There's No Way You Can Pass This Basic Survival Skills Quiz
- by Will Morgan
- – on
- in Lifestyle
Okay, so at this point in your life, no matter how old you are, you find yourself at a point where you are able to take a few minutes to browse the internet on one of your devices to pass some time by taking a couple of fun quizzes. You should have developed at least a couple of the most basic survival skills by this point in your life. Some of us have to fight tooth and nail everyday, struggling every hour for our very survival against the basic elements and the stacked odds that society, heredity, nature, and fate have stacked against us. Others of us go whistling through life, barely able to chew bubble gum and take two steps without tripping but somehow we manage to have everything work out in our favor. In either case, skills are necessary.
Survival skills mean different things to different people. Sure you may never go camping. But you may get a flat tire and have to change it? Or hike for help? Or go a long distance for help. What happens if the distance is so long that you have to sleep at some point? Oh! You camping now, smart guy/gal! So, if you think you have what it takes to survive out there on your own, prove it and see if you can pass this quiz with flying colors.
A mountain lion is attacking you! What do you do?
We are going big in this quiz, baby! When we say basic survival, we mean business. So, you are out having a nice walk or a hike when all of the sudden, boom, you are confronted with a mountain lion, or a cougar if you want to be fancy. This is a real life or death situation here. You can not just call a time out while you think about what to do. And you probably don't have time to pull out your phone and look up the answer.
How long can you last without water?
If you find yourself lost in the wilderness, the first thing you need to do is find yourself a source of clean drinking water. Well, that is assuming that you are not running from a bear or something. If you find yourself lost in the wilderness being chased by a bear, first get away from the bear, then get yourself some water. You can last a couple of weeks without food. But you are not going to last anywhere near that long without some agua.
If you are lost at night and need to find true north, which constellation contains the North Star?
Alright, let's say that you are lost and alone (and most likely scared out of your mind) in the woods at night. You don't have an compass or your watch and your smartphone is out of juice. How are you going to find out which direction true north is? Well, you could start asking around the woodland creatures and hope you come across a talking raccoon with a good sense of direction, or you can look for this constellation containing the North Star.
If you are signaling with your flashlight or walkie talkie in morse code, SOS is: three short, three long, and what?
Morse code is an old alphabet or code using light or sound made up of long and short signals. If you were in Boy Scouts or Girls Scouts you probably know the bare minimum, which would be SOS. Hopefully, whoever picks up on your signal also know morse code and isn't just like, "Huh, someone is sending out morse code. Probably something about a party. Oh well. I never learned morse code". And then they would walk on by. That would really not be cool.
When changing a tire, when should you loosen your lug nuts?
Wait a second. Are you really going to argue that the ability to change you own flat tire is not a life saving survival skill? Well, it most definitely is! First of all, if you have to pull over on a busy road, that is super dangerous and you need to get going as soon as possible. Second of all, if you call your roadside assistance for a tire change they will make fun of you. Learn to change your tire.
How should you treat a venomous snake bite?
This should probably go without saying, but if you are bitten by a venomous snake, the first thing on your mind should be getting yourself to the nearest medical facility as soon as possible, as well as cleaning the wound as you would any skin surface puncture. Now, there are a lot of competing theories as to what you are supposed to do with a poisonous snakebite. There is the correct theory, and there is the wrong, dumb, cartoon theory.
The poem used to identify Poison Ivy and Poison Oak goes, "Leaves of three..." what?
If you are out in the woods, especially if you don't have your extremities covered and won't be returning to civilization any time soon, the last thing you want is to brush up against an irritating plant. Poison Ivy and Poison Oak can really ruin your week. So, you need to know what they look like and be on the look out for those jerks at all times. The last thing you want is some uninvited plants up in your business.
What should you do if a Grizzly Bear charges you?
It is every camper and hiker's worst nightmare. You are out having a great time when all of the sudden you spot a Grizzly. You try and slip away but before you know it, the bear is in full charge right in your direction. Also, just to clarify when I say Grizzly Bear I am referring to the animal, not the band. If the band is trying to charge you, just go ahead and pay if you want the album and don't pay if you don't.
What should you do if a Black Bear charges you
For those of you who aren't up on your ursine, first of all ursine are bears, and second of all grizzlies and black bears are very different creatures. The grizzlies are going to be found more in the Pacific Northwestern United States and Canada, while Black Bears are more spread across the rest of the U.S. Oh, and to make things more confusing, sometimes they are brown. These guys are super curious, too. So always know if you are camping in an area with bears.
What is the type of wood or material that is used to get a campfire started called?
There are a ton of different ways to start a campfire. Really all you need to qualify something as a campfire is to have a fire at a camp. You can use wood, or charcoal, get it going with hand sanitizer, or flint, or rub some sticks together. But, there are several layers needed to build a lasting fire, and those layers have names. This first layer is the wood, or just the material like leaves or even drier sheets, that you use to get the blaze going.
