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Quiz about You vs Smart Alec  At the Job Centre
Quiz about You vs Smart Alec  At the Job Centre

You vs. Smart Alec - At the Job Centre Quiz


Your nemesis, the irritating know-it-all, Smart Alec, turns up all over the place with the sole intention of making you feel silly. When you go to the job centre for some career advice, guess who's there to "help you out"?

A multiple-choice quiz by Bungo. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
Bungo
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
254,682
Updated
Dec 07 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
2816
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 2 (9/10), Guest 49 (9/10), Guest 175 (6/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Oh no! You'd recognize that smug grin anywhere. Smart Alec is your career advisor! You'd better make sure you don't let him win this mental battle or else you could be unemployed forever!
"So", he says, studying your file very closely, "I see you have some experience in the pedagogical field. Am I right?"
What do you say?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Smart Alec clears his throat. "A-hem. Right, so then, I have a position here that requires some thespianic talents. Would that suit you?" He fixes you with a beady stare. What should you say to put him back in his place? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Smart Alec pulls out another folder full of notes and starts rifling through it, obviously annoyed. Suddenly, he gives you a sly, sideways look and pulls out an old, yellowing piece of paper.
"Right, maybe we'll have more luck with this one. Have you ever considered becoming a Peeler?"
You can tell he's trying to catch you out with this one! From what you can see of the piece of paper, this appears to be an old English term. What's the correct response?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Smart Alec takes a sip of water and composes himself. He continues looking through the file and plucks out another, even older piece of paper. He turns it around and holds it up to you with a raised eyebrow. The heading says "Sawbones". How do you feel about this one? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Smart Alec is pulling at his collar even more now. Then he snaps his fingers and pulls out an ornate file from his cupboard. You'd better have your brain switched on for this one!
"So, any other ideas?" you ask.
"I was thinking about this one," he answers, "but I don't think campanology is really for you. What do you think?"
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Smart Alec excuses himself for a moment but you don't have much time to poke about his desk. When he comes back, the colour's back in his cheeks and he looks ready for another round. Don't get too cocky now, he'll definitely have some nasty tricks up his sleeve!
"Let's look at the next job," he says. "There's a position here for a milliner's assistant. How would you feel about that?"
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. You notice that Smart Alec is starting to tap his feet and fingers more and more and that his hand shakes quite a lot when he reaches for yet another sip of water. His voice sounds slightly higher than normal when he asks you if you have ever studied ichthyology. Whatever you say, you must answer confidently! Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Scrabbling around for anything he can lay his perspiring hands on, Smart Alec desperately shouts out "You could be a hack! Ha ha! What do you say to that, eh?"
Well, what DO you say to that?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. It looks like Smart Alec is revving up for his final battle. Hold your nerve and you could come out of this unscathed. He doesn't even pretend to look through his files this time. He looks at you with wild eyes and asks if you would consider yourself a philatelist.
Your answer is?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Smart Alec looks beaten. Maybe you can suggest something this time.
"Did you know I was a champion pugilist at school?" You ask him.
His eyes widen and he runs screaming from the room. What was your special talent that sent him packing?
Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 2: 9/10
Mar 10 2024 : Guest 49: 9/10
Mar 06 2024 : Guest 175: 6/10
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 24: 7/10
Feb 27 2024 : Sighthound: 10/10
Feb 27 2024 : tetrahedron: 10/10
Feb 27 2024 : firstbase1945: 6/10
Feb 27 2024 : strnog1: 10/10
Feb 27 2024 : sandysenior: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Oh no! You'd recognize that smug grin anywhere. Smart Alec is your career advisor! You'd better make sure you don't let him win this mental battle or else you could be unemployed forever! "So", he says, studying your file very closely, "I see you have some experience in the pedagogical field. Am I right?" What do you say?

Answer: "Yes, that's correct, I was a teaching assistant as part of my university course."

Phew! Smart Alec gives you an insincere smile as you pass his first test of your knowledge. Of course you know that pedagogy is the art of being a teacher. Coming from Ancient Greek, it literally means "to lead the child". He'll have to be cleverer than that to out-smart you.
2. Smart Alec clears his throat. "A-hem. Right, so then, I have a position here that requires some thespianic talents. Would that suit you?" He fixes you with a beady stare. What should you say to put him back in his place?

Answer: "Perfect! I have played 'Hamlet', you know."

A thespian (or "thesp") is another name for an actor. It comes from the name of the first actor, Thespis of Icaria, a Greek island. If you have played "Hamlet", then this more than qualifies you. Smart Alec gives you another glare. He'll have to try harder to put you out of this game!
3. Smart Alec pulls out another folder full of notes and starts rifling through it, obviously annoyed. Suddenly, he gives you a sly, sideways look and pulls out an old, yellowing piece of paper. "Right, maybe we'll have more luck with this one. Have you ever considered becoming a Peeler?" You can tell he's trying to catch you out with this one! From what you can see of the piece of paper, this appears to be an old English term. What's the correct response?

