Soft Skills Showdown
Which of the following best defines active listening?
a) Nodding while waiting for your turn to speak
b) Listening to understand, not to reply
c) Repeating exactly what the speaker said
d) Avoiding eye contact to show respect
b) Listening to understand, not to reply
Which of the following is NOT a hard skill?
a) Python programming b) Circuit design c) Empathy d) Data analysi
c) Empathy
Self-awareness means:
a) Knowing other people’s emotions
b) Ignoring your weaknesses
c) Understanding your own emotions and reactions
d) Pretending to be confident
c) Understanding your own emotions and reactions
What does “Break a leg!” mean?
a) Literally break your leg
b) Good luck
c) Stop performing
d) Calm down
b) Good luck
What has keys but can’t open locks?
a) A map b) A bottle c) A piano d) A code
c) A piano
A good team player is someone who:
a) Always agrees with the group
b) Takes credit for others’ ideas
c) Balances giving opinions and respecting others’
d) Works alone to save time
c) Balances giving opinions and respecting others’
Engineers often use CAD for:
a) Calculating taxes
b) Designing 3D models and technical drawings
c) Writing project reports
d) Scheduling team meetings
b) Designing 3D models and technical drawings
You’re angry at a teammate for missing a deadline. You choose to wait and discuss it calmly later. Which EI skill are you using?
a) Self-awareness b) Motivation c) Self-regulation d) Empathy
c) Self-regulation
Choose the correct idiom meaning “to reveal a secret.”
a) Let the cat out of the bag
b) Kill two birds with one stone
c) Spill the beans
d) Let the dogs bark
a) Let the cat out of the bag
You drop me from the roof and I’m fine. Drop me in water and I die. What am I?
a) Stone b) Paper c) Ice d) Shadow
b) Paper
Which is the best example of critical thinking?
a) Memorizing all the project steps
b) Asking “why” before accepting information
c) Following orders without questioning
d) Complaining about deadlines
b) Asking “why” before accepting information
n project management, the “Gantt chart” is mainly used to:
a) Measure team emotions
b) Plan tasks over time
c) Estimate budget only
d) Compare salaries
b) Plan tasks over time
A student keeps trying after multiple prototype failures. That shows:
a) Self-pity b) Motivation c) Denial d) Luck
b) Motivation
“He’s got a sweet tooth” means:
a) He loves desserts
b) He has dental problems
c) He smiles a lot
d) he eats a lot
a) He loves desserts
I speak without a mouth, and hear without ears.
I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?
a) An echo b) A shadow c) A whistle d) A ghost
a) An echo
You’re in a group and two members are arguing. What’s the most professional soft skill action?
a) Ignore them — not your problem
b) Take sides quickly
c) Use conflict-resolution skills to find common ground
d) Record it for entertainment value
c) Use conflict-resolution skills to find common ground
In data science, which of the following statements is TRUE?
a) Correlation always means causation
b) Cleaning data is less important than analyzing it
c) A good dataset has no missing values
d) Data visualization helps reveal hidden trends
d) Data visualization helps reveal hidden trends
During a team presentation, you notice a teammate is nervous. You gently take over part of their section and encourage them. What EI skill is that?
a) Empathy b) Self-awareness c) Social skill d) Discipline
a) Empathy
“She hit the nail on the head” means:
a) She hurt herself
b) She said exactly the right thing
c) She was unlucky
d) She was precisely handy
b) She said exactly the right thing
A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball.
How much does the ball cost?
a) $1.00 b) $0.10 c) $0.05 d) $0.15
c) $0.05
🧠 Reason: Ball = x → Bat = x + 1 → x + x + 1 = 1.10 ⇒ 2x = 0.10 ⇒ x = 0.05.
Which of the following best demonstrates adaptability in a workplace?
a) Complaining about new software until it’s removed
b) Learning the new tool and helping others adjust
c) Waiting for instructions to avoid mistakes
d) Avoiding change at all costs
b) Learning the new tool and helping others adjust
Which situation best demonstrates cross-disciplinary hard skills?
a) A mechanical engineer learning coding to automate designs
b) An electrical engineer who avoids learning new tools
c) A project manager refusing to use Excel
d) A designer who only sketches by hand
a) A mechanical engineer learning coding to automate designs
Which combination shows the highest emotional intelligence in a leader?
a) High IQ, low empathy, high confidence
b) Self-awareness, self-control, empathy, motivation, and communication
c) Fearlessness, dominance, and strict discipline
d) Excellent technical knowledge but no feedback tolerance
b) Self-awareness, self-control, empathy, motivation, and communication
Which of the following idioms is used sarcastically to express the opposite of its literal meaning?
a) “Oh, great!” (after spilling coffee)
b) “Under the weather” (when sick)
c) “Once in a blue moon” (rarely)
d) “A piece of cake” (easy)
a) “Oh, great!” — (used ironically to mean “That’s terrible!”)
you’re in a room with no windows or doors. You have only a mirror and a table.
How do you get out?
a) You look in the mirror, see what you saw, take the saw, cut the table in half, two halves make a whole, and crawl through the hole.
b) You break the mirror and climb out.
c) You use the mirror to reflect light to melt the wall.
d) You can’t; it’s impossible.
a) You look in the mirror, see what you saw, take the saw, cut the table in half, two halves make a whole, and crawl through the hole.