Chapter 16 — Quiz
Try the whole quiz before checking the key.
Multiple choice
1. In Western careers, "letting your work speak for itself" tends to: - A) guarantee recognition - B) leave you invisible (work speaks only if someone hears it) - C) be the best strategy - D) impress managers most
2. Self-promotion in the Western workplace is best understood as: - A) shameful bragging - B) the expected, normal way to make individual contributions visible - C) lying - D) only for executives
3. The "honest middle ground" of self-promotion is: - A) silence - B) results-focused, team-anchored visibility ("I led X, we delivered Y") - C) claiming all credit - D) constant boasting
4. A "brag document" is: - A) a complaint form - B) a private running list of your accomplishments (with metrics) - C) a public boast - D) a resignation letter
5. In Western careers, "who you know" (networking) is: - A) irrelevant - B) very important — opportunities flow through networks - C) only for salespeople - D) considered cheating
6. Negotiating a job offer's salary is generally: - A) greedy and unacceptable - B) expected and respected (not doing so can cost you) - C) illegal - D) only for senior roles
7. "Tall poppy syndrome" (Australia/UK) means: - A) self-promotion is rewarded most there - B) people who self-promote too much get cut down — be humble - C) tall people get promoted - D) flowers are important
8. An "elevator pitch" is: - A) a sales tactic in elevators - B) a 30-second summary of who you are and your value - C) a type of meeting - D) a complaint
9. Which country most rewards overt self-promotion? - A) Australia - B) the UK - C) the United States - D) Japan
10. A genuine flaw of self-promotion culture (Honesty Box) is that it: - A) rewards everyone fairly - B) rewards the loud over the good and favors the already-confident/privileged - C) eliminates bias - D) helps introverts most
11. (new) In Ravi's interview, three habits (looking down, soft handshake, deflecting credit) combined to signal: - A) confidence and skill - B) low confidence and low contribution — the opposite of his real ability - C) respect that was rewarded - D) nothing
12. (new) Networking is best reframed as: - A) manipulating people for advantage - B) authentic relationship-building and mutual help — how merit gets seen - C) cheating around merit - D) only for extroverts
True / False
13. Making your work visible to your manager is bragging and should be avoided. (True / False)
14. You can keep modesty as a personal value while learning the skill of visibility. (True / False)
15. The time to build a network is only when you're job-hunting. (True / False)
16. Results-and-team framing lets you claim credit without claiming sole glory. (True / False)
17. (new) Nothing about Ravi's skills changed between his failed and successful interviews — only the signals he sent. (True / False)
Short answer
18. Explain why modesty can make your work invisible in an individualist workplace.
19. Rewrite into honest, results-focused self-promotion: "Oh, the project went fine, I didn't really do much." (when you actually led it).
20. Name one genuine flaw of self-promotion culture (the Honesty Box).
21. (new) Name Ravi's three "before" habits and what each should become in the "after."
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Answer Key
- B. 2. B. 3. B. 4. B. 5. B. 6. B. 7. B. 8. B. 9. C. 10. B. 11. B (low confidence/contribution). 12. B (relationship-building).
- False — regular updates make work visible; that's expected, not bragging. 14. True. 15. False — build ties before you need them. 16. True. 17. True.
- Model: In an individualist system, visible contribution = real contribution; unspoken work is read as not having contributed much, because the culture assumes people will surface their own wins — so silence makes you invisible.
- Model: "I led that project, and I'm proud of the result — we [specific outcome, e.g., delivered on time and cut costs 20%]."
- Model (any): rewards the loud over the good; favors the already-confident/privileged (disadvantaging women, introverts, modesty cultures); can become inauthentic/exhausting; can tip into arrogance/credit-stealing.
- Model: (1) looking down → comfortable, friendly eye contact; (2) soft handshake → firm, brief handshake with a smile; (3) deflecting credit → results-and-team self-description ("I led X, we achieved Y").