Answer: "Join the police? Not really for me, I'm afraid."

"Peeler" is an old nickname for the police in England. It came from the Home Secretary Robert Peel who founded the Metropolitan Police in 1829. Presumably another nickname, "Bobbies", comes from the "Robert" part of his name.
Smart Alec starts pulling at his collar and you notice a small trickle of sweat forming on his forehead. You're doing really well, keep going!
4. Smart Alec takes a sip of water and composes himself. He continues looking through the file and plucks out another, even older piece of paper. He turns it around and holds it up to you with a raised eyebrow. The heading says "Sawbones". How do you feel about this one?

Answer: "Sorry, I have no medical experience at all."

A "Sawbones" is a slang term referring to a surgeon. As you give your answer to Smart Alec, he drums his fingers in irritation. Clearly, his mission to make you look stupid isn't going to plan! You've just got to keep your nerve and keep on going...
5. Smart Alec is pulling at his collar even more now. Then he snaps his fingers and pulls out an ornate file from his cupboard. You'd better have your brain switched on for this one! "So, any other ideas?" you ask. "I was thinking about this one," he answers, "but I don't think campanology is really for you. What do you think?"

Answer: "Bell-ringing? You're right, not really my bag."

Campanology is the study of bells and bell-ringing. "Campana" in Latin means "bell".
Smart Alec looks slightly shocked that you got this one right and for a moment starts getting really flustered, messing about with his papers and almost knocking his water over. You smile and sit back in your chair. Who cares if he doesn't find you your ideal job, you're having too much fun!
6. Smart Alec excuses himself for a moment but you don't have much time to poke about his desk. When he comes back, the colour's back in his cheeks and he looks ready for another round. Don't get too cocky now, he'll definitely have some nasty tricks up his sleeve! "Let's look at the next job," he says. "There's a position here for a milliner's assistant. How would you feel about that?"

Answer: "Well, I look great in them so maybe making hats would be the thing for me."

A milliner is someone who makes hats. A probable etymological root of this word is from the Middle English "Milener", 'a native of Milan which was a source of goods such as bonnets and lace' (wwww.yourdictionary.com).
While you're actually quite interested in this job, you know that Smart Alec isn't finished with you yet. If you make it out of this "interview" without being thoroughly humiliated, you'll definitely have to make another appointment with a real careers advisor!
7. You notice that Smart Alec is starting to tap his feet and fingers more and more and that his hand shakes quite a lot when he reaches for yet another sip of water. His voice sounds slightly higher than normal when he asks you if you have ever studied ichthyology. Whatever you say, you must answer confidently!

Answer: "Nope, I hate fish!"

Ichthyology is the study of fish ("ichthyos" is Greek for "fish") but at this point, you might have got away with saying anything because Smart Alec doesn't appear to be listening and he manically searches his files for something to stump you with. Only a few more to go!
8. Scrabbling around for anything he can lay his perspiring hands on, Smart Alec desperately shouts out "You could be a hack! Ha ha! What do you say to that, eh?" Well, what DO you say to that?

Answer: "I'm afraid my writing style is far too good to be labeled a mere 'hack'."

According to Wikipedia, "Hack writer is a colloquial, usually pejorative, term used to refer to a writer who is paid to write low-quality, quickly put-together articles or books 'to order', often with a short deadline."
How dare Smart Alec criticise your writing ability! You'll get him for this. You can see he's really falling apart now as his plans come crashing down. Just a couple more challenges and you're sure victory will be yours!
9. It looks like Smart Alec is revving up for his final battle. Hold your nerve and you could come out of this unscathed. He doesn't even pretend to look through his files this time. He looks at you with wild eyes and asks if you would consider yourself a philatelist. Your answer is?

Answer: "Stamps? Boring!"

Oh dear, Smart Alec looks like he's going to explode! Philately deals with the study of postage stamps. This term was coined by Georges Herpin in 1865 from the Greek "phil" ("love of") and "atelaia" which means "exemption from tax". He couldn't find a word from Greek nearer to "postage stamp" but this described the concept of the stamp already being paid for by the sender so the recipient of the letter didn't have to pay (www.etymonline.com).
You're nearly there - show him who's boss.
10. Smart Alec looks beaten. Maybe you can suggest something this time. "Did you know I was a champion pugilist at school?" You ask him. His eyes widen and he runs screaming from the room. What was your special talent that sent him packing?

Answer: Boxing

This term comes from the Latin "pugil" meaning "boxer". "Pugnus" also means "fist".
If anyone deserved a good punch it's that know-it-all Smart Alec! You didn't manage to find a job but at least he's disappeared, defeated, until the next time...

Unless otherwise stated, all definitions of terms came from Wikipedia.
Source: Author Bungo

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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