Testing Your Intelligence And Personality
All of the word games and puzzles that follow have been taken from new books I acquired while I was in Canada. The books (see Kropotkinskaya Report) have many difficult tasks for native speakers, but there are plenty of activities for all English levels. Almost every course book has a unit on intelligence or personality, and these books offer interesting and challenging warm up activities. The students may discover something about themselves, and give you as a teacher a great lead in for a lesson. Have a go at these tasks, and come into Kropot. for a closer look at these resources!
Vocabulary
Having a large vocabulary has always been considered a sign of intelligence - an indicator of your brain's ability to handle difficult concepts and ideas and communicate them to others. All the words that follow are quite difficult, but are all in standard use. Look at the first word in each group and choose another word that has a similar meaning (Mensa, 1999:88-91).
| 1. Pragmatic |
Political |
Accurate |
Practical |
Civil |
| 2. Epicure |
Philosophical |
Author |
Fraudster |
Gourmet |
| 3. Gradation |
Degree |
Height |
Veracity |
Dexterity |
| 4. Heterodox |
Rigid |
Unconventional |
Varied |
Unfair |
|
| 5. Sabbatize |
Ritualize |
Confirm |
Bless |
Organize |
| 6. Endemic |
Popular |
Infectious |
Thoughtful |
Final |
| 7. Endogamous |
Friendly |
Matrimonial |
Free |
Grateful |
| 8. Haslet |
Jerkin |
Relation |
Entrails |
Armour |
| 9. Galactic |
Milky |
Astronomical |
Stellar |
Huge |
| 10. Lassitude |
Heat |
Overeating |
Faintness |
Verbiage |
| 11. Lepid |
Cool |
Weak |
Unkind |
Pleasant |
| 12. Dariole |
Mould |
Forge |
Decoration |
Dagger |
| 13. Falcate |
Tremble |
Crossed |
Sickly |
Sick-like |
| 14. Geminate |
Doubled |
Bejewelled |
Flourishing |
Growing |
| 15. Morphew |
Leaf |
Vein |
Sacrifice |
Skin eruption |
| 16. Protoplasm |
Living Matter |
Organism |
Cell wall |
Erudition |
| 17. Propriety |
Decency |
Rulership |
Efficiency |
Courage |
| 18. Sessile |
Fragile |
Sedentary |
Straight |
Pleated |
| 19. Prosaic |
Thoughtful |
Dull |
Hopeful |
Varied |
| 20. Monolith |
Pillar |
Arch |
Building |
Construction |
| 21. Pelta |
Roof |
Shield |
Sword |
Verse |
| 22. Jugate |
Unusual |
Decent |
Paired |
Forgotten |
| 23. Crapulence |
Dishonesty |
Boasting |
Sickness |
Violence |
| 24. Extirpate |
Destroy |
Forget |
Flee |
Forgive |
| 25. Gestalt |
Recognition |
Pattern |
Shadow |
Area |
| 26. Increscent |
Large |
Slow |
Bright |
Waxing |
| 27. Mordacious |
Biting |
Wicked |
Extreme |
Gleeful |
| 28. Onus |
Honour |
Burden |
Rebate |
Penalty |
| 29. Coapt |
Dense |
Slow |
Adjust |
Formal |
| 30. Estop |
Cork |
Preclude |
Terminus |
Here |
| 31. Frottage |
Rubbing |
Embroidery |
Parsimony |
Rejoicing |
| 32. Kith |
Relatives |
Friends |
Knowledge |
Peel |
| 33. Gabelle |
Ornament |
Jewel |
Tax |
Toy |
| 34. Durum |
Wheat |
Plenty |
Pleasure |
Soil |
| 35. Limpid |
Cold |
Poor |
Depraved |
Clear |
| 36. Moribund |
Dying |
Poorly |
Sash |
Belt |
| 37. Penchant |
Hanging |
Bias |
Mirror |
Overhang |
| 38. Putative |
Unconfirmed |
Untried |
Powerless |
Reputed |
| 39. Mephitis |
Inflammation |
Growth |
Stink |
Infection |
| 40. Invexed |
Angry |
Worried |
Concave |
Sideways |
| 41. Genitive |
Possession |
Giving birth |
Delayed |
Productive |
| 42. Jejune |
Yellowed |
Valuable |
Doubtful |
Spiritless |
| 43. Fettle |
Tidy |
Chain |
Control |
Mend |
| 44. Morsure |
Bite |
Lace |
Cinch |
Corruption |
| 45. Inveigle |
Contradict |
Invent |
Entice |
Dispute |
| 46. Inveigh |
Humiliate |
Forbid |
Destroy |
Attack |
| 47. Pinion |
Wing |
Stake |
Breath |
Consume |
| 48. Nefandous |
False |
Gloating |
Stolen |
Abominable |
| 49. Lentigo |
Vegetable |
Freckle |
Mouse |
Framework |
| 50. Fabian |
Indecisive |
Cowardly |
Delaying |
Secret |
Answers and scoring on the last page
Personality
Having students assess each other's personality can be a fun warmer. The Mensa (1998) Assess your Personality book provides 26 tests ranging from: Are you in Control? to Are you Thrifty? All of these tests can be adapted to suit the vocabulary level of your class, and are great for starting discussions and practicing adverbs of frequency. Have a go at Are you a Schemer?
