ICP Outcomes
Interculture Quiz - Germany
Students - try answering the questions
first before looking at the suggested responses and commentary
at the foot of the page. For each situation, choose one or, where fitting, more options - or none and
suggest your own.
Customs / Behaviour / Etiquette
1. In Germany which of the following is sometimes considered bad manners? 2. When a German person you have only met once before greets you next time
with kisses on both cheeks do you assume that…?- 3. In Germany if someone stands
very close to you when having a conversation, perhaps even touching you on
the shoulder or back, would you ...? - 4. Your German flat-mates / the
German family you live with are not always fully dressed when around the
house. Would you think ...? - 5. If German friends asked you to
join them for Sunday mass, in which of the following places would you be ...
? - 6. You turn on the German/
Austrian/Swiss TV on a Saturday afternoon. Which of the following would you not
expect to find ...? -
7. You are invited to go out mushrooming with a German/Austrian/Swiss family. Will you be looking for ...? -
a) White field mushrooms 8. Entering a bar/Beisel/Gasthaus/restaurant etc. would you ...? -
9. You get yourself a soft drink from a vending machine in Germany/Austria/ Switzerland.
It tastes odd. Would you think ... ? -
a) It is past its sell-by date 10. In a German/Austrian bar/Weinstube
when would you be asked to pay for your drinks ...? - 11. Which of the following might it be hard to find in a shop in Germany...? - 12. Which gift would be suitable if you were invited to a dinner-party at your
Betreu 13. You have invited a German/Austrian round for coffee. You ask if they take sugar. Danke is the reply. Does this
mean ...? - 14. You are offered a second helping of a dish at a meal. Which would be an appropriate refusal formula ...? - 15. In Germany, crossing at a zebra crossing without traffic lights would you ...? - 16. In Germany/Austria a lot of people are trying to board a bus. Do you imagine they will ...? - 17. In Germany/Austria if a cyclist furiously shouts at you, a pedestrian, is it likely to be because ...? - 18. If you are renting a room in a hall of residence/Wohnheim etc. might you expect ...? - 19. Renting a room in a hall of residence/Wohnheim, would you expect a phone to be ...? - 20. If you have a room in a hall of residence in Germany/Austria do you think a guest ...? - 21. In Germany a British male is invited out for drinks with male German students. Would he expect ...? - 22. If you arrive for a university course in Germany/Austria, would you expect to be welcomed by ...? - 23. If on a university course in Germany/Austria would you expect to have ...? - 24. If, on a work placement in Germany/Austria, your boss says to you: Kopieren Sie das bitte!
Would you assume ...? - 25. In Germany/Austria if you were in an office or an English Lang. Assistant in a school starting at (or slightly
before) 8.00 a.m. and you always looked very tired on arriving, do you imagine your boss/colleagues would be ...? - 26. If a German person speaks with a strong accent, would you think they are ...? - 27. A German wanting to say they would very much like to ... etc. would say ...? - 28. Which of the following people would you address with the formal Sie ...? - 29. In Germany when chatting with someone you have just met would you talk about ... ? - 30. In Germany, if you meet someone new socially and they Wir möchten Sie gerne zum Essen einladen
- you must come round to see us soon, would you expect ...? -
(Created by Eva Eppler of Lancaster University for The Interculture Project)
Photo: Juliet Manners
Talk to the locals
b) To be on time for an appointment
c) To jump a queue
d) To introduce oneself by one’s surname only.
b) They enjoyed talking to you the first time you met
c) This is the usual way of greeting someone of your age/status
b) Do the same to them
c) Get embarrassed and freeze
b) They are just very relaxed people
c) They are weirdoes
d) All Germans must be like that
e) They are exhibitionists
b) A roman-catholic village
c) A city in the east of Germany
d) A town in the west of Germany
b) a World-War-Two film
c) a football match
d) a quiz-show
b) Hallucinogenic ‘magic’ mushrooms
c) Various types of fungi, several of them poisonous
b) Go to the bar and order there
c) Find yourself a seat and wait for someone to take your order
b) You pressed a wrong button
c) Perhaps brand names don't quite taste the same abroad
d) The machine has malfunctioned
b) On being served at the table
c) After the first round has been consumed
d) Just before you go home.
