Would you pass the wedded bliss quiz?

A blcouple take their wedding vows in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

A blcouple take their wedding vows in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Published Apr 14, 2011

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London - It’s the big question that crops up at some point in any serious relationship: Is he or she “the one”?

But a Berkshire rabbi has claimed that, far from being a complicated affair, he can come up with a reliable conclusion from just 20 simple questions.

Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue, said he has devised a questionnaire to reduce the odds of divorce among those he marries to 16-1.

Considering that one in three marriages ends in divorce after just 15 years, his formula could well hold the answer to finding - and keeping - true love.

Based on Dr Romain’s 12 years of preparing couples for married life, he now interviews all prospective husbands and wives with his test.

“I ask people to fill in the question sheets without consulting each other and then get them to compare the answers,” he said. “Sometimes this results in squeals of delight at being spot on, other times groans at getting it wrong.

“But just as important are the ‘don’t knows’ which are not necessarily a sign that they are incompatible, but that they don’t know each other sufficiently well.”

Dr Romain added: “Marriage is primarily about second-guessing how suitable the person will be in the future.

“I once advised a couple to rethink their plans as they did very badly on the test, but they insisted everything was okay.

“It was a very short-lived union... I think they had fallen in love with the idea of marriage but not with each other.”

Now take the test yourself:

1. What is his/her favourite food?

2. Does he/she want to have a pet at some stage?

3. Does he/she have any allergies?

4. What was one of the happiest moments of his/her life before he/she met you?

5. What has been the saddest moment of his/her life so far?

6. Does he/she want children, and if so, how many and when?

7. How often does he/she like to visit his/her family?

8. What special family traditions do they have that he/she wishes to continue?

9. What type of holidays does he/she like best?

10. Does he/she believe in building up savings or spending what he/she earns?

11. Do you find it easy to know what birthday present to get him/her?

12. Where would he/she like to be living in a few years?

13. What person has the most influence on him/her apart from you?

14. What is his/her greatest regret?

15. Does he/she want joint accounts or separate bank accounts or both?

17. What is his/her ideal view of the future?

18. Are there any habits or characteristics of yours that he/she does not like?

19. What would you most like to change about him/her?

20. What are the main values he/she has?

15 answers correct: Great future ahead!

Nine to 14 answers correct: You're heading in the right direction but need to start talking about deeper issues in each other's lives before making any commitments.

Fewer than eight correct: Put all your plans on hold until you really know the person you think you know.

Questionnaire compiled by Dr Romain. Daily Mail

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