Cornwall Counseling · Curiosity and Emotional Intelligence

Fact or Guess

What do I know—and what meaning am I adding?

Created by Dr. Michael Cornwall, PsyD, PhD, LPC, LCSW.

1940s diner illustration of two people thoughtfully examining a note, with a clock and an imagined figure representing possible interpretations.

A note tells us what was written. Its meaning may require another question.

Why I created this quiz

I created this quiz to help you notice the difference between what you observe, what you predict, and what you assume. A late reply, a brief conversation, or a request for a meeting can become a story before we have enough information to understand it.

This quiz is meant to assess how well you can distinguish these three kinds of statements in everyday examples. It invites you to consider whether you sometimes treat a possibility as a certainty or an interpretation as an established fact. It does not establish how you behave in real life.

Recognizing these distinctions can support emotional awareness: I can acknowledge my feelings while examining the thought or interpretation associated with them. The aim is to become more precise and curious, rather than require myself to feel differently.

Before you begin

This is an original educational quiz, not a standardized or scientifically validated psychological assessment. It does not diagnose a mental health condition, measure your IQ or EQ, or rate you as a person. Scores describe your answers to these examples only. They are not clinical findings or established comparison scores.

This quiz is not a substitute for individualized professional care and does not establish a professional relationship. A prediction can be reasonable and an assumption can turn out to be accurate; each requires appropriate evidence. Recognizing uncertainty does not mean dismissing genuine harm, ignoring warning signs, or disregarding your feelings.

Your selections are processed in this page and are not submitted to Cornwall Counseling. This quiz does not save your answers; refreshing or leaving the page clears them. Ordinary website services may collect standard visit information.

Three distinctions

Fact

A statement supported by the information given: an observation, a record, or a sincere report of a present feeling. A feeling is real; an explanation for it may need checking.

Prediction

A statement about what will happen. It may be informed or uninformed, likely or unlikely. It describes an outcome that has not happened yet.

Assumption

A meaning, motive, emotion, or explanation treated as true without enough information in the example to establish it.

In everyday speech these categories can overlap. For this quiz, use prediction for a future outcome, assumption for an unverified meaning or explanation, and fact for a supported description. Treat the scenario information as accurate for the exercise.

Select the best category for the quoted statement in each of the 15 situations. Choose what kind of statement it is, rather than whether it could possibly be true. Take your time; there is no timer.

Begin the quiz ↓

What kind of statement is this?

0 of 15 answered

1. A friend has not answered your message for three hours.
“My friend has not answered my message yet.”
2. Your supervisor asks to meet tomorrow without explaining why.
“I will lose my job tomorrow.”
3. A neighbor passes you without waving.
“My neighbor is deliberately ignoring me.”
4. You check the appointment confirmation.
“The confirmation lists my appointment for 2:00 p.m.”
5. You are preparing to speak at a meeting.
“I will forget everything when I start speaking.”
6. Your partner says, “I need some quiet time.”
“My partner is tired of being with me.”
7. You receive written feedback on a report.
“The reviewer requested changes to two sections.”
8. You have one difficult conversation with a coworker.
“Every conversation with this coworker will go badly.”
9. A colleague replies with a brief, “Okay.”
“My colleague is angry with me.”
10. You look at your calendar.
“I have three appointments scheduled today.”
11. You are thinking about setting a boundary.
“If I say no, everyone will reject me.”
12. Someone disagrees with an idea you offered.
“They disagree because they do not respect me.”
13. You notice a feeling and describe your present experience.
“I feel disappointed right now.”
14. You make a mistake while learning a new task.
“I will never be able to do this.”
15. Two people laugh while you enter a room.
“They are laughing at me.”

A practice you can use today

  1. Describe: What did I actually see, hear, or experience?
  2. Name the thought: Am I predicting an outcome or supplying an explanation?
  3. Check: What supports this interpretation? What else might explain the situation?
  4. Choose: Do I need clarification, preparation, a boundary, or simply more information?

“I do not know yet” can be a precise answer. I can make a reasonable decision with incomplete information without pretending that my interpretation is certain.

If the thought is “They did not reply because they dislike me,” try: “They have not replied. I do not know why. I can decide whether and when to follow up.” This changes the claim; it does not require the feeling to disappear immediately.

Answer guide and explanations
  1. Fact. This describes an observable event. It does not tell you why the reply has not arrived.
  2. Prediction. This forecasts a future outcome. A meeting request alone does not establish what will happen.
  3. Assumption. This supplies an intention you have not verified. Distraction, poor visibility, or another concern are also possible.
  4. Fact. This is a report of what a record says. Records can contain errors, but the statement does not add an imagined motive or outcome.
  5. Prediction. This predicts your future performance. Feeling worried does not establish how the presentation will go.
  6. Assumption. This adds a meaning to the request that the partner did not state.
  7. Fact. This describes the content of the feedback. It does not rate your whole ability or explain the reviewer's motives.
  8. Prediction. This extends one event into a forecast about future conversations. The next exchange has not happened.
  9. Assumption. A short reply alone does not establish another person's emotion. You may have a hypothesis, but it needs more information.
  10. Fact. This describes the current schedule. It does not promise that every appointment will occur.
  11. Prediction. This forecasts other people's future reactions and treats a broad outcome as certain.
  12. Assumption. This assigns a reason for disagreement without verification. Disagreement about an idea is not proof of disrespect.
  13. Fact. For this exercise, a sincere report of your present feeling is a fact about your experience. It does not prove an outside explanation for that feeling.
  14. Prediction. This predicts permanent future inability from a current difficulty.
  15. Assumption. This interprets the target of their laughter without knowing what they were discussing.