This Week's CultureQuiz: TURKEY!
So, can you answer all five CultureQuiz questions about Turkish culture correctly?
With this week’s presidential election in Turkey, Turkey is certainly in the news right now. But this large and influential country has always been making global news, for over two millenium, in fact! Few major cultures have histories as storied, layered and complex as Turkey, influencing as it has over the centuries, the rise and fall of civilizations in Europe, Asia and Africa. So how much do you know about Turkish culture? It’s especially important if you’re working or doing business in this important culture today. Test yourself today with this week’s CultureQuiz on Turkey: go ahead and see how much YOU know, and choose the correct multiple choice answer for each of the following five Turkish CultureQuiz questions! (The correct answers follow the quiz, so if you haven’t already subscribed, you can do so right here)
TURKEY CultureQuiz questions:
You’ve been welcomed into the office of your Turkish colleague, Ahmet Osman, for the first time. You should greet him as…?
a. Mr. Osman.
b. Mr. Ahmet.
c. Ahmet Bay.
d. Osman Bay.
You ask a question of your Turkish colleague, and he nods his head with a slight upwards tilt, which looks like a “yes” in the west. This Turkish gesture means…
a. “yes”, similar to a “yes” nod in the west.
b. “no”.
c. neither “yes” nor “no”; it is simply an acknowledgment that you were heard.
d. a sign that you prefer to discuss this later.
Your Turkish colleague immediately brings out some glasses and tea, along with some sweets. After you have finished your tea, he immediately refills your glass. After three glasses, you do not want anymore tea. The best way to refuse another refill would be to...
a. Place your teaspoon across the top of your glass.
b. Turn your glass over and place it upside-down on its saucer.
c. Just let him know verbally that you’ve had your fill and do not want any more tea.
d. Jiggle your glass from side to side as he attempts to refill it.
As you walk the streets of Istanbul, you notice many interesting interpersonal behaviors. Which one of the following is typically NOT Turkish?
Two women walking arm in arm, and two men walking hand in hand.
People standing around and talking animatedly very close to one another.
One person making the thumb-to-forefinger “OK” sign to another.
One man bending down and kissing the hand of an older man.
When visiting a Turkish mosque, it is important to do all of the following, EXCEPT…
a. bring food and drink into the mosque with you.
b. men and women must both take their shoes off before entering.
c. women should cover their hair when entering the mosque, and insure that their arms to their elbows and legs to below their knees are covered.
d. be prepared to leave when the call to prayer commences.
Easy? Hard? Neither? So, how many CultureQuiz Questions did you get right? Here are the correct answers below…and the reasons why!
Here are your correct TURKEY CultureQuiz ANSWERS:
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