.
When no one is looking, discreetly use two fingers to remove it and place it on the edge of your plate or underneath a piece of parsley.
Swallow it and you don’t choke.


Question 18:

When you take a bite of something very spicy and you notice your nose beginning to run, you
Pull out your handkerchief and gently blot your nose.
Comment on how spicy the food is and use your dinner napkin to blow your nose.
Excuse yourself and to the restroom.


Question 19:

While traveling internationally, you are invited to dinner in someone’s home. The host serves a local delicacy that you wouldn’t dream of eating in your native country. You
Politely decline by saying “No, thank you” and ask for something else.
Pick at the delicacy with your fork and drink a lot of wine.
Try it and eat as much as you can.
Eat it but let the host know that you are doing it to please him.


Question 20:

When you are a guest at a dinner party and the host makes a toast in your honor, you
Show your appreciation by picking up your glass and drinking to yourself.
Leave your glass alone and don’t drink to yourself.
Don’t drink because you don’t like cheap champagne.
Get embarrassed and tell your host you don’t deserve the recognition.


Question 21:

When you are finished eating, your napkin should be
Folded loosely and placed on the right side of the plate.
Folded loosely and placed on the left side of the plate.
Folded loosely and placed in the center of the plate.
Folded like a dove or a pirate’s hat and placed on the seat of your chair.




Quiz provided by Jacqueline Whitmore, The Protocol School of Palm Beach.