Most People Will Fail This Basic Common Sense Quiz

Just making it through the average day can sometimes be enough of a challenge. And while it would be nice to stay in bed and lounge around the house for most of the day, everyone has to make a living at some point. This means rolling out of bed at the crack of dawn and rushing to start the day — whether that be at work or school, or someplace else. But even after the work or school day is complete, many people still have a long list of chores and errands that they need to accomplish. And that list never seems to end.

One surefire way to make this entire endeavor called life a whole lot harder is to be completely lacking in common sense. In other words, many people make their day-to-day more difficult simply by not stopping and thinking about the easiest or most convenient way to accomplish a task.

These aren’t the type of things that one would necessarily learn through a high-school or college education. Instead, a person only needs to keep their eyes open to the world around them and do a little critical thinking every once in a while.

So let's take a closer look at these everyday scenarios and see who has the most common sense!

Question 1

How should a to-do list be organized?

If you have a busy day in front of you, it might not be a bad idea to organize all the tasks you have to complete with a to-do list. This will not only ensure that you don’t forget anything, but it will also give you a sense of accomplishment every time you get to mark a task complete.

Question 2

Where’s the best place to leave car keys?

Are you the type of person who can’t keep track of anything. If so, you probably know the familiar feeling of frantically searching for your keys. So is there an ideal place to leave your keys in the house? Or are they fine so long as you know where you left them?

Question 3

With a sink full of dirty dishes, what should be washed first?

It’s never fun facing down a sink of dirty dishes. But are you the type of person you always has a plan of attack when heading into an unsavory task? In other words, do you think there would be a more efficient order to tackle a dirty sink that would save you time and energy in the long run?

Question 4

Roll from the bottom up or squeeze from the middle?

It’s not that either one of these techniques necessarily proves which type of person has more common sense than the other. But one could argue that the person who squeezes from the middle doesn’t always do the best job of thinking ahead, as they’ll eventually have to squeeze from the bottom anyway.

Question 5

When’s an ideal time to put gas in the tank?

If you’re someone who lives in a heavily populated area with a gas station every few blocks, then it might not be a huge deal to let your tank get most of the way empty. But for those who live in rural areas, it might not be a great idea to head out with barely any gas in the tank.

Question 6

When making a grocery list, how should the items be organized?

Most people don’t relish the amount of time they have to spend in the grocery store. If that's you, then it’s probably not a bad idea to go in with a list of everything you came for. But is there a better way to organize the list than just writing every item down in the order they come to you?

Question 7

How many alarms should be set to wake up in the morning?

The number of alarms someone needs in the morning will really depend on the individual. If you’re a light sleeper or someone who is able to spring out of bed in the morning, you will likely only need one. But if you’re a heavy sleeper who doesn’t want to get out of bed, the more the better.

Question 8

How many times is it ok to hit the snooze?

If might feel great to get those extra five or ten minutes of lounging in the morning before getting out of bed. But many studies have actually shown that the longer someone keeps hitting the snooze, the more tired they may actually be. After all, it’s not exactly restful sleep.

Question 9

If it takes someone 30 minutes to get to work, and work starts at 9:00. What time should they leave the house?

For many people, the morning commute can be the worst time of the day. It often involves dealing with hordes of people who are just as tired and in as big of a rush as you are. So are you the type of person who gives yourself some extra time to commute in the morning?

Question 10

When should the used coffee filter be pulled out of the machine?

Most people end up leaving the used coffee filter in the machine until the next time they want to make a cup of coffee. While this may seem the most convenient, it’s not exactly the most hygienic. And if you’ve ever noticed that your coffee is started to taste terrible, this might be why.

Question 11

What’s the first thing to do when changing a flat?

These days, one could argue that people are a lot less self-reliant than they used to be. Now, there are a lot of people who drive cars who have no idea of how to take care of them. Instead, they rely on mechanics and roadside assistance companies to do the dirty work.

Question 12

The TV remote has stopped working. Pick a response.

You’ve made it through the work or school day, and now all you want to do is kick back and watch some TV before bed. Expect the TV remote no longer seems to be working. So do you take the easy way out and just turn on the TV manually? Or try to hunt down some new batteries?

Question 13

In the shower, what’s the best thing to do first?

Showers can be a great way to help wake up. But they can also be a great way to waste time in the morning. So do you have a set shower routine that is the most time efficient? Or do you have a different order of operations every time you get in there?

Question 14

If someone pours themselves a bowl of cereal and there’s not enough milk left for another bowl, what should they do?

Maybe you’ve found ourselves on the other side of the equation at one point, where you’ve gone to pour yourself a bowl of cereal and found that there wasn’t quite enough milk. So what do you think the person should have done before you to prevent this from ever happening?

Question 15

When’s the best time to decide what to wear for the day?

Sometimes something at simply as what you want to wear for the day can seriously throw a wrench into your morning routine. So are you the type of person who likes to pick out your outfits the night before? Or maybe this type of decision doesn’t hold your mornings up regardless.

Question 16

Ideal time to charge phone?

