Would You Survive?

A Survival Test Youƒ??re lost in the wilderness, stranded atop mountain or helplessly adrift at sea! (Never mind how you got there, just play the game!) What should you do? Your very survival depends on how much you know about your present environment and situation. Answer the following questions and test your survival IQ.

1. Youƒ??re alone in the wild. You have no idea how long it will take for someone to find you. What is your greatest danger? a. Starvation and lack of water b. Panic c. Attack by wild animals, especially at night
2. Your airliner has crashed in the mountains. Youƒ??re one of several survivors. This is what you do: a. Climb to the top of the nearest mountain and build a signal fire. b. Make short trips; a road may be nearby c. Stay put and wait for rescue.
3. Itƒ??s cold and you have no fire. In order to keep warm you would: a. Remain motionless to conserve energy. b. Exercise vigorously. c. Cover your head.
4. The temperature is below zero, but there are clothing and blankets in the crashed plane. Your best course is to: a. Bundle up with everything you can find. b. Avoid perspiring. c. Keep your feet warm.
5. You suspect that searchers may be in the woods looking for you. You would: a. Scream several times. b. Build a fire and make smoke signals. c. Try to find your way toward the rescue party.
6. A search plane flies overhead. In order to attract a planeƒ??s attention, you: a. Use the mirror in your compact as a signal b. Wave your most colorful piece of clothing. c. Climb to the top of a tree.
7. Which one of these American wild animals should you most worry about meeting? a. A bobcat b. A mountain lion c. A mink
8. Youƒ??ve accidentally disturbed a grizzly bear or a female black bear with cubs and itƒ??s obviously angry. The thing to do is: a. Faint, or at least pretend to faint. b. Moving slowly, hide behind a tree. c. Run as fast as you can.
9. Itƒ??s night in the Canadian wilderness. Youƒ??re surrounded by wolves. Your course of action: a. Yell at the wolves and they will probably run away. b. Build a fire to keep them at a distance. c. Ignore them.
10. Your hunger pangs are serious. You must eat something. You: a. Chew leaves, but donƒ??t swallow them b. Eat tree bark c. Catch and eat small snakes and insects.
11. If youƒ??re starving, thereƒ??s one tasty wild animal you can capture without traps or weapons: a. Cottontail rabbit with young b. Woodchuck c. Porcupine
12. Of hazards you may face in the wilderness, you should concern yourself least about: a. A poisonous snake bite. b. A sprained ankle c. Lack of pure drinking water.
13. The mosquitoes are numerous and too hungry for comfort. Your best recourse is to: a. Use perfume, if you have any, as a repellent. b. Build a fire and stay in its smoke. c. Sit very still.
14. Your airliner has crashed in deep snow and the temperature is below zero. The warmest place you can be is: a. In the planeƒ??s broken fuselage b. Under the snow c. Inside a tent made of seat cushions and parachutes.
15. When snow is on the ground, snow blindness is a danger. You have no sunglasses, therefore you: a. Close your eyes frequently as soon as they start hurting. b. Shade your eyes whenever the sun is shining. c. Shade your eyes whether there is sunshine or not.
16. A severe electrical storm occurs. Where is the safest place to be? a. In the open, away from all trees. b. In a forest, this will also shelter you from the rain. c. Under the tallest tree, this will bleed off the electrical charge.
17. Itƒ??s very cold. Another survivor of the plane crash tells you that you have a white spot on your nose--frostbite! You: a. Warm the spot with your hand. b. Rub it with snow. c. Cover your face with cloth or fur
18. You have no water, but the crashed plane has only three available beverages. To quench your thirst, you should drink: a. Scotch b. Beer c. Soft drinks
19. You know if you walked west you would find a highway, but you havenƒ??t got a compass. To find your way, you would utilize the knowledge that: a. Moss grows on the north side of trees. b. The sunƒ??s shadow is a direction finder. c. The tops of tall trees point east.
20. A danger in the woods can be a fox or a raccoon with rabies. You can recognize an infected animal because it: a. shows no sign of fear b. howls and whimpers c. foams at the mouth
21. Your airliner has crashed at sea. Youƒ??re in the water waiting to be picked up by a life raft. Sharks appear! You: a. Kick them off as they approach. b. Try not to worryƒ??you know they wonƒ??t touch you if youƒ??re not bleeding. c. Put your head under the water and yell.
22. Youƒ??re in a life raft at sea without drinking water and desperately thirsty. You would drink: a. Sea waterƒ??itƒ??s safe to ingest in moderate quantities. b. Urineƒ??repulsive thought, but youƒ??ll need it, to replenish body moisture. c. The blood of sea birds.
23. Your airliner has been forced down in the burning hot desert. Our best plan is to: a. Remain in the shade, moving as little as possible. b. Take off all the clothing you can and breath thorough your mouth. c. Stay active so perspiration will cool you.

