Psychological test

Mark the following statements with: I) never; 2) sometimes; 3) often.

1) I always pretend to be somebody.

2) I always feel sure of myself.

3) I realise my mistakes and try to correct them.

4) I like to give advice.

5) I enjoy doing what others want me to do.

6) I easily accept somebody’s leadership and authority.

7) It’s easy for me to understand people because I can always step into their shoes.

8) I always realise my weak sides.

9) I always take advantage of my strong sides.

10) I’d like to get better.

Scores: never - 0; sometimes - 1; often - 2.

15-20: You are too self-assured. Don’t forget that there are other people around you.

10-15: High appreciation is combined with your critical mind, your attitude to yourself is rather objective. That’s very good.

5-10: You are self-critical. It’s OK, but don’t forget that you have not only negative but also positive sides.

0-5: You are too self-critical. Don’t be so gloomy! The world is wonderful!

Exercise 18. Answer the questions.

I. Do you believe that different psychological tests can reveal the traits of person’s character? Why? 2. Are such tests useful? If yes, then tell how and when such tests can be used. 3. Do you think that the tests given above really reflect your character? 4. What do you think was wrong in the tests in reflecting your person’s traits of character? 5. Are there any other traits of your character which were not named in the tests and which you consider to be very important for your character sketch?

Exercise 19. Match the following adjectives with the correct meanings a-t to form complete sentences. Write your answers in the boxes below.

People who are

1.	aggressive	a.	are usually very nervous and are easily upset or excited.
2.	articulate	b.	are usually sure of their own ability to do things.
3.	broad-minded	c.	are polite people.
4.	charismatic	d.	hate to lose at anything.
5.	competitive	e.	tend to hide their abilities or have a lower opinion of themselves than is deserved.
6.	considerate	f.	know what they want and usually get it.
7.	courageous	g.	are always ready to quarrel or attack.
8.	highly-strung	h.	have quick minds and can express things in a clever and amusing way.
9.	humble	i.	are very impulsive and don’t think enough about the consequences of their actions.
10.	modest	j.	are able to express clearly and effectively their thoughts and feelings.
11.	obstinate	k.	are very selfish and only interested in themselves.
12.	pompous	l.	have lots of different skills and abilities and can easily change from one kind of activity to another.
13.	rash	m.	refuse to change their opinion or behaviour in spite of attempts to persuade them to do something else or to see another point of view
14.	self-centred	n.	are very tolerant of other people’s opinions even if very different from their own.
15.	self-confident	o.	are very brave and not afraid to do dangerous things.
16.	sensible	p.	take themselves rather too seriously and think they are very important.
17.	strong-willed	q.	have a very low opinion of themselves and a high opinion of others.
18.	versatile	r.	are people with a lot of common sense.
19.	well-mannered	s.	have very strong personal charm and the power to attract others.
20.	witty	t	are very aware of the wishes, needs or feelings of others.

1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.	7.	8.	9.	10.	11.	12.	13.	14.	15.	16.	17.	18.	19.	20.

Exercise 20. Match the following adjectives 1-20 with the correct meanings a-t to form complete sentences. Write your answers in the boxes below.

People who are:

1.	cocky	a.	are always willing to discuss things honestly.
2.	conscientious	b.	are very good at making practical judgements, especially when they are to their own advantage.
3.	impressionable	c.	are easily moved to pity and very quick to forgive.
4.	level-headed	d.	say one thing to one person, then the opposite thing at another time to someone else.
5.	loyal	e.	often have unfair or unreasonable opinions about people and things – usually because of fear or distrust of ideas or people different from themselves.
6.	neurotic	f.	often try to harm or annoy others, especially in some small way.
7.	open	g.	are easily influenced by other people and often too ready to admire them.
8.	practical	h.	have a special natural ability or skill, e.g. in music, painting, etc.
9.	prejudiced	i.	never desert you in a crisis and are always ready to give you their support.
10.	pushy	j.	are too pleased with themselves and their qualities, position, etc.
11.	ruthless	k.	are very self-confident, but in an unpleasant way.
12.	secretive	l.	are always demanding things from others and trying to get what they want.
13.	shrewd	m.	are unreasonably anxious or sensitive.
14.	single-minded	n.	like to be obeyed and are strong believers in discipline.
15.	smug	o.	are careful to do any work well.
16.	soft-hearted	p.	are usually without remorse, pity or forgiveness.
17.	spiteful	q.	are calm and sensible when making judgements.
18.	strict	r.	don’t let anything get in the way of their main aim in life.
19.	talented	s.	like to keep their thoughts and intentions hidden from others.
20.	two-faced	t.	are clever at doing things and dealing with difficulties.

1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.	7.	8.	9.	10.	11.	12.	13.	14.	15.	16.	17.	18.	19.	20.

Exercise 21. Write a short summary ( 200-250 words) answering one of these questions.

1. How would you say your national character is different from that of people in other countries?

2. How do you think your character has changed or developed over the years? Are there any aspects of your personality you still don’t like?

3. Write a description of character of one of your fellow students.

4. “The weaker sex? The fairer sex? Not any more!” Contrast the image of women today with that of a few hundred years ago.

Exercise 22. Read through the statements below, then decide the character or personality of the people who said them. Write the correct numbers 1-16 next to the adjectives below.

Find someone who is:

	Bigoted		determined		indecisive		thrifty
	Blunt		extravagant		naïve		understanding
	Callous		fussy		possessive		unreliable
	Cynical		illiterate		superstitious		weak-willed

1. ‘I’ve just spent ₤600 on David’s birthday party. Well, you’re seven only once in your life, aren’t you?

2. ‘I don’t really like my wife going out on her own or with her friends. I prefer her to spend all her time with me.

3. ‘Of course you can have the afternoon off to visit your wife in hospital. And take tomorrow off too, if you need to. Don’t worry, we’ll manage.’

4. ‘No, I don’t like your dress, actually. It makes you look fat.’

5. ‘Shall I buy the blue curtains or the red ones? The blue ones are nice but the red once will go better with the wallpaper. On the other, hand David prefers blue. Oh, I don’t know what to get.’

6. ‘No, I’d better not have a chocolate biscuit, thanks, I’m on a diet. But they do look nice, don’t they? Oh, all right then, just one.’

7. ‘All Conservatives are rich, upper class snobs. I’ve got no time for any of them, especially the Prime Minister. Working-class people will always be poor with a Conservative government.’

8. ‘I’m sorry, you’ll have to help me fill in this form. I can’t read or write.’

9. ‘I never walk under ladders. It’s bad luck!’

10. ‘So some children have died. So what? This is war, not a Christmas Party.’

11. ‘I’m always very careful with money. I never buy anything I don’t need for example.’

12. ‘Don’t forget to cut the fat off the bacon before you fry it and remember to use margarine not butter. And also make sure that the eggs are soft this time – you know hard-boiled eggs don’t agree with me.’

13. ‘I know it’s the third time now I haven’t turned up for a match, but I overslept. It wasn’t really my fault.’

14. ‘He’s only doing it for the publicity. I don’t believe for one minute he’s really interested in helping mentally-handicapped people.’

15. ‘But I believed him when he said he was a famous fashion photographer and could make me into a top model.’

16. ‘I’m going to get a book published one day. I’m just not going to give up until I do.’

Exercise 23. Match each of the following colloquial names for certain types of people with the correct description below.