Chapter 3 — Quiz

A short self-check on the chapter's core ideas. Answer before opening the solutions. Aim for 20–30 minutes. Scoring guide at the bottom.

Section 1 — Multiple Choice

Choose the single best answer.

1. In the cultures of this book, "face" is best understood as: - A) A polite excuse used to dodge embarrassment - B) Social dignity, standing, and reputation in the eyes of others - C) A facial expression that hides true feelings - D) A purely Japanese concept with no equivalent elsewhere

2. Which three features make face strange to the Western eye? - A) Private, individual, and permanent - B) Public/relational, collective, and fragile-in-public-but-repairable-in-private - C) Legal, financial, and contractual - D) Religious, ancient, and untranslatable

3. In the Chinese distinction, mianzi refers to _ while lianzi refers to _: - A) moral integrity … prestige and status - B) prestige and status … moral integrity - C) family honor … personal wealth - D) public face … private face

4. Damaging someone's lianzi (moral face) is generally graver than bruising their mianzi (prestige face) because: - A) lianzi is worth more money - B) it impugns their basic character/integrity, not merely their rank, and is far harder to repair - C) only senior people have lianzi - D) mianzi can never be lost

5. The "underused superpower" the chapter urges Westerners to use more is: - A) losing face gracefully - B) saving your own face - C) giving face — publicly elevating someone's standing - D) avoiding all public interaction

6. The same hard truth ("we can't make that deadline") can be weightless or devastating depending mostly on: - A) the time of day - B) whether it's delivered publicly or privately - C) how loudly it's said - D) which language it's said in

7. A "face-saving exit" in a stalled negotiation is: - A) a clause that lets you cancel the contract - B) a graceful way to let the other side give ground without looking like they were defeated - C) leaving the room to cool down - D) a final, take-it-or-leave-it offer

8. The "stalled Japanese negotiation" anchor story is driven by a Western team failing to recognize that: - A) the partner doesn't speak English - B) "that's difficult," "we need time," and "we'll study it" were already three soft noes - C) the price was too high - D) the meeting room was double-booked

Section 2 — True / False

Mark each true or false, and add a phrase of justification.

9. Face is purely individual — your standing has nothing to do with your family, team, or boss. T / F

10. Public criticism and private criticism of the same error do roughly the same amount of face damage. T / F

11. The West has no concept of face at all; it is entirely absent from Western social life. T / F

12. Giving someone a soft, indirect "no" (e.g., "we'll study it") is a face-preserving courtesy, not necessarily a lie. T / F

13. Once you understand face, a large share of otherwise "mysterious" Eastern behavior — private criticism, indirect refusals, visible hierarchy, elaborate gifts, stalled talks — becomes logical and even predictable. T / F

Section 3 — Short Answer

Two or three sentences each.

14. Explain why face mistakes "ripple" — why publicly embarrassing one junior person can damage several people at once.

15. A colleague tells you face culture is just "the wise, harmonious East versus the rude West." Correct them using the chapter's Honesty Box: what does face cost, and what does Western bluntness cost?

16. Give one concrete script for giving face and one for correcting without taking face, and say why the form (not just the content) matters.

Answer Key

Scoring guide

• Under 8 / 16: Reread the chapter, especially "What face actually is" and "The China sharpener: mianzi vs. lianzi."
• 8–11: Solid grasp of the basics; revisit the sections behind any miss, especially the three moves.
• 12–14: Strong. You can now use face as a working decoder.
• 15–16: Excellent — you've internalized the master concept. Carry it into Chapter 4, where it explains how the East communicates.