When jumping a car where should the red clamp go?
Again, some of this basic car stuff definitely comes handy enough to count as a survival skill. There are situations where successfully jumping your car in a timely manner could be a life or death deal. I mean, what if someone ran up to you with a knife and demanded that you jump their car within 15 minutes and on the first try? I bet you'd be pretty glad you had some jumper cables and knew how to use them then.
If there is a massive crowd of people rushing you, what should you do?
This is something that happens to very handsome and beautiful people in cartoons constantly. Also, this could happen at a concert or at a catastrophic event where everyone is trying to escape. Whatever the cause, there is mad chaos. Hundreds of people are all barreling in one direction and you need to decide at a moments notice how you are going to play this situation. There probably won't be enough time to try out a couple of different options you know.
If you have the resources, what's a good way to purify water?
When you are los out there in the woods, or desert, or...well that would probably be the only two places. Maybe you could be on a glacier or in the ocean? Okay, let's just say you are in the woods. When you are in the woods and you need to get some drinking water, you can't just fill up your canteen with that filthy river water filled with bacteria and parasites. You need to do something to purify it so you don't come down with a potentially life threatening illness.
If a disaster strikes and you are stuck in one place, such as a basement, for an extended length of time, what kind of food do you need on hand?
Let's play this one as a hypothetical. Let's say you just bought a house. I'm sure I just lost all of the millennials. You all just spit out your avacado toast in disbelief. Well just try and play along, it's a hypothetical.SO you just bought a house and it has an old basement attached to it. The news says something about a weird meteor heading towards Earth. "Uh oh" you think. You better stock up on water and what kind of food items?
What should you do if a shark attacks you?
It's every person who has nightmares about shark attacks' worst nightmare: a shark attack. You can't really fault them too much. You are coming into their house and getting all of your body essence up in their stuff they breathe. But still, they are rare enough that you don't expect them. They do happen every so often so you should have that appropriate fear when entering the ocean. You need to know what to do if you see that shark barreling down on you.
What is a good way to gather clean drinking water?
The human body needs drinking water in order to survive. We are made up of water. Without water we would just a bunch of whatever the other stuff is we are besides water. So if you are out on a long excursion, make sure you pack plenty of the stuff, just in case your trip turns out to be longer than expected. And know some techniques to collect the stuff out in the wild should the situation call for it.
If your group is alone in the woods at night, what is one way to stay warm?
It's late. You and your fellow annoyed, lost, and stranded travelers are worn out from a full day of wandering aimlessly through the woods. Now it is the night time. The moon is out. The wolves are howling. There may be some sort of Blaire Witch thing out there. And it is very cold. You need to find your way to civilization, yes. But the most important thing now is the rest and regain some strength. In order to do that, you need warmth.
Which of these plants is not edible?
Hey with all of that walking around and trying to survive stuff, you are going to get a little hungry. After you eat all of the food that you packed, then come to the heartbreaking decision to eat any pets you have with you, and then finally eat any humans that have survived along with you, you are going to have to start foraging for food in the forrest. Out of the plants listed, which one is NOT one that is edible?
What do most self-defense experts suggest as the best survival method when confronted with an irrational and aggressive individual?
If you have been outside of your house ever, you have probably seen people acting a little wild occasionally. There are just a lot of people in the world and some of them are disturbed. It is good practice to try and not put yourself in a situation where you may encounter an unstable person or situation, but sometimes it happens. You need to know how to handle yourself to ensure your safety. It's about your survival, not about your ego.
If you are traveling by car and you lose your phone, what would be useful to have to use for directions?
I know this is going to make me sound like I am 102 year-old, but there used to be a time that we did not use our phones to tell us how to get somewhere. Yeah, you heard me. Back in the ancient days of yore, people would have to go to websites like map quest and then print their directions! I'm not actually sure how people navigated or found things before that though. I think the horses they rode just knew where to go.
If you manage to catch a fish, where should you clean and gut it?
Oh man, phew! That was a close one! After going through all of your packed food, pets, and friends, you finally managed to catch some fish! You were worried you were going to have to forage again. But you can't exactly eat this river fish sashimi style. You are going to have to clean and gut it. So let's just think this one through real quick. Where do you think the best place to carry out this messy activity would be?
You built a panic room! Of the things listed what don't you need?
So you finally got around to building yourself a panic room just like the one you saw in that one movie from a few years back. What was the name of it? It had Jodie Foster. She was in a room or something. Anyway, that's not important. What is important is that you stock this panic room with all of the necessary supplies. So make sure that you have the necessities. But what don't you need in there? Let's think about that!
If you see someone choking due to a blocked airway, what life saving technique should be used?
This question doesn't even have to take place in some lame, damp forest. You could be out on the town, celebrating being saved from that forest and then notice that one of your friends is choking. Once you determine that they are for real choking and not just joking around or trying to bait you into some sort of a weird assault lawsuit, you should spring into action. Well, I mean if you know what to do. Do just go in guessing.
