Chapter 24 — Quiz
Try the whole quiz before checking the key.
Multiple choice
1. A good email to a professor is: - A) long, grovelling, full of apologies - B) professional, concise, correctly titled, specific — not grovelling - C) very casual ("hey, thx") - D) never sent (figure it out alone)
2. Address a professor as: - A) "Mr./Mrs. [Last name]" - B) "Professor [Last name]" or "Dr. [Last name]" - C) first name immediately - D) "Hey you"
3. Office hours are: - A) the professor's private time you must never use - B) set times to come (often without appointment) for help — use them - C) only for failing students - D) exam periods
4. The Western norm for asking for help is: - A) ask immediately without trying - B) try first, then ask — showing your effort and specific sticking point - C) never ask - D) demand a full re-teaching
5. Your academic advisor is best seen as: - A) a distant authority to avoid - B) a mentor — build the relationship proactively - C) irrelevant - D) a police officer
6. When asking for a recommendation letter, you should: - A) ask the day before, from anyone - B) ask weeks ahead, from someone who knows your work, for a strong letter, with materials - C) demand it - D) skip the "strong" wording
7. To dispute a grade, you should: - A) demand a change emotionally - B) ask to understand respectfully, with evidence - C) go straight to the dean angrily - D) accuse the professor of bias
8. "What have you tried so far?" signals: - A) the professor is annoyed - B) the try-first norm — show your effort - C) you should give up - D) the question is bad
9. In Germany, professor communication is typically: - A) very casual, first names - B) more formal/hierarchical ("Herr/Frau Professor Doktor") - C) nonexistent - D) by text only
10. A reason international students under-use professor relationships (Honesty Box): - A) they're not allowed - B) intimidation (language, formality habits, fear of bothering) — costing them help and letters - C) professors refuse to meet them - D) it's illegal
11. (new) A strong recommendation letter requires: - A) only good grades - B) a professor who genuinely knows you (built through relationship over time) - C) paying a fee - D) a long email
12. (new) Asking whether someone can write a strong letter is wise because: - A) it's polite filler - B) it lets them honestly decline rather than write a weak letter that hurts you - C) it guarantees a yes - D) it's required by law
True / False
13. Over-grovelling emails impress Western professors. (True / False)
14. Using office hours builds the relationships behind mentorship and recommendation letters. (True / False)
15. Showing your effort when asking for help signals weakness. (True / False)
16. The professor's "approachable" friendliness means there's no power imbalance. (True / False)
17. (new) You should build professor relationships early, before you need a letter. (True / False)
Short answer
18. Explain "try first, then ask" and why it's the respectful way to seek help here.
19. How should you ask for a recommendation letter (give the key elements)?
20. Why do international students often under-use professor relationships, and why does it matter (the Honesty Box)?
21. (new) Why can excellent grades alone fail to produce a strong recommendation letter?
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Answer Key
- B. 2. B. 3. B. 4. B. 5. B. 6. B. 7. B. 8. B. 9. B. 10. B. 11. B (a professor who knows you). 12. B (lets them honestly decline).
- False — they land oddly; respectful-but-confident is the register. 14. True. 15. False — it shows initiative and respects their time. 16. False — the imbalance is downplayed but real. 17. True.
- Model: Attempt the problem yourself first, then ask about your specific sticking point, showing what you tried — it demonstrates initiative and self-direction (valued here) and respects the professor's time, rather than asking them to re-teach from scratch.
- Model: Ask the right person (who knows your work), weeks in advance, whether they can write a strong letter, and provide your materials (résumé, program, deadlines, what to emphasize); then thank them.
- Model: Intimidation — language barriers, formality habits, fear of "bothering" — leads them to under-use office hours and advisor relationships, costing them help, mentorship, and recommendation letters they need.
- Model: A letter must be specific and personal to be strong; a professor who only knows you as a grade in a big class can write only a generic (weak) letter — strength comes from relationship, not grades alone.