Most people will end up having to charge their phones every day or two. So do you have a set time that you like to plug yours in? Or do you always wait until your phone is about to shut itself off before you find a place to charge it?

Question 17

At work/ school, what should be done first?

For some people, if they don’t get into the flow of work right off the bat then the entire day can turn into a loss. While some people say it’s best to tackle the hardest task first thing in the morning, this might leave certain individuals frustrated and eating up precious time.

Question 18

Best time of the day to exercise?

Do you think it makes more sense to schedule your workout at a specific time during the day? For instance, many studies have shown that a person has the most energy to workout in the afternoon. But that might not always be the most practical for most peoples’ daily schedules.

Question 19

How many times in one week is it acceptable to run to the grocery store?

If you’re someone who has just started grocery shopping for themselves, you may have found that it takes more planning then previously thought to keep a nicely stocked fridge and pantry. So how many times do you think it’s ok to have to run to the grocery store every week?

Question 20

When should the dishes be washed?

If you live alone, then it might not be a huge deal as to when you end up washing the dirty dishes — though they will inevitably be harder to clean the longer they sit around. But if you share a house or apartment with others, when you wash your dishes will definitely matter more.

Question 21

When should one wet the toothbrush?

A lot of people wet their toothbrush both before then after they apply the toothpaste. But does this really make sense? After all, isn’t wetting it once after the toothpaste is already applied pretty much cover all the bases? Or is this so mundane of a task that it doesn’t really matter anyway?

Question 22

When does a person NOT have to clean up after their dog?

Most people would agree that it’s only common sense to clean up after their dog after it goes to the bathroom on someone else’s lawn or in a public place. Yet it’s not hard at all to go to the park and discover that a ton of people have not obeyed the law.

Question 23

Someone checks their phone and they have missed texts and calls from multiple friends. Who should they respond to first?

If you’ve ever spent a considerable amount of time away from your cell phone, you may have returned to find that you’ve missed a slew of texts and calls from your friends. So assuming that none of them are experiencing an emergency, does it matter whom you reply to first?

Question 24

How much time should one spend at night getting ready for the following day?

Whether it be packing a lunch, picking out an outfit, or simply tidying up, it’s never a bad idea to prep for the following day the night before. This will not only help your morning routine go more smoothly, but it could also help you get a little extra sleep.

Question 25

When should the bed be made?

Do you think it’s common sense to make the bed as soon as you climb out of it every morning? Or is this actually a superfluous task that only ends up wasting time? After all, the bed is going to get un-made later that night anyway, so is there any reason to make it in the first place?

Question 26

The smoke detector is chirping. Pick a response.

We’ve all had to deal with a chirping smoke detector at one point or another. And it’s certainly no fun when one decides to run out of batteries in the middle of the night. So do you try to ignore it, simply take out the batteries, or replace the batteries right away?

Question 27

How long before bed is it ok to use electronics?

Many people now begin and end their days by scrolling through their phones. But this can be a dangerous habit to get into, as it can not only prevent people from wanting to get out of bed in the morning but also from not being able to sleep at night.

Question 28

How often should the bedroom be cleaned?

The less time you spend planning your daily schedule, the more quickly your bedroom is going to get into a mess. But if you’re someone who is very Type A, then you may find that your bedroom really never has to be cleaned at all — outside of the expected vacuuming and dusting.

Question 29

The fastest way to bring water to a boil would be to…

If you’re ever trying to make a cup of tea or some French press coffee in a pinch, the one process you may really want to speed up is bringing water to a boil. So is there an easier way to expedite this process than simply turning the burner on full blast?

Question 30

True or False: It’s always ok to turn right on red.

This practice may not be common sense to everyone, but it certainly should be for those who drive on a regular basis. While taking a right is almost always faster than taking a left, you still have to obey the rules of the road. So is there ever an instance where you can't go right on red?

Question 31

If a stranger at a bar asks to step outside, what are they implying?

Having common sense also means knowing how to navigate very basic social situations. A bar or club can be a great place to cut loose with friends and have a good time. But it also means that you’ll have to keep an eye out for people who might not be as friendly.

Question 32

What equipment is needed to jump start a car?

There’s nothing that can through a wrench into your morning routine like going out to your car and finding that it won’t start. While this may be undeniably frustrating, a dead battery is also one of the easiest car problems to fix. Provided you know what you need to do the job.

Question 33

If someone has to make a call but wants to keep their number private, what should they do?

We all end up having weird numbers that call us at one point or another. And more often than not, they don’t end up leaving voicemails. Maybe you want to call back and find out who it was without having them knowing who you are. What’s the best way to do this?

Question 34

At a movie theater, someone orders $18.52 worth of food, but they hand the cashier $23.52. Why would they most likely do this?

If only everyone had to work in customer service at some point in their lives we might all live in a much more understanding society. Yet there are many people who are extremely rude to this minimum wage workers, often because they have no idea how hard these jobs actually are.

Question 35

Which one of these codes/ numbers should someone never give out?

You may have found yourself filling out a job or rental application at one point and thought that these people were asking for an awful lot of personal information. While certain numbers might not be as secret as you previously thought, which one of these should you probably never ever give out?

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