Do you have a favorite advertisement? How much do advertisements influence what you buy? What do you think makes a good advertisement?
background · your family and your experience of education, living conditions, wealth, etc • bring up · to care for a child until it is an adult, often giving it particular beliefs • choke · (usually in sports) to fail to do something at a time when it is urgent, usually because you suddenly lose confidence • circle of acquaintances · the group of people that you know casually • conceal · to prevent something from being seen or known about; to hide something • count · to have value or importance; to matter • designer · made by a famous or fashionable designer • discount coupon · a piece of paper which can be used to obtain something at a reduced price • favorable · giving you an advantage or more chance of success • feel guilty · to feel anxiety or unhappiness because you have done something wrong, such as causing harm to another person • fiction · the type of book or story which is written about imaginary characters and events and not based on real people and facts • genre · a style, especially in the arts, that involves a particular set of characteristics • gullible · easily deceived or tricked, and too willing to believe everything that other people say • horoscope · a description of what is going to happen to you, based on the position of the stars and planets at the time of your birth • hula hoop · a large ring, usually made of plastic, which children play with by putting it around their waist and moving their body so that it spins • indulge · to allow yourself or another person to have something enjoyable, especially more than is good for you • irritable · becoming annoyed very easily • luxurious · very comfortable and expensive • neat · tidy, with everything in its place • organized · arranged according to a particular system • outgoing · (of a person) friendly and energetic and finding it easy and enjoyable to be with others • packaging · the materials in which objects are wrapped before being sold • rebellious · If someone is rebellious, they are difficult to control and do not behave in the way they are expected to • regular · happening or doing something often • script · a set of letters used for writing a particular language • standardize · to make things of the same type all have the same basic features • strict · greatly limiting someone’s freedom to behave as they wish, and likely to severely punish them if they disobey • tidy up · to make a place or a collection of things clean and organized • typical · showing all the characteristics that you would usually expect from a particular group of things • version · particular form of something which varies slightly from other forms of the same thing • working class · a social group that consists of people who earn little money, often being paid only for the hours or days that they work, and who usually do physical work
01 Which of these words better describes your lifestyle?
A Working-class.
B Luxurious.
Why did you choose the answer you did? How typical is your lifestyle for someone of your age, gender, and background? What is most unusual about your lifestyle? What do you think is the biggest regular indulgence in your lifestyle?
02 If you had to choose, which kind of book would you rather read?
A Fiction.
B Nonfiction.
What was the last book that you read? What is your favorite work of fiction? How about of nonfiction? What is your favorite genre? Who is your favorite author? What is usually your purpose when you read a book–gain knowledge, find entertainment, or something else? How do you choose a book to read?
03 What usually happens when you’re playing a game or sport and know you’re being watched?
A I almost always choke.
B I play better than normal.
C It doesn’t make any difference in how I play.
In what game or sport do you feel most confident about your abilities? Do you like to be watched when you are doing something you are good at? Have you ever competed in a contest in front of a large number of people? How did you feel and how did you do?
04 When you are in a social situation like a dinner party where you don’t know everybody, do you find it easy to make conversation?
A Yes.
B No.
When was the last time you were in such a social situation? What was it like, and did you enjoy it? When you start a conversation, what topics do you tend to use? How good a conversationalist do you think you are in general?
05 Do you often feel guilty about many of the things you do?
A Yes.
B No.
What are some examples of things that you make you feel guilty? Does lying make you feel guilty, and if so, in what situations? What is usually the reason for your doing things that make you feel guilty? Why do they make you feel guilty? Is there anything that you did as a child or many years ago that you still feel guilty about?
06 Do you daydream a lot, imagining things you’d like to do and places you’d like to go?
A Yes.
B No.
What types of things do you daydream about most often? In what situations do you most often find yourself daydreaming? Has daydreaming ever caused problems for you? What kind of life do you think would be ideal for you?
07 Would you be more likely to agree or disagree with these two proverbs: “Neatness counts” and “A place for everything and everything in its place”?
A Agree.
B Disagree.
How neat is your room at home right now? Is it neater or messier than it usually is? How often do you tidy up your room? How long do you spend on it? How organized are you in other areas of your life?
08 Would you say that you’re more irritable than most people?
A Yes.
B No.
Can other people easily notice when you are irritated, or do you make an effort to conceal the way you feel? What are some things in your daily life that often irritate you? Is there anyone in your family or circle of acquaintances who often irritates you? What do you do when that happens?
09 Are you basically shy compared with other people of your age and background?
A Yes.
B No.
Do you wish you were more outgoing? Was there a time when you either much more or much less shy than you are now? What happened to make you change? Who is the shyest person you know, and just how shy is he or she?
10 Would you say that you were more rebellious as a teenager than most kids?
A Yes.
B No.
What were you like as a teenager? How did you show your rebelliousness? What were some of your hobbies at that time? Do you still have any of the same hobbies? If you met yourself as a teenager now, how would you probably get along?
11 Would you say your parents were easygoing in the way they brought you up?
A Yes.
B No.
Which of your parents was stricter? Was the way your parents brought you up different from what is typical? How difficult do you think it was to bring you up? What do you think your parents should have done differently?
12 Are two or more of the following true about you: more likely to buy a food product if it has Japanese script on the packaging; often use discount coupons to buy things that you probably wouldn’t have bought otherwise; believe in horoscopes or fortunetelling; own a T-shirt advertising the name of the manufacturer, product, or musical group; often wait in line to eat at a restaurant that you have never tried; own a hula hoop; own a “designer” version of a product with a highly standardized design; find your taste in music, movies, food, and fashion almost always matches what is popular?
A Yes.
B No.
Which of the descriptions are true about you? Why do you do each of them? Which of the descriptions do you consider favorable? Which do you think are unfavorable?
RESULTS : Here are the answers most likely to have been chosen by highly persuasible people:
01:B • 02:A • 03:A • 04:B • 05:A • 06:A • 07:A • 08:A • 09:A • 10:B • 11:B • 12:A
Give yourself a point for each of your answers that coincides with those listed above. 7~12 : gullible • 0~6 : not gullible
