1. Your Singaporean client looks less than thrilled when he sees the gorgeous hand-tooled cowhide boots you had made especially for him. True or false: Your client is probably a practicing Hindu.
2. True or false: Wine would be an appropriate gift for dinner at a French client's home.
3. Local handicrafts, wines and liqueurs, gourmet items, and illustrated books from your home country generally make good gifts. Match the following liqueurs with their places of origin.

   A. Bacardi Rum	1. Jamaica
   B. Tia Maria	2. Curaçao
   C. Grand Marnier	3. Puerto Rico
   D. St. James Rum	4. Martinique

4. All of the following flowers are bad selections in most business or social settings, except:

   A. Roses for a Uruguayan hostess

   B. White flowers for a citizen of El Salvador

   C. An even number of flowers for a Japanese associate

   D. Dahlias or chrysanthemums for a Spanish friend

   E. Yellow flowers for a Mexican contact

   F. An odd number of flowers for a Chinese colleague

5. True or false: A gift should always be wrapped in its country of origin.
6. True or false: In Asia, the recipient of a gift will place the gift aside, rather than opening it in the presence of the giver.
7. What is the only appropriate gift businessman John Doe has presented?

   A. A knife with a handsomely carved and inlaid wood handle to a Honduran client

   B. A finely made compass, mounted in a highly polished case to a prospect from Qatar

   C. A purebred dog to an executive from Oman

   D. A beautiful clock to a Chinese contact

8. Sport-related gifts are often appreciated. Of course, you need to know your client's sport. In the Caribbean, you'll find golf, tennis, snorkeling, and fishing, but other sports are present as well. Match the following popular sports and their countries:

   A. Cricket and polo	1. Aruba
   B. Soccer and baseball	2. Barbados
   C. Bowling	3. Curaçao

9. A US government official hosted an important delegation and decided to have special, personalized leather book jackets covering copies of the Koran at each delegate's place setting. When the Middle Eastern officials saw the gifts, they refused to sit down. Why?

   A. Because their names were spelled wrong

   B. Because the copies of the Quran were wrapped in leather, possibly pigskin

   C. Only a Muslim is allowed to touch the Quran and the copies had been defiled

Answers

1. True. It is taboo for Hindus to eat beef or use products made from cattle.
2. False. A citizen of France, your host is probably a serious oenophile, and has taken great pains to carefully select the correct wines for the occasion. Unless your charming little vintage is of interest because it is from your home state, it implies that you know more about wine than your host does.
3. A, 3; B, 1; C, 2; D, 4
4. A. Roses are a popular flower in Uruguay. All the others signify death, romance, or bad luck.
5. False. It is the wrapping paper of the recipient's native country that is important. And airport security may ask you to unwrap the package while you're in transit.
6. True. To open a gift in the presence of the giver is to risk embarrassment. Also, it would be unseemly to appear greedy and impatient.
7. B. The compass is a thoughtful gift for the prospect from Qatar, who is probably Muslim. It will help him or her to turn toward Mecca to pray -- no matter where she or he is. The other gifts are busts. Knives symbolize cutting off a relationship in many parts of the world. Dogs are viewed as unclean according to Islam. Clocks connote death to the Chinese.
8. A, 2; B, 3; C, 1
9. B. Islam prohibits pork products.