b) Cornflakes
c) A can of Boddington’s
d) Marmite
e) Heinz beans
b) A four-pack of lager
c) A bottle of wine
d) Thomas the Tank Engine or some other ‘typically’ British toy
b) They will have sugar
c) They don’t mind which
b)(Nein)danke (nein)
c)Danke, es schmeckt sehr gut, aber ich bin leider schon sehr satt
b) Look right
c) Indicate clearly you want to cross by stepping out onto the crossing
d) Look left
b) Courteously allow women/children to board first
c) Jostle their way on in a mad scramble
d) Each board calmly as best they can
b) You looked right instead of left when crossing the road
c) You are walking on a cycle path
d) The cyclist is a dispatch rider
b) A washbasin in your room and a shower on your corridor
c) An electric socket in the bathroom
d) A bathroom and a toilet along the corridor but no washbasin in your room
b) On your corridor
c) In your room
d) In the communal kitchen on another floor
b) Can always come straight to your room
c) Has to sign in at Reception
d) Can only see you in a special visitors’ room
b) They'd go out to a bar and drink themselves silly
c) He'd be taken to a schlagende Verbindung for a serious drinking session
d) They'd go out to a bar and probably drink Coke
b) The college dean
c) A student representative
d) Nobody
b) A mentor who is a member of staff
c) A mentor who is a Year Abroad tutor
d) A student tandem
b) S/he is very impolite
c) S/he is very busy and just getting on with things
b) Annoyed
c) Indifferent
d) Critical
b) uneducated
c) from a small village
d) working-class
b)Ich interessiere mich (sehr) für ...
c)Ich möchte (sehr) gerne ….
d)Es wäre schön, wenn ich … könnte…
b) Your landlord/landlady
c) An adolescent
d) A person of your age and sex
e) An older female colleague
b) The weather
c) Your work/studies
d) Beach towels
b) They’d expect you to phone them to fix a date
c) Common friends will arrange the get-together
d) You’ll never hear from them again
Customs / Behaviour / Etiquette 1. In Germany which of the following is sometimes considered bad manners? a and c are the most appropriate
answers, that is to say the most inappropriate behaviour. A giver of flowers is
expected to unwrap them for the receiver. Queue-jumping is frowned upon, but
then queueing, a very British habit, is not a widespread practice in Germany.
Germans generally admire and practice punctuality - which in Europe seems to
diminish the further south you go (climate influence!?). Lastly, it is quite
normal in Germany to introduce yourself by your surname only. 2. When a German person you have only met once before greets you next time
with kisses on both cheeks do you assume that…?-
b is the most appropriate assumption. a is unlikely, but, of course, you never know; on the other hand
nobody is going to kiss you on the cheeks if they positively don’t like you. c
is a possibility, but on the whole Germans consider kissing on the cheek
greetings as a ‘French’ thing and it is not an established custom amongst
young people. A shoulder hug is more generally likely. There can be exceptions
for specific groups (cf. the behaviour of British theatre/film ‘luvvies’),
so observe and conform to what seems to be prevailing practice.SUGGESTED RESPONSES AND COMMENTARY
b) To be on time for an appointment
c) To jump a queue
d) To introduce oneself by one’s surname only.
b) They enjoyed talking to you the first time you met
c) This is the usual way of greeting someone of your age/status
3. In Germany if someone stands very close to you when having a conversation, perhaps even touching you on the shoulder or back, would you ...? -
a) Move away a littleb) Do the same to them
c) Get embarrassed and freeze
Probably the most appropriate response is b. If you find the intrusion on your body-space uncomfortable then a is perfectly alright if done tactfully, naturally and move-by-move. Jumping back would appear rude. No point in c if you can avoid it. There is more physical contact often in conversation on the continent, though how much depends on personality, mood, occasion and so on. Naturally one remains alert to assessing any sexual input, but do not assume touchy-feely conversation necessarily contains it.
4. Your German flat-mates / the German family you live with are not always fully dressed when around the house. Would you think ...? -
a) They are naturistsb) They are just very relaxed people
c) They are weirdoes
d) All Germans must be like that
e) They are exhibitionists
a or b are the most likely assumptions ... though c and e are not to be ruled out totally. It would be unwise to assume d , though there is a strong body-culture and naturist tradition in Germany, dating from the 1920s and apparent not only on beaches, whether in Germany or elsewhere. Be prepared for culturally different notions of privacy, which doesn’t mean, in this instance, that you need to follow (birthday) suit ...
