Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Politician?

My friend recently posted on her blog a quiz to find out what your marrying age is. I'm very fond of these quizzes, and with the just-concluded elections, I had the inspiration to make one. This one will find out if you have the potential to be a politician.

For each item, choose what you'd do, score each answer, get the total, and see what the final score means. Don't leave any item unanswered.

I've also placed the moral value each item is asking. You might want to know where you need to work on.

1. [Honesty] You decided to treat your friends and eat at Gerry's Grill. The four of you ordered nine cups of rice, but were able to finish only eight, leaving one untouched. The bill came, and the cashier made the mistake of charging only eight cups. What will you do?

a. Point out the mistake and ask the cashier to correct the bill.

b. Just keep quiet. Leave the restaurant, also leaving the untouched cup of rice. That way, they can still serve it to another customer.

c. Just keep quiet. Ask the waitress to put the untouched rice in a doggy bag for take out.

2. [Compassion] You were along the aisle of ice creams at SM Hypermart. An old lady was buying a half-gallon of vanilla. With it came a free box of wafer cones. However, she could not reach the box, so she asked the saleslady to get one. But the saleslady was also short, and had a hard time getting the box of cones. You will...

a. get the box and give it to the old lady.

b. go to the fruit section.

c. cheer the saleslady on. She is just a few inches away from getting the box.

3. [Education] 1 + 1 =

a. 2

b. fifty pesos

c. +2,000 for you, -2,000 for your opponent

4. [Law-abidingness] Traffic is heavy, but the opposite lane is free. You will...

a. wait it out.

b. counterflow, and get back in your lane if there is an oncoming car.

c. counterflow with headlights blinking and horns blaring, and staring at the driver of the oncoming car.

5. [Respect] You failed to watch the second season opener of "Prison Break" because your daughter was watching "High School Musical" for the nth time. You'll...

a. just let your daughter continue watching the Disney channel, and try to know what happened in "Prison Break" based on the following episode.

b. change the channel and shout at your daughter if she cries and whines.

c. go to Quiapo to buy all episodes of "Prison Break", Seasons 1, 2, and 3.

6. [Industry] Your electric fan broke down. You're going to...

a. fix it yourself.

b. have your wife fix it.

c. have your rich father fix it.

7. [Frugality] Oil is becoming scarce, hence its price is soaring. You're going out to buy bread, and the store is 100 m away. What will you do?

a. Walk to the store and buy the bread.

b. Tell your maid to buy the bread.

c. Take your F-150 to the store. It is a hot day, and the aircon of the vehicle is so refreshing.

8. [Fidelity] Your wife caught you cheating on her. What do you plan to do?

a. Nothing. You will never cheat on your wife.

b. Deny it. But if you can't squirm out of the situation, blame the other woman, saying she seduced you.

c. Be proud of it, and plan to add another. You believe that manliness is measured by the number of mistresses one has.

9. [Leadership] Your friends are making fun of a fat co-employee. You will...

a. defend your co-employee.

b. laugh with them.

c. take the lead in insulting him.

10. [Abhorrence to Gambling] There is a game between Ginebra and San Miguel tonight. You plan to...

a. watch and enjoy the game at home.

b. bet 5-5 for the first quarter, 7-8 for the second, 2-0 for the third, and 6-5 for the final quarter. You expect a close fight.

c. organize the ending game.

Scoring:

Score five points for every item answered with an "a", three points if the answer is "b", and one point for every "c" answer. Add up all your scores.

Meaning:

If your total score is 10 - 20: Better not go into politics, for you don't have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition). There are so many out there like you, and they already have their parents/siblings/aunts and uncles/cousins/children as congressman/governor/mayor/counselor/baranggay captain/tanod.

If you scored 21 - 35: Three years ago I would have recommended that you become a talent of ABS-CBN. With the results of the last election, that doesn't seem to be effective anymore. Instead, I suggest you enter the seminary.

If your total is 36 - 50: You'll make a perfect politician, not because you have the qualities of a true leader this nation badly needs, but because you can promise things that you cannot do.

If you scored more than 50: You're better off being a COMELEC official.

Next time, I'll prepare a quiz to find out if you have what it takes to be a voter.