What's your emotional intelligence?

• Author: Goleman, Daniel
• Position: A quiz to measure emotional intelligence - Brief Article

Lots of tests can tell you how smart you are in school But how smart are you at understanding people's feelings? Author Daniel Goleman says how well you deal with life's stickier moments can be just as important as academic skills.

1. You're on an airplane that suddenly hits extremely bad turbulence and begins rocking from side to side. What do you do?

   A Continue to read your book, or watch the movie, paying little attention to the turbulence.

   B Become vigilant for an emergency, carefully watching the flight attendants and reading the emergency instructions card.

   C A little of both A and B.

   D Not sure--never noticed.

2. You've taken a group of 4-year-olds to the park, and one of them starts crying because the others won't play with her. What do you do?

   A Stay out of it--let the kids deal with it on their own.

   B Talk to her and help her figure out ways to get the other kids to play with her.

   C Tell her in a kind voice not to cry.

   D Try to distract the crying girl by showing her some other things she could play with.

3. You had hoped to get an A in a course, but you have just found out you got a C- on the midterm. What do you do?

   A Sketch out a specific plan for ways to improve your grade and resolve to follow through on your plans.

   B Vow to do better in the future.

   C Tell yourself it doesn't matter how you do in the course, and concentrate on classes where your grades are higher.

   D Go see the teacher and try to talk him or her into giving you a better grade.

4. Imagine you're a salesperson calling prospective clients. Fifteen people in a row have hung up on you and you're getting discouraged. What do you do?

   A Call it a day and hope you have better luck tomorrow.

   B Figure out what's wrong with you that is getting in the way of making a sale.

   C Try something new in the next call, and keep plugging away.

   D Consider another line of work.

5. You're a student leader in a group at school that is trying to encourage respect for racial and ethnic diversity. You overhear someone telling a racist joke. What do you do?

   A Ignore it--it's only a joke.

   B Report it to the principal and ask that the person be reprimanded.

   C Speak up on the spot, saying that such jokes are inappropriate and will not be tolerated in your group.

   D Suggest to the person telling the joke that he or she go through a diversity-training workshop.

6. You're trying to calm down a friend who has worked himself into a fury at a driver in another car who has cut dangerously close in front of...