Quiz kids

Somehow, in the last week or so, I’ve found myself taking three online quizzes (on zoo.com) that claim that, after I’ve answered a series of questions, they can figure something out about me.

The first one wasn’t too promising.

It was supposed to identify what state I’m from.

After clicking through all those questions – favorite season: fall, favorite sport: baseball – the answer came back Hawaii.

Well, not exactly.

So I took the quiz again, and, apparently, gave a few different answers.

This time, the answer was Iowa.

Which is, I guess, getting closer.

It was easy to see how they could zero out some states. There were several questions that were related to religion. I’m guessing if you say you’d rather read the Bible than mysteries, if you prefer religious movies to westerns, and if your idea of a great first date going to church, you’re probably going to be told you live somewhere in the South. Yet there are people who live in staunchly irreligious states like Massachusetts and still be church-y. And I’m pretty sure that even Alabama has Unitarians living there.

Some of the questions I’m really none of the above on, but you have to answer something. Among these possible nicknames – Big Red, Slick, Sleepy, Queenie – none seem to apply. So I went with Queenie, even though that was the name of a nasty neighborhood dog when I was growing up – a mean and snappish yellow mutt with a face (complete with whiskers) like a carp.

And how do you pick among four exercises that you never do? I don’t lift weights, run, swim, or do yard work. I walk. Is walking closer to running or doing yard work? Inquiring quiz takers want to know.

Anyway, if I had to pick Iowa vs. Hawaii, I don’t know which I’d choose. Hawaii is lovely, of course, but I think I’d get sick of paradise. Iowa’s closer to home, at least weather-wise. Plus, I’m half Midwest to begin with. Plus, Iowa’s driving distance to Chicago, a place I can actually imagine living.

The next quiz was supposed to tell me what country best fits my personality. My ideal home-away-from-home is apparently England. Which sort of makes sense, in a close-but-no-cigar way. I do have to ask why it didn’t come back with Ireland, given that, in answer to the question “which of these places would you like to spend a month in”, I picked my heart’s home, which is Ireland.

Then I went back and took a variation-on-a-theme quiz  - “Which country should you REALLY live in?” – which had an entirely different set of questions. The answer – perhaps because I indicated that I wouldn’t mind living in a country where people drink – was Ireland. So, right on, this time.

The final quiz I took was aimed at identifying my favorite president.

This is one I passed with flying colors.

Actually, I have three: Lincoln, FDR, and Obama. So perhaps the quiz revealed my one true presidential love, as it figured me for a Franklin Delano Roosevelt kind of gal.

I’m perfectly capable of getting sucked into taking any of these little personality quizzes. That is, other than the ones that will determine the Game of Thrones character I’m most like.

Although these quizzes are dumb, they’re a fun little time waster. Not that I need any more fun little time wasters than I already have. Like blogging.

Anyway, I’ve been taking these little online quizzes for years. I don’t always remember who I am, but I do recall quite clearly that, of the 2007 Red Sox, I’m Jason Varitek. And if I were a Peanuts character, I’d be Linus.