The Dale Carnegie Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Dale Carnegie Quiz
Image: Frederic Hamilton/Hulton Archive/Getty

About This Quiz

He emerged from rural poverty to become one of the most famous self-help advocates of all time. How much do you know about Dale Carnegie?
Carnegie's best-known book is called "How to Win Friends and Influence…" what?
"Business"
"People"
"Your World"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His success led him to write several other books, too

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At the beginning of his career, why did Carnegie change his name?
No one could spell it properly.
He wanted to be associated with the famous Carnegie family.
His last name attracted prejudice.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Andrew Carnegie, of course, was the man who made his fortune in the steel business.

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What was the original spelling of Carnegie's last name?
Carneggie
Carnagey
Karnagie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And his middle name was Harbison.

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What year did Carnegie die?
1955
1971
1984
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He passed away more than a half a century ago but his influence is still amazingly strong.

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In which state was Carnegie born?
Missouri
Washington
Maryland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He was born in Maryville, part of an impoverished farming family.

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Which high school team did Carnegie join?
Debate
Football
Chess
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The debate team helped him hone his orating skills.

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Instead of going into farming, what profession did Carnegie decide to try?
Sales
Accounting
Writing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He sold everything from soap to bacon and immediately exhibited an aptitude for the art of the pitch.

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After saving up $500 from sales, Carnegie quit his job to do what?
Move to Los Angeles to start a marketing company
Move to Washington D.C. to become a politician
Move to New York and become an actor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The idea of fame was alluring to him from the very beginning.

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In which branch of the military did Carnegie serve?
Army
Navy
Marines
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He served for about a year during WWI but was never sent overseas.

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Carnegie hated theater, so he began teaching what subject?
Accounting
Public speaking
Writing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He taught public speaking classes at a YMCA in New York.

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In what year did Carnegie start the Dale Carnegie Course?
1912
1928
1934
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He was 24 years old when he started the organization that would eventually span the globe.

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How long were Carnegie's courses in the early 1930s?
one weekend
two hours
14 weeks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was during one of these courses that he was approached by a man from publishing company Simon & Schuster.

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In what city did Carnegie decide to create a headquarters for the Dale Carnegie Institute?
San Francisco
New York
Baltimore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He bought a large warehouse in Manhattan and converted it into office space.

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How many copies of Carnegie's book were printed during its first run?
500
5,000
50,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While he was still alive, the book would go on to sell more than 5 million copies.

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To date, about how many copies of "How to Win Friends and Influence People" have been sold?
80 million
30 million
110 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is one of the most iconic books of its genre.

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In its first year of sales, how many different editions of his book were published?
17
eight
three
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It immediately became apparently that this book was tapping into the public's consciousness.

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In addition to public speaking and psychology, Carnegie also wrote what kinds of books?
Sci-fi
Biographies
Crime fiction
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He figured that by writing about other famous people, he would learn their methods of success.

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By Carnegie's estimate, about how many speeches did he critique during his lifetime?
50,000
150,000
500,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He wasn't just a speaker, he was a keen listener.

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Around the world, how many Dale Carnegie Training program instructors are there?
2,700
27,000
350,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They spread Carnegie's methods for success in franchises in 90 countries.

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To date, about how many people have completed the Carnegie training program?
1 million
3 million
8 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to the company, 99% of course graduates say they are satisfied with the training.

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Carnegie wrote a biography about which U.S. president?
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Lincoln the Unknown" explores the personal side of the famous man, attempting to uncover his defining traits.

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In his most famous book's first edition, Carnegie says the first thing the book will help you do is what?
Increase your popularity.
Make you a better salesman, a better executive.
Get you out of a mental rut, give you new thoughts, new visions, new ambitions.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His first goal was to jar readers out of their comfort zone.

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Carnegie wrote that the only way to get the best in an argument is to do what?
Avoid it.
Prepare for the worst.
Analyze the situation from both sides.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He said that arguing is a sure way for both sides to lose, no matter who "wins."

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Carnegie wrote that the No.1 way to get people to like you is to do what?
smile
become genuinely interested in other people
talk in terms of the other person's interest
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genuine appreciation for other people helps them appreciate you, too.

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What was Carnegie's first rule for making your home life happier (a section that was removed from the book in 1981)?
Don't try to make your partner over.
Don't nag.
Be courteous.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Carnegie was pretty direct with his advice, no matter the issue at hand.

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What should you NEVER say, according to Carnegie?
"You're stupid."
"You're right."
"You're wrong."
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Humiliating someone never does any good in the long run.

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What was the name of the last book Carnegie published while he was still alive?
"Little Known Facts About Well Known People"
"Five Minute Biographies"
"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He said he wrote this one because constant worrying made him so unhappy.

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What does Carnegie write is the first step in analyzing worry?
Keep busy.
Get all the facts.
Keep calm and try to make it the best.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Then weigh all of the facts, make a decision and then act.

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What should you do if you're wrong, according to Carnegie?
Admit it.
Hide the truth.
Find evidence to support your argument.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He said that when we admit we are wrong, other people actually begin to trust us more.

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If something is inevitable, Carnegie wrote that you should do what?
Cooperate with the inevitable.
Fight the inevitable.
Choose a new path.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fighting an impossible battle just lowers your quality of life.

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You Got:
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Frederic Hamilton/Hulton Archive/Getty