5. If German friends asked you to join them for Sunday mass, in which of the following places would you be ... ? - a) A protestant town
b) A roman-catholic village
c) A city in the east of Germany
d) A town in the west of Germany
b is the most likely of the situations, since mass is involved and we are talking about a small, tightly-knit, rural community, but d is a possibility as is c, which may - or not - seem surprising, given the decades of Marxism/Leninism. Generally speaking it is in the south of Germany that Roman Catholicism is more widespread.
6. You turn on the German/ Austrian/Swiss TV on a Saturday afternoon. Which of the following would you not expect to find ...? -
a) a soft-porn flickb) a World-War-Two film
c) a football match
d) a quiz-show
a and b. Beware that, for obvious reasons, the British appetite in film, sit-com and documentary culture, whether in serious or comic vein, for WW1+2 topics is not shared in Germany/Austria. It is a subject best steered clear of and, even if raised with you by an inhabitant of the host country, should be approached with caution and tact.
7. You are invited to go out mushrooming with a German/Austrian/Swiss family. Will you be looking for ...? -
a) White field mushrooms
b) Hallucinogenic ‘magic’ mushrooms
c) Various types of fungi, several of them poisonous
In all likelihood c, though a is possible. Fungi hunting is a fairly common leisure activity in Germany/Austria/Switzerland (and Italy and France). Some species are prized, many of no interest, one or two deadly. Should fungi be subsequently served as part of a meal, you can trust local knowledge as to which have been picked as a gastronomic delight and which left in the woods as inedible or poisonous. Even so don’t overindulge. Unless you are, or become, an expert do not yourself pick and eat fungi (whether white or coloured). Ingesting amanita phalloïdes (whitish, in woods) will bring all your intercultural activity to a quick and permanent stop.
8. Entering a bar/Beisel/Gasthaus/restaurant etc. would you ...? -
a) Wait to be seated and order from whoever shows you to your tableb) Go to the bar and order there
c) Find yourself a seat and wait for someone to take your order
In a bar, Beisel and most Gasthäuser the most appropriate answer is c. In a restaurant or very upmarket Gasthaus a would probably apply. If you wished to stand at the bar and not sit at a table, then b would be appropriate.
9. You get yourself a soft drink from a vending machine in Germany/Austria/ Switzerland. It tastes odd. Would you think ... ? -
a) It is past its sell-by date
b) You pressed a wrong button
c) Perhaps brand names don't quite taste the same abroad
d) The machine has malfunctioned
c is the answer that fits, in all likelihood. Different types of sweetener can be used and products made under licence in different countries can vary slightly.
10. In a German/Austrian bar/Weinstube when would you be asked to pay for your drinks ...? -
a) After having been served at the barb) On being served at the table
c) After the first round has been consumed
d) Just before you go home.
Generally the correct answer will be d. However a is possible. as is c, but b would be unusual. Usually you pay when you wish to leave, asking for the bill if it is not there already. You could be billed after each ‘round’ - if more than one, but in Germany / Austria / Switzerland you don’t necessarily order in ‘rounds’ and certainly don’t have to pay in ‘rounds’. Nor will you end up paying the entire bill. You can tell whoever serves you who and what you wish to cover.
11. Which of the following might it be hard to find in a shop in Germany...? -
a) Earl Grey teab) Cornflakes
c) A can of Boddington’s
d) Marmite
e) Heinz beans
It would be hard to find c and d. You would not find a in smaller or even some large shops, but it can be found. If you are a British marmite addict take some with you. Intercultural experience includes trying indigenous foreign food products, so be a little adventurous when in a German supermarket.
12. Which gift would be suitable if you were invited to a dinner-party at your Betreuungslehrer's/boss’s/tutor’s house …? -
a) A bunch of flowersb) A four-pack of lager
c) A bottle of wine
d) Thomas the Tank Engine or some other ‘typically’ British toy
Flowers a would be the most appropriate offering, particularly if one of the hosts is a woman. Lager would be considered impolite, so avoid b . Wine is a possible option, but can be problematical. The host/ess will have thought of the wine that goes well with the menu and British and continental tastes in (and knowledge of) wine can vary. Perhaps ask beforehand if you can bring anything (but if the answer is no take flowers anyway) and, if wine is welcome, agree on a particular type. If your host/ess have a child then something like d can go down very well. Don’t be extravagant - a modest gift will suffice. Typically British things usually go down well as little presents for children - a double-decker bus, Paddington Bear, Postman Pat etc.
