David and Barbara

Rothschild of EATiQuette in Phoenix put together this hypothetical holiday

celebration to help you gauge just how comfortable and confident you'll

be at the upcoming festivities.

Take the quiz

to determine your etiquette quotient. And remember, even if you score

low, there's still time to buff up your behavior before the holidays.

1) You receive

an invitation to a holiday dinner at your boss' home. At the bottom, it

reads, "Rsvp" and includes a phone number. What should you do?

a. Call only

if you won't be able to attend

b. Mention

to your boss, at work, that you'll be attending

c. Call to

let them know if you'll be attending

2) That invitation

also says the party begins at 7:00. What time should you get there?

a. Right at

7:00, or by 7:10 at the latest

b. At 6:45

-- you want your boss to know you're eager

to socialize

with him

c. Around

7:30 -- you hate being the first one to

arrive at

a party

3) When you

arrive, you're offered champagne. How do you hold the glass?

a. With your

hand around the "bowl" so you don't drip any champagne on the

carpet

b. By the

"stem", in your left hand

c. By the

"foot", in your right hand

4) Before dinner,

hors d'oeuvres are passed. The Asian-style spareribs are tasty, but what

do you do with the bone?

a. Give it

to the family's dog

b. Place it

in a paper napkin and find a trash receptacle

c. Slip it

in your pocket and dispose of it later

5) When dinner

is served, you're seated at a table with your boss, his wife and several

colleagues. When should you begin eating?

a. As soon

as you're served -- why let your food get cold?

b. Wait for

the boss to start -- it could make a difference in your holiday bonus

c. After the

boss' wife takes her first bite

6) You detest

Brussels Sprouts, but there they are on your plate. Do you have to eat

them?

a. No, but

don't groan or make disgusting remarks about them

b. Yes, because

you don't want to insult your boss

c. No, but

it's okay to put them on your bread plate so they don't touch the rest

of your meal

7) To help

ensure that your holiday bonus is generous, you propose a toast to your

boss. Which of these is most appropriate?

a. Stand,

looking him straight in the eye and say, "To your health"

b. Start off

with a joke, then get the group to sing, "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow"

c. Wish him

a happy holiday, then drain your entire champagne glass

8) After dessert

and coffee have been served, you feel it's time to leave. Do you . . .

a. Try to

slip out the door unnoticed so you don't have to say goodbye to everyone?

b. Seek out

your boss and his wife and thank them for a wonderful evening?

c. Wait until

at least half of the group is gone, so your boss won't think you're leaving

too soon?

9) Since it's

a company party, should you send a thank you note?

a. Not necessary

-- it's your boss' way of thanking you for your work during the year

b. Not necessary

-- but be sure to mention to your boss what a great time you had

c. Absolutely

-- the boss and his wife will appreciate the gesture

Answers:

1) c. Many

things (amount of food, tables and chairs, servers, etc.) depend on the

number of people attending. Since the party is at the boss' home, and

you were given a phone number, it's not enough to tell him you'll attend

-- call. Unless an invitation reads, "regrets only," call regardless

of whether or not you'll be attending.

2) a. Try to

arrive right at the appointed time. If you show up early, your host and

hostess may still be getting dressed, or making final party preparations.

And there's no such thing as "fashionably late"-being late is

just plain rude.

3) b. Always

hold a stemmed glass by the stem so you won't get fingerprints on the

glass and the heat from your hand won't warm the wine. Holding the glass

in your left hand allows you to shake hands without having to switch.

4) b. If you

can't find somewhere to dispose of the bone, ask a server. You don't know

the family pet's dietary restrictions, so don't offer it to the dog. And,

though it may be okay to stash a frill pick in your pocket, bones don't

belong there.

5) c. The boss'

wife is the hostess of the event and, as such, should be the first one

to begin eating.

6) a. As long

as you don't make a scene about it, you don't have to eat the Brussels

Sprouts. Scraping them onto your bread plate will only call attention

to the fact that you're offended by them.

7) a. To show

respect for your boss (or anyone else you're toasting), you should stand,

look directly at him and wish him well. No one should take more than a

sip from their glass when a toast is being made and the person being toasted

should not drink, but should raise his glass to acknowledge the toast.

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