ESL Personality Questions: Speaking and Reading

ESL personality questions based on reading activity and 20 conversation questions with personality adjectives.

1 Warm up. Watch the video and do the personality test. Do you agree with the result?

2 Read the text and answer the questions below.

Personality is the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. It is believed that personality arises from within the individual and remains consistent throughout life.

Examples of personality can be found in how we describe other people’s characteristics. For instance, “She is generous, caring, and a bit of a perfectionist,” or “They are loyal and protective of their friends.”

The word “personality” comes from the Latin word persona, which refers to a theatrical mask worn by performers in order to either take on different roles or disguise their identities.

Personality Types

One theory suggests there are four types of personality. They are:

Type A: Perfectionist, impatient, competitive, work-obsessed, achievement-oriented, aggressive, stressed
Type B: Low stress, even-tempered, flexible, creative, adaptable to change, patient, tendency to procrastinate
Type C: Highly conscientious, perfectionist, struggles to reveal emotions (positive and negative)
Type D: Worrying, sad, irritable, pessimistic, negative self-talk, avoidance of social situations, lack of self-confidence, fear of rejection, appears gloomy, hopeless

Research on personality can provide us with fascinating insights into how personality develops and changes over the course of a lifetime. This research can also have important practical applications in the real world.

For example, people can use a personality assessment (also called a personality test or personality quiz) to learn more about themselves and their unique strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Some assessments might look at how people rank on specific traits, such as whether they are high in extroversion, conscientiousness, or openness.

Other assessments might measure how specific aspects of personality change over time. Some assessments give people insight into how their personality affects many areas of their lives, including career, relationships, personal growth, and more.

Personality type can also have an impact on your health, including how often you visit the doctor and how you cope with stress. Researchers have found that certain personality characteristics may be linked to illness and health behaviors.

Adapted from: Verywell Mind