13. You have invited a German/Austrian round for coffee. You ask if they take sugar. Danke is the reply. Does this mean ...? -
a) They won’t have sugarb) They will have sugar
c) They don’t mind which
a is most likely to be correct. Danke is not unequivocal, but more often than not means Nein, danke. If you take sugar, say Ja, bitte.
14. You are offered a second helping of a dish at a meal. Which would be an appropriate refusal formula ...? -
a)Dankeb)(Nein)danke (nein)
c)Danke, es schmeckt sehr gut, aber ich bin leider schon sehr satt
c is the best and most polite phrase, longish as it is. b is possible, but not very polite.
15. In Germany, crossing at a zebra crossing without traffic lights would you ...? -
a) Wait on the pavement for cars to stopb) Look right
c) Indicate clearly you want to cross by stepping out onto the crossing
d) Look left
d , of course, is always advisable on the continent and, in combination with a , should suffice to get you across the road safely. However, sometimes you need to resort to c - one step only! - in order to get drivers to stop in Austria / Germany / Switzerland. Continental driver tend to have (even?) less regard for pedestrians than do British drivers and, for example, in Austria, the Highway Code has only recently been changed from c to a .
16. In Germany/Austria a lot of people are trying to board a bus. Do you imagine they will ...? -
a) Queue to get onb) Courteously allow women/children to board first
c) Jostle their way on in a mad scramble
d) Each board calmly as best they can
d is normal behaviour, though there could be a bit of c . a is just possible, but continental bus queues are often so unorderly they are not very recognisable as queues. Queues for exhibitions, cinemas will be more like British ones.
17. In Germany/Austria if a cyclist furiously shouts at you, a pedestrian, is it likely to be because ...? -
a) The cyclist is in a foul mood and is taking it out on youb) You looked right instead of left when crossing the road
c) You are walking on a cycle path
d) The cyclist is a dispatch rider
The likeliest reason is c . Push-bikes are a common means of transport in German-speaking countries. Many places have a well-established cycle-path network, which makes cycling very safe - unless pedestrians use them!
18. If you are renting a room in a hall of residence/Wohnheim etc. might you expect ...? -
a) An en-suite bathroomb) A washbasin in your room and a shower on your corridor
c) An electric socket in the bathroom
d) A bathroom and a toilet along the corridor but no washbasin in your room
The only sure expectation will be c . Unlike in the UK, where banned for safety reasons, power-points will be found in all German / Austrian / Swiss bathrooms. So be careful. Any of a b d could be the case. Standards in Wohnheimen and in privately rented accommodation vary. Enquire about facilities before committing yourself.
19. Renting a room in a hall of residence/Wohnheim, would you expect a phone to be ...? -
a) In the communal kitchen on your floorb) On your corridor
c) In your room
d) In the communal kitchen on another floor
b will be the case, most likely. Standards vary. Remember that not being in touch can be very tough at the beginning of the P.R.A. Consider the option of a mobile phone, but the cost of using it for the UK may be high. Beware.
20. If you have a room in a hall of residence in Germany/Austria do you think a guest ...? -
a) Can stay overnightb) Can always come straight to your room
c) Has to sign in at Reception
d) Can only see you in a special visitors’ room
All options are possible. In Germany / Austria / Switzerland Wohnheime are not always run by the university. Some are associated with or sponsored by private organisations, political parties, the church etc. They can influence the Heimordnung . Most of them don't, but some do.
21. In Germany a British male is invited out for drinks with male German students. Would he expect ...? -
a) They'd go out to a bar and have a beerb) They'd go out to a bar and drink themselves silly
c) He'd be taken to a schlagende Verbindung for a serious drinking session
d) They'd go out to a bar and probably drink Coke
a is most likely, though d for some and b on occasions could be possible. Unlikely is c , though in ancient universities in the south of Germany the odd exclusive student drinking club still exists, even if it may not involve sword-fighting nowadays.
22. If you arrive for a university course in Germany/Austria, would you expect to be welcomed by ...? -
a) Your personal tutorb) The college dean
c) A student representative
d) Nobody
Alas! d is probably going to be the case. Extremely unlikely is a . unless you are at an expensive private university. German / Austrian / Swiss students do not have personal tutors and the service is therefore not available for exchange students. Neither is b possible, since it is rare for universities to be organised into colleges.
