Business ‘Colours’ – Multiple Choice Quiz
Colours aren’t just for branding or design—they play a surprising role in how we talk about business, economics, and workplace culture. Ever heard of someone being “in the red” or making a “blue-chip investment”? These colourful expressions reflect key concepts in the corporate world, from finance and productivity to ethics and employment.
In this post, I invite you to test your knowledge with a fun and informative quiz on business-related colour terms.
Do the test and check the answers below!
Choose the correct option for each question.
- Match the examples of different goods to the colours businesses use to categorize them:
(a) A pair of trousers, T-shirt, and a cap
(b) A TV set, stereo, and DVD player
(c) Refrigerator, dishwasher, and washing machine
(d) Car, air conditioner, bathroom suite
(e) Milk, cheese, ketchup Which is correct?
orange goods yellow goods brown goods red goods white goods - Which expression refers to excessive paperwork that slows processes down?
(a) green belt
(b) red tape
(c) white noise - What’s the financial difference between being “in the red” and “in the black”?
(a) In the red means profit, in the black means loss
(b) In the red means loss, in the black means profit
(c) Both mean the business is breaking even - Goods paid for in cash and not declared for tax are part of which economy?
(a) green economy
(b) grey economy
(c) black economy - What is the term for taxes used to discourage harmful behaviour?
(a) red taxes
(b) green taxes
(c) blue taxes - True or False: A blue-chip investment is considered risky.
(a) True
(b) False
(c) Depends on the company - What term means to exclude a person or company due to misconduct?
(a) blacklist
(b) blackmail
(c) blackball - If a company owns a greenfield site, can they build industrial facilities there?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Only with government permission - What distinguishes a white-collar worker from a blue-collar worker?
(a) White-collar = physical labor, Blue-collar = office work
(b) Blue-collar = physical labor, White-collar = office work
(c) There’s no difference - Which type of crime includes embezzlement and insider dealing?
(a) blue-collar crime
(b) white-collar crime
(c) green-collar crime - Who might be insulted if their job was described as a pink-collar job?
(a) Those in creative industries
(b) Manual laborers
(c) Workers in stereotypically female roles - What is the term for illegal buying/selling of goods or currency?
(a) white market
(b) grey market
(c) black market - If someone at your company shares blue-sky ideas, what are they offering?
(a) Highly imaginative ideas
(b) Well-proven strategies
(c) Negative feedback - You’re told your stocks are blue-sky securities. How should you feel?
(a) Happy – these are solid investments
(b) Concerned – they may be untested or speculative
(c) Neutral – it’s just a term for new stocks - What is a grey market?
(a) Legal imports of foreign goods not intended for local resale
(b) An informal market for senior citizens
(c) Unofficial securities not yet listed for trade
Answers:
- (a) red goods, (b) brown goods, (c) white goods, (d) orange goods, (e) yellow goods
- (b) red tape
- (b) In the red = loss, in the black = profit
- (c) black economy
- (b) green taxes
- (b) False
- (a) blacklist
- (a) Yes
- (b) Blue-collar = physical labor, White-collar = office work
- (b) white-collar crime
- (c) Workers in stereotypically female roles
- (c) black market
- (a) Highly imaginative ideas
- (b) Concerned – they may be untested or speculative
- (c) Unofficial securities not yet listed for trade
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