Dining Etiquette 

Whether you are at a friend’s home, at an upscale restaurant, at a dinner with business colleagues, or in another culture, you will feel more confident  if you know proper international dining etiquette. Here’s a dining quiz to test yourself.

1. You are having soup with noodles and slurping very loudly. In which of the following countries might you be: 

a) Grenada 

b) France 

c) China 

d) Poland 

2. In which of the following countries would you be dining if your left hand must be on your lap while you are using your fork only: 

a) England 

b) U.S.A 

c) Germany 

d) Japan 

3. At a formal western dinner setting, your bread plate is usually: 

a) On your left 

b) On your right 

c) Close to your wine glass 

d) Beside your dessert cutlery  

4. If you do not want wine, you should: 

a) Ask the server to remove the glass 

b) Turn your glass down 

c) Put your napkin over it 

d) Put your hand over it when the server passes 

5. When eating bread at a formal dinner you should: 

a) Butter the whole roll before biting into it 

b) Butter half of the roll, then break it into pieces 

c) Dip it in your soup 

d) Break and butter the piece you are going to eat 

6. Which of the following is correct? 

a) As soon as you sit to the table remove the napkin and place in your shirt 

b) When you are about to eat, place the napkin on your lap 

c) When you are about to eat place napkin on the edge of your plate. 

d) Leave the napkin where it is, and use only when necessary 

7. Only one of the following is proper on arriving at a cocktail reception. You should: 

a) Greet and make acquaintances first  

b) Head first to the buffet table to receive your food 

c) Ensure you get a drink from the bar first 

d) Talk loudly so that everyone would know you have arrived 

8. What’s important at a formal dinner?  

a) Your conversational skills 

b) How much you eat 

c) How little you eat 

d) Whether you’re the host or the guest of honour 

9. As a guest at a formal dinner, you should: 

a) Decide who you want to sit beside 

b) Wait for the host/waiter to show you to your seat 

c) Let the host know if you would like to sit beside him/her 

d) Choose the furthest seat so that the host would call you closer  

10. All of the following, except one, indicate when you should begin to eat at a formal dinner table?  

a) When everyone at your table has been served 

b) When the host indicate 

c) When you are served 

d) If your dinner partners say “go ahead” 

11. If your knife falls while eating, you should     

a) Kick it under the table      

b) Pick it up and wipe with your napkin     

c) Call the server  and ask for another      

d) Get up and remove one from a nearby table 

12. When finishing your soup, you should    

a) Lean the bowl away from you        

b) Lean the bowl towards you        

c) Hold bowl to your lips  

d) Don’t try to finish everything 

13. In which of the following countries would you be if it’s okay to use a toothpick while covering your mouth at the table?  

a) Canada   

b) United Kingdom 

c) Australia  

d) China  

14. While eating, handbags and mobile phones could be placed in all but one of these positions 

a) On the table  

b) On your lap 

c) On  your chair  

d) On the floor 

15. When you are finished with your napkin, you should  

a) Try to fold it back as you met it  

b) Fold it in a rectangle  

c) Leave it loosely folded beside your plate  

d) Leave it on your chair 

16. What should you do with your napkin if you need to go to the bathroom to return to the table. You should  

a) Leave it under the edge of your plate 

b) Leave it on your chair  

c) Leave it on the back of your chair  

d) Leave it beside your plate 

17. You were just using the salt, and someone across the table asks for it. You should  

a) Pass it  to the left  

b) Pass it to the right 

c) Pass it across the table  

d) Get up and go around to bring it 

18. One  of the following is not correct when dining in Japan  

a) Try to eat your food in large pieces  

b) Try to chew with your mouth closed and don't burp during the meal 

c) Accept extra food, such as a bowl of rice, with both hands 

d) Eat soup or noodles with loud slurping noises  

19. What is the following breakfast type? A simple breakfast of  pastries, croissants, tea and coffee.   

a) An English Breakfast  

b) A Continental Breakfast 

c) An American Breakfast 

d) A Chinese Breakfast  

20. All of the following but one, are correct when eating with chopsticks.  

a) Do not spear food with your chopsticks 

c) Do not pass food directly from your set of chopsticks to another's

d) Do not use the opposite end of your chopsticks to pick up food from a shared plate