Dewey Story Test

English Version

Test instructions

In the following stories some parts are in italics. Immediately following there is a droplist. Rate the behaviour which is illustrated by the portion in italics according to how you think most people would judge that behaviour if they witnessed it. Use this scale (repeated in every droplist):

Story no. 1. In the supermarket

The market where Robert always shopped had a small sign in the door which read BARE FEET PROHIBITED IN THIS STORE BY STATE LAW. One summer day Robert saw a pretty girl enter the store without shoes. She seemed about his age, twenty, with long hair and an old-fashioned dress reaching to her ankles. Robert wanted to warn her about the sign but he was afraid to speak to her. Unpleasant things happened if he tried to talk to strange girls. Finally he decided he might be able to shield her feet from being seen by the manager. He pushed his cart close behind hers down aisle after aisle.
Once or twice the girl looked back at him with a cross expression. Suddenly she wheeled into the quick-check lane with twelve items in her basket although the sign said FOR TEN OR FEWER ITEMS.
Robert was more upset than ever. He thougt this pretty girl was tempting fate by breaking another rule. When the check-out clerk let her trough without comment, Robert finally relaxed. Just then, the barefoot girl turned and said to him, 'I don't know why you are following me, but buzz off or I'll call the police!'

Story no. 2. In the elevator

Charlie, twenty-three, had been out of work for several months. On this day he hopes were high because he was on his way to apply for a job which seemed just right for him. As Charlie rode the elevator to his interview a stranger said pleasantly, 'Nice day, isn't it?' .
Just then, Charlie happened to see his reflection in a mirror by the elevator buttons. His hair was sticking up in a peculiar way and he had no comb with him. He turned to the friendly stranger and asked, 'Do you have a comb I could borrow for a minute, please?' .

Story no. 3. In the park

Keith, age twenty-five, was a file clerk who worked in an office in the city. At noomn he took his lunch to a small park and sat on a sunny bench to eat. Often he tore part of his sandwich into bits, scattering it on the ground for the pigeons.
One day when he came to his favourite bench a baby carriage was parked beside it. Keith noticed a young woman was swinging an older child nearby. The baby in the carriage began to cry but the mother did not hear this because the swing was squeaking. Now, Keith had learnt that when his baby nephew screamed, sometimes this meant that a pin in his diaper had opened. Rather than bother the mother in the park, Keith quickly checked the baby's clothing to see whether he could feel an open pin. .

Story no. 4. The forgotten name

Paul, twenty-three, had a little shop where he renovated old furniture. Sometimes a customer would ask to have some work done in her home. On one such occasion an elderly lady called him to stain a scratch on her desk. Unfortunately, Paul forgot to jot down her name when he wrote the address.
The lady greeted him warmly at her door, saying 'Come eight in, Paul, I have heard that your work is good.' Ashamed because he had forgotten her name, Paul waited until she left the room and peeked into a drawer.
Sure enough, he found some letters addressed to Mrs Isabel DeWitt, and this jogged his memory. Satisfied, Paul shut the drwaer without disturbing anything and soon had the scratch nicely refinished. When the lady of the house saw it she said, 'That's perfect! How much do I owe you, Paul?' He replied, 'It did not take very long, so ten dollars will be fine, Isabel.'

Story no. 5. In the airplane

Emily, age nineteen, overslept on the morning of her airplane trip. When she woke up, there was just enough time to dress and get to the airport, so she skipped her breakfast.
At noon, the stewardess came around with lunch, but Emily was so hungry by then that one portion did not satisfy her. She watched a little girl across the aisle toy with her food, complaining, 'I can't eat it.' Apparantly, the father didn't want any more, because he told the child to just leave it. Emily leant across the aisle and said, 'If your little girl doesn't want her tray, can you pass it over for me?'

Story no. 6. The dinner invitation
Roger, twenty-two, lived in a rented room alone. He was quite a nervous person, but it seemed to him he felt better if he ate every two hours and limited his diet to certain foods. One day a lady called and invited him to dinner explaining that she was a friend of his parents. Roger gladly accepted. However, he warned his hostess that he ate no meat and would like his vegetables served unsalted.
When Roger arrived at the appointed time he recalled that he had not eaten for two hours. Without wasting any time, even before the introductions, he asked his hostess when dinner would be served.
She replied that it would be about an hour before the meal would be ready. Hearing this, Roger opened his briefcase, removed an apple and some nuts and promptly ate them.
After that, he was introduced to the family and they sat talking for an hour. Just before dinner, the hostess showed him an attractive platter of fruits and vegetables, asking whether it looked like enough. 'It looks fine, thank you,' Roger said, 'but if you don't mind I will wait another hour to eat. I just had some food an hour ago.'

Story no. 7. Forbidden foods

Elizabeth had been diabetic most of her life. Doctors told her that careful attention to diet was necessary to avoid serious complications. When she was invited to someone's home for a meal, she explained her problem in advance. But at large gatherings she handled the matter herself by avoiding forbidden foods or leaving them untouched on her plate.
On such occasions she did not mention her medical condition unless somebody urged forbidden food on her, in which case she said, 'No thanks, I'm diabetic.' At some parties there was not much she could eat, and in such situations she enjoyed the converstation and companionship, waiting until she returned home to eat the food she was allowd to eat.

Story no. 8. The lunch-time nap

Frank found employment at the age of nineteen with a company that cared for people's yards. He carried his lunch with him in a box. At noon, Frank washed his hands under the hose and sat in a shady part of the yard to eat. .
Since he was allowed an hour for lunch, he sometimes snatched a quick nap by curling up behind a bush.
One day it began to rain at noon. Frank knocked on the door and asked permission to eat inside. The lady said he could come in, and since she was busy with her children he decided not to bother her further. He located the bathroom by himself and washed his hands. .
Then he found the dining room by himself and ate his lunch.
He cleaned the crumbs from the table and looked around the house for a place to rest.
The living room carpet was thick, so he decided to curl up for his nap behind a large chair.

Please fill the next boxes:

Your name (optional)
E-mail (optional)
Age years (required)
Sex male or female (required)
Diagnosis (required)
Nickname(optional)
Give a nickname here, by which you can recognize your own data on the 'gathered data' page.
Comments