23. If on a university course in Germany/Austria would you expect to have ...? -
a) A personal tutorb) A mentor who is a member of staff
c) A mentor who is a Year Abroad tutor
d) A student tandem
The most likely situation will be c . a , as seen in Q.22, is excluded. If you queue to see your lecturer in their office-hour(s) and get on fine with them, then b is a possibility. In addition c is a possibility; most departments have junior members of staff who function as exchange-student tutors. The tandem model d is largely unknown on the continent.
24. If, on a work placement in Germany/Austria, your boss says to you: Kopieren Sie das bitte! Would you assume ...? -
a) S/he is not happy with the job you are doingb) S/he is very impolite
c) S/he is very busy and just getting on with things
Most often it will be c that is the case. Not impossible are a and b , but...
25. In Germany/Austria if you were in an office or an English Lang. Assistant in a school starting at (or slightly before) 8.00 a.m. and you always looked very tired on arriving, do you imagine your boss/colleagues would be ...? -
a) Sympatheticb) Annoyed
c) Indifferent
d) Critical
a , c , d , and b - in that order of probability are the likely reactions. Should you be (regularly) late the probability order would vary. Note the different work cultures, work ethics even. Your life will be made much easier by conforming than by oversleeping.
Linguistic conventions
26. If a German person speaks with a strong accent, would you think they are ...? -
a) from a certain regionb) uneducated
c) from a small village
d) working-class
Most appropriate is a though c can contribute to a. However b is just a possibility. Unlike in the UK where class and accent are sometimes associated, in Germany/Austria highly-educated middle-class people speak with regional accents. This is particularly true for Schweizerdeutsch and other regions where there is a strong local accent.
27. A German wanting to say they would very much like to ... etc. would say ...? -
a) Ich
würde (sehr) gerne …
b) Ich
interessiere mich (sehr) für ...
c) Ich
möchte (sehr) gerne ….
d) Es wäre
schön, wenn ich … könnte…
a and c are equally appropriate. b is too indirect and your addressee might not realise exactly what you want. d is exaggeratedly polite and might be perceived as affected or ‘beating round the bush’. All are nonetheless ‘correct’.
28. Which of the following people would you address with the formal Sie ...? -
a) Students/pupils
b) Your landlord/landlady
c) An adolescent
d) A person of your age and sex
e) An older female colleague
Sie would definitely be used both to b and to e. a is possible, but it would depend, if you were a teacher, on your school’s policy on the use of address terms. Consult your Betreuungslehrer. With c and d you would use Du. However convention evolves and Du is gaining ground. Considerations of politeness, age, gender, authority all come into play. It is better, if in doubt, to play safe and to amuse your addressee with a Sie rather than shock them with a Du. People will put you right or you will pick up the convention.
29. In Germany when chatting with someone you have just met would you talk about ... ? -
a) Immigrant workers
b) The weather
c) Your work/studies
d) Beach towels
German weather - largely determined by a continental/land-mass climate - is not as variable as the UK’s and b is not considered a fascinating topic of conversation in Germany. a and d touch on controversial topics involving attitudes towards race and national stereotype and should be avoided, as - obviously - should World Wars/Nazism unless broached by a host and even then tread hypertactfully. c is most appropriate or choose as subject something that is going on around you. As everywhere the art of conversation is to listen, though not ask too many direct questions and not overtalk about yourself - as countless people do!
30. In Germany, if you meet someone new socially and they say Wir möchten Sie gerne zum Essen einladen ... you must come round to see us soon, would you expect ...? -a) Them to phone you fairly soon after
b) They’d expect you to phone them to fix a
date
c) Common friends will arrange the
get-together
d) You’ll never hear from them again
Unlike, perhaps, in France, where the off-the-cuff Il faut que vous passiez nous voir un de ces jours might well lead to nothing, in Germany a is probably quite an accurate expectation, which makes d possible but unlikely. People would not expect b or c. However, if the invitation doesn’t materialise for you as a British visitor and you meet the same people again, tactfully try to consolidate the relationship; you need as many invitations out as possible, especially in the early weeks/months.
(Created by Eva Eppler of Lancaster University for The Interculture Project)
We welcome any comments - get in touch with us at icp@lists.lancs.ac.uk