If you are plagued by the idea that maybe you aren’t that great of a reader (or if you just want to see where you rank on this test), take this reading quiz to set your mind at ease. To take this quiz, first decide on your answer, then read the results I’ve written below each question. At the very end of the article, I’ll give you a final overview of your reading status.

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How many books do you read in a year?

A. Mountains. The foundation of my house is getting ready to crack from the weight of my finished pile.

B. Towers. Not quite as many as my friend Insatiable Ivy, but still an impressive pile

C. Stacks. Little ones. But still stacks.

D. What is a book?

Results:

Mountains mean you’re a fantastic reader. Towers are impressive, too. If you only read stacks of books, keep adding to it! You’re off to a good start!

And if you don’t know what a book is–ouch. I hurt for you.

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How do you treat your paperbacks?

A. Making any kind of a mark in a book is a crime that ought to be punished by prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

B. Books are meant to be dog eared, marked, underlined, penciled, you name it! The rougher a book looks, the more you can know it’s loved.

C. Sometimes I get excited at the climax and spill my coffee/tea on the pages, but I always am repentant. After all, cleaning up the mess detracts from my reading time.

D. I never pick the book up in the first place.

Results:

This is a hard one to call. My inclination is to say that only by being in camp A can you be the “good” kind of reader, but . . . I get it. For some reason beyond my comprehension, there are people out there who think that marked pages are a sign of love. For those who picked C, I flinch at the thought of the damage that coffee caused your book, but again, I get it. Accidents happen, especially when you get excited. But if you picked D . . .

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How do you react to finishing a book?

A. I put the book down immediately and force myself to move on with life in a coldly rational way–but there’s a part of me that’s still lingering back in those last few pages I just set aside.

B. I dawdle with putting down the book, flipping back through the pages to read my favorite parts and commit my favorite lines to memory.

C. I sit in my chair in a daze, waiting for my mind to catch up with my eyes and realize that the book is over.

D. Thank goodness I’m done! I thought it would never end.

Results:

All except D are acceptable.

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What kind of books do you read?

A. I like the historical/educational aspect of a book.

B. The action is definitely the most important part–desperados, stagecoach holdups, daring rescues–yes, please, I’ll take it.

C. Anything freaky, horrific, weird, strange, outlandish, scary, other . . .

D. Do movies count instead of books?

Results:

This isn’t a conclusive list, I understand. Sorry if you were miffed that you couldn’t find your category of reading.

But no, movies do not count. A movie is never as good as the book. Shall I repeat? A movie is NEVER as good as the book.

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Do you recognize any of these names?

A. Elizabeth Bennet

B. Jo March

C. Brittany Haines

D. None of the above

Results:

I hope you recognized those names. But if you didn’t, here’s your answer key–A is from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, B is from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and C is from Settle My Heart by . . . wait for it . . . Alena Mentink! Extra points if you guessed that one.

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Quiz Results

All right, here is my final overview of your work.

For those of you who have mostly A’s in their answers–well, you seem like the very methodical kind of reader who doesn’t just read. No, reading is as natural a part of living as eating and breathing for you. No need for you to worry about being a good reader.

Those who answered with mostly B’s are definitely the affectionate kind of readers who read their books with great feeling. You’re just fine, too.

Now for the C’s. You are rather impulsive, very enthusiastic, and excitable, but you, too, pass the test. Whew!

And those who had mostly D’s. Hmm. I’m sorry, but you didn’t quite pass.

But don’t worry! Now that you’ve had your evaluation and are aware of the chronic reading deficiency you’ve been suffering from for years, you can remedy it! Because it truly is a simple fix. If you haven’t been as good of a reader as you thought you were, solve the problem by . . . reading more books! Set yourself a fresh goal for how many books you are going to read by the end of the year, and get to work on it.

Just one word of advice: Maybe don’t start out with something too complicated. Set yourself up for success, not failure. Pride and Prejudice is a great book and I’ve read it twice, but it’s–well–not an easy read. It takes a lot of focus. Start with something like Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly. Or something short, like my story Never Too Far. Or one of the other books I’ve reviewed in my blog. No excuses, now. Go pick one!

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So how did you do on the quiz? Are you more of the A, B, C, or D type of reader? Share your thoughts in the comments!