Lazy Luddite Log

7.2.06

British Eccentric Test

You know how there are all these silly little quizzes on the Internet? Stuff like What Age Will You Live To or What Hogwarts House Do You Belong To? Well I have developed one of my own with some help from my friend Sean (who is an actor and therefore understands eccentrics). You can take it in non-automated form here (see scoring info below).

There are ten questions each with three options. To self-score total the following values: a = 0; b = 1; c = 2. This gives you a score of between zero and twenty which you can convert to a percentage if you like. It purports to tell you how much of a British Eccentric you are even if (like me) you have never even been to the UK! Feel free to respond with what score you got and any comments.

Take the Test!

1. If the name on your birth certificate were
James Rupert Lindon you would ask your friends to call you:

a. Jim
b. Rupert
c. The Marquess of the Lost Mire

2. Which clothes are you most likely to wear?
a. Jeans and a shirt with some trendy print on it
b. Trousers held by bracers and a t-shirt with the statement
Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition screen printed on it
c. I dress like Dr Who as played by Tom Baker!

3. If you could not read without assistance
which of these would you use?

a. Prescription glasses with the latest barely there frames
b. Some bifocals once worn by my grandparents
c. A monocle

4. The collection you most want to complete is:
a. The whole ten-season DVD set of Friends
b. The full collection of postage stamps from the
Principality of Andorra
c. All the original wax-cylinder recordings made by
Alexander Graham Bell

5. Which music do you most like listening to?
a. Whatever is in the charts today
b. Something a bit indie and retro like the Cure
c. The album of carols and madrigals by Jethro Tull is superb

6.You are voting in the British General Elections.
Who do you vote for?

a. Someone who can win - I will pick Labour or Conservative depending on what they are offering me
b. Someone like the Liberal-Democrats who can provide a
bit of an alternative
c. Someone irreverent like the Monster Raving Loony Party

7. Somebody has made a statement to which you object.
You say:

a. Bollocks!
b. Pishtosh and poppycock!
c. That is a festering pile of stinky ferret poo!

8. You are more likely to have met your partner:
a. At a bar or nightclub
b. At a peace-rally
c. While accidentally shooting them with an arrow during a
re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings

9. You and your family decide to play an impromptu game after Christmas lunch. It will most likely be:
a. A casual game of backyard cricket
b. A spot of croquet
c. Chess on a life-sized board with family members as pieces

10. Explaining your favourite past-time to a stranger requires:
a. A three-word sentence
b. A lengthy discussion (possibly with diagrams)
c. Taking them along to the initiation ceremony

Results of Test

0-20% Eccentricity - Boringly Normal

BORING! Why did you even take this test? Go back and fade into the crowd just like you always do... Hold on... I cannot see you anymore... was I talking to someone just now...

21-40% Eccentricity - Almost Normal

You are pretty normal. Just occasionally you do or say something a bit out of the ordinary. But by-and-large you are an average person.

41-60% Eccentricity - A Bit Odd

You are passingly normal but those who get close to you notice that there are some things that are rather odd about you. These differences make you a more interesting person but still allow you to get on as an average member of society.

61-80% Eccentricity - Peculiar

You are well on the way to becoming a fully fledged eccentric. You are unusual in many respects and your friends and even passing acquaintances know you are distinctly different. Some bigots may be standoffish as a result but your skin is too thick for it to worry you.

81-100% Eccentricity - Eccentric

You are a true eccentric in all aspects of your life. You are known to all as a most singular character and your reputation precedes you. You are oblivious to any adverse reactions you may get as a result. A small village in Shropshire has recently lost its resident eccentric to a ballooning accident and they want YOU to fill the role!

Update: I much later added a sketchy chart to represent this old bit of silly fun.

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6 Comments:

  • I confess I didn't actually DO the test, but I approve of the concept and execution. I'd prefer to be eccentric in a more Australian sense. Like, writing a small tribute to why the calculations done by the commentary team for the One Day Cricket is similar to that done by my bank for our home loan. But also, I think you should know that us philosophers, we have a fair bit of eccentricity too. Our professor is a Bell Ringer and arranged his office chairs so that it was like the Mona Lisa.

    By Blogger Ainsley, At 07 February, 2006  

  • I get only 40% on my own test. In developing it started as a generic eccentric test but very quickly particular questions lent it a 'British' feel so I decided to roll with that.

    In some ways it almost looks like a test for 'history geeks' rather than the more well-publicised 'science and tech geek' but that is incidental.

    What exactly is a bell ringer? And how many office chairs are needed to look like the Mona Lisa - a sufficient number of chairs to act as pixels?

    By Blogger Dan, At 13 February, 2006  

  • Referring to question 8....

    Umm would skewering them from horse back on the end of lance at said re-enactment count? Most likely place I am to meet a girl!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At 04 September, 2007  

  • The only response I can think of is dodgy... so I will say nothing. Very British of me.

    By Blogger Dan, At 04 September, 2007  

  • well i got a good solid %5o which i feel i fit into nicely.
    At last after many visits to pschs and 10 years of medication i have found a true test of character and maybe something to explain why i just don't fit in with the heard, not that i have ever really wanted to! well done.
    Berthold

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At 23 December, 2007  

  • I scored 100% - not surprising as I have just written a book called "A True British Eccentric" and it is going through publishing now - want a copy? roblowe12345@yahoo.co.uk

    By Blogger roblowe12345, At 08 August, 2008  

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