| 1. Do you always assume that people have some sort of ulterior motive? |
2. Do you check up on people to find out whether they've told you the truth? |
| a. Yes |
b. No |
c. Unsure |
a. Never |
b. Sometimes |
c. Always |
| 3. Would you agree that virtue is really just insufficient temptation? |
4. Do you think that most people have their price? |
| a. Unsure |
b. Yes |
c. No |
a. No |
b. Unsure |
c. Yes |
| 5. Would you make a good politician? |
6. Do you believe what you see in advertisements? |
| a. Unsure |
b. Yes |
c. No |
a. Never |
b. Sometimes |
c. Often |
| 7. Do you regard statistics as a way of covering up lies? |
8. Are there many people you would trust completely? |
| a. Occasionally |
b. Often |
c. Seldom |
a. Plenty |
b. Almost none |
c. Quite few |
| 9. If someone were collecting for charity, would you trust them to use the money properly? |
10. If someone is accused of a crime are you inclined to believe them guilty? |
| a. Maybe |
b. No |
c. Yes |
a. No |
b. Yes |
c. Sometimes |
| 11. Do you regard your work colleagues as friends or competitors? |
12. Would you trust the word of a priest? |
| a. Competitor |
b. Friends |
c. In between |
a. Possibly |
b. Probably |
c. No |
| 13. Would you lie to get what you want? |
14. Do you believe that the end justifies the means? |
| a. Yes |
b. Unsure |
c. No |
a. Unsure |
b. Yes |
c. No |
| 15. Would you trust the word of a politician? |
16. Do you see relations between the sexes as a battlefield? |
| a. Never |
b. Seldom |
c. Frequently |
a. Sometimes |
b. Always |
c. Never |
| 17. If you read a newspaper article do you look for flaws and inaccuracies? |
18. Will people take advantage of you if you let them? |
| a. Always |
b. Never |
c. Sometimes |
a. Never |
b. Seldom |
c. Often |
| 19. Is it better to trick someone before they do it to you? |
20. Would you pull off a smart business deal even though it was not quite honest? |
| a. Yes |
b. No |
c. Unsure |
a. No |
b. Yes |
c. Maybe |
| 21. Do you believe that most people would help you if you were in trouble? |
22. Could you sell second-hand cars? |
| a. No |
b. Maybe |
c. Yes |
a. Maybe |
b. Yes |
c. No |
| 23. Do you sometimes give people information calculated to mislead them? |
24. Do you pride yourself on your ability to outwit others? |
| a. Yes |
b. No |
c. Maybe |
a. Sometimes |
b. Never |
c. Frequently |
| 25. Would you rather be thought of as smart or honest? |
| a. Smart |
b. Unsure |
c. Honest |
|
Answers and scoring on the last page
Puzzles
Word, mathematical, geometrical, and other types of puzzles could be of great interest to those exceptionally smart computer programmer type students. One book that has loads of them is Ivan Moscovich's (2001) book 1000 Play Thinks. Good luck solving these ones! Solutions on page 21.
1. Ahmes's Puzzle - Seven houses each have seven cats. Each cat kills seven mice. Each of the mice, if alive, would have eaten seven ears of wheat. Each ear of wheat produces seven measures of flour. How many measures of flour were saved by the cats?
2. Ladybug Spots - My daughter raises ladybugs. Her collection includes eight with red spots and one without any spots. If 55 percent of her ladybugs have yellow spots, what's the smallest possible size of her collection?
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3. Settling the Account - A man ordered dinner at an expensive restaurant. When the meal was brought to him, he looked at it, wrote the notice above for the waiter and left the restaurant. The waiter took the note to the cashier, who understood its meaning and placed it in the cash register. Can you work out what the note meant?
Mike Belicic
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