Scoring: Give yourself one point for each correct answer. o 20-23 points: Splendid! You might consider a career as a wilderness explorer. o 14-19 points: Resourceful! You can make it on your own. o 8-13 points: Youƒ??re a fair woods person but donƒ??t go on long hikes by yourself. o 7 or under: Stay in the cafeteria, you may get lost in the hallways.

Would you Survive? Answer Key

1. (b) Panic is your greatest danger, Keep cool. As Uncas might say, youƒ??re not lost: the wigwam is lost.
2. (c) stay with the plane. Itƒ??s large and might be spotted by air searchers. Leave it, even if only for a short trip, and you might not be able to find your way back.
3. (c) Put on a hat! Improvise something if you donƒ??t have one. Cover your neck and ears as well. Most loss of body heat is from the bare head and hands.
4. (b) Perspiring can be fatal in extreme cold; youƒ??ll freeze faster. Wear just enough to keep feeling slightly chilly.
5. (a) Best is to yell three times at five-second intervals. Three is the international distress signal. The first shout will attract the searcherƒ??s attention; the others will enable him to determine your location.
6. (a) Signal with the mirror in your compact or any other shiny surface. Hold the reflector flat toward the plane and tilt it back and forth slightly so the pilot will see it flash.
7. (c) Mink may make a nice coat, but itƒ??s one of the few wild animals that will attack unprovoked. A mountain lion will run immediately, as will a bobcat.
8. (a) Faint. Or play dead. The bear may come up and smell you, but thatƒ??s all. If you run, it will chase you.
9. (c) Ignore Them! Wolves are not usually aggressive unless rabid, threatened or injured. So donƒ??t threaten them! And if their rabid, thereƒ??s not much you can do. Fire will attract them.
10. Two correct answers: (c) Eat snakes, and insects, if you can; theyƒ??re nourishing food. However, you might find (b) tree bark, more palatableƒ??the white-and-green inner bark of evergreens, birches and willows.
11. (c) The porcupine was once called the ƒ??woodmanƒ??s friendƒ? because it is the only wild animal a starving woodsman can run down and immobilize with a stick.
12. (a) Poisonous snake bite is statistically the least likely outdoor accident. !
13. (c) Ignore your tormentors. Let them bite and donƒ??t scratch if you have the will power not to. The mosquito injects an anticoagulant in order to suck blood through its tiny capillary stinger, then takes back most of this substance during its meal. Since the anticoagulant causes most of the irritation, itƒ??s best not to keep interrupting the mosquitoes.
14. (b) Under the snow. Bury yourself in it. The temperature there isnƒ??t much lower than 32 degrees, and the snow blanket acts as an insulator.
15. (c) You must shield your eyes even when the snow fields are cloudy. Snow-blindness gives no warning; it occurs about six hours after exposure to intense light. To protect yourself, make a face mask from a handkerchief or a piece of cloth with two very small slits you can peek though.
16. Lighting often strikes a tall, isolated object, such as a tree, building or person in an open field. It also prefers a very high tree in a forest. The safest place is (b) among the short forest trees growing in the lowest ground.
17. Frostbite means your nose is frozen. By no means rub yourself with snow. Treat the affected part gently, and (a) defrost it by holding your cupped hand over it. Youƒ??ll know itƒ??s thawing when it begins hurting.
18. The Scotch will not help your water supply. Soft drinks might sound like the answer, but according to nutritional authorities, the sugar (sometimes caffeine) they contain will cause you to burn up energy much too fast. (b) Drink the beer, but drink it sparingly.
19. Moss grows on the north side of trees, but can you tell moss from lichen? (b) Use the sunƒ??s shadow. Push a foot-long stick vertically into the ground and make a mark at the tip of its shadow. Wait a half-hour and make another mark at the shadowƒ??s tip. A line drawn from the second mark to the first will point approximately west.
20. Foaming at the mouth is not a symptom of rabies, but of fits or distemper, and a rabid animal seldom if ever howls. But (a) if it shows no fear of you, although it certainly has scented you, then be careful. Donƒ??t attract its attention by moving; avoid it even if you have to climb a tree.
21. Sharks are unpredictable. Usually the scent of blood is what draws their attention, but sometimes theyƒ??ll attack without it. Occasionally itƒ??s possible to scare them away by kicking, but skin-divers (who should know) swear by (c) putting their heads under the water and yelling.
22. Not savory, but it means survival: (c) drink the blood of sea birdsƒ??they will come down and peck at a fish line in the water with almost anything shiny on its hook.
23. The idea is to conserve all the body moisture possible, so (a) sit in the shade of the plane and remain motionless to keep from perspiring, and keep your clothes on. Also: no unnecessary chatter; breath through the mouth wastes moisture, too.