What does CPR stand for?
Let's all agree that we should all have a basic understanding of a few simple life saving techniques, CPR being one of them. Hopefully there are enough people out there that know the basics, that if one of us keel over on the street and need to be resuscitated with CPR that someone, or a couple of people would be able to figure out what to do to keep us alive until emergency medical personnel arrived on scene and took it over from there.
What can you do to treat and help sooth a simple burn?
This is for a mild burn. You know the kind that hurts, but does not cook your flesh, exposing bone and nerves, leaving you a crying shamble of a human requiring immediate medical attention? One of those. A minor one. A lot of people will say that they heard from their grandmother that this old method helped, or their aunts fried said this old method always worked. Those people were most likely very wrong. Please remember that when answering this one.
What is the best way to clean minor open wounds?
Again, this is one of those things that is wide open for debate. Not because no one can agree on the best way, the experts can, but because everyone had a best way that they grew up with and are now positive is the only way and will defend that way to the death should anyone come forth crusading against it! Just because it's what you were taught doesn't mean it's right. Sorry everybody, some of the stuff we learned a decade ago is wrong.
If you see an unconscious person, which of these things should you NOT do?
We've all been around the block a few times at this point in our lives, right? I mean here you are, on a website, doing a quiz about survival. You are bound to have seen at least a couple of unconscious people in your life at this point. So let's say you come up on someone passed out and they look to be in a bit of trouble. What are you going to do? Or better yet, which of these things should you definitely NOT do?
Which of these things can NOT be used to start a fire?
It really can not be over stressed just how important it is to stay warm when you are stranded outside overnight. You need to do everything in your power to retain your body heat and get your body warmer if you can. And one of the ways we learned how to do that way back in Get Your Body Warmer class during high school was by using a campfire. Now of course the easiest way to start one is with a lighter or matches. But there are other ways.
If you are out in the open and not near a shelter and see a tornado approaching, where would be the safest place to hunker down?
Remember that movie Twister? Wasn't it released way back in the late '90s? Man, that was over 75 years ago at this point. You would think at least one more definitive movie about tornadoes would have come along since then. But you are not going to beat the "We've got cows!" scene easily. So if you are out walking for some reason and spot a tornado heading your way, you need to act fast. Where do you go to protect yourself.
What should you do if you are attacked by a swarm of killer bees?
Are those killer bees still coming? I remember they were coming over from Africa or something when I was a kid and we were all terrified of them. There was nothing you could do to stop them. They have the word 'killer' in their name! I guess they got stalled out somewhere. They took out Macaulay Culkin though. Spoiler alert for My Girl. Wait, I don't think those were killer bees. But they did kill him. That makes them killer bees retroactively.
It's time to shave without an electric razor! How do you do it?
This one is not so much a surviving out in the wilderness question, but more of a surviving adulthood question. There are certain things that you should be able to do out there on your own. Shaving is one of them. And plugging an electric razor into the wall and going to town does not count. This is an old school wet shave, baby! Whether you are shaving your face, your legs, your pits, your arms, or some unique place lice your earlobes, you should know how to do it properly.
What foot pedals are in a manual transmission car?
You should know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle. You may be surprised to learn that not all automobiles are automatic transmission even. Not only is it more fun and do you have more control over the acceleration, but it can be more efficient. You may someday be in a situation where that is all you can afford, they are significantly cheaper. Or you are being chased by zombies and you jump into an abandoned car and it is a stick shift. What then?
If your shirt loses a button, what's the technique called you should use to put it back on?
This one should be a no brainer. I apologize in advance then if you get it wrong. I am sure you have a brain. Just think it through next time please. Part of survival is making things last. So, if a shirt loses a button that does not mean it is time to throw it away and buy a new shirt or five. No, it mean you need to do a little work and repair that shirt there, buddy. How do you get that button back on?
What is the name of the swim stroke where you are on your back moving your arms in alternating circles and flutter kicking your legs?
Top swim scientists agree that swimming is very important. It is one of those things that everyone should learn as a small child if they can. And it makes sense if you think about it. If there is an unsupervised kid near a body of water and they fall in and they don't know how to swim, they probably drown. If they do know how to swim, they probably don't. It is pretty cut and dry right there. So, do you know the swim stroke described above?
How long can a human body go without food?
The human body is a remarkable thing. It is capable of so much more than we give it credit for. Honestly, sometimes I do not think my body can go more than 90 minutes without food. It starts to get very angry and make mean noises and so I have to appease it with treats and offerings. But apparently, according to scientists and Gandhi, the human body is able to go much longer than 90 minutes before requiring it have pizza shoved in its mouth!
What is the longest a human has gone without sleep?
Listen everybody, you need your sleep! I know that in whatever survival situation you are in, it is super duper tense. I get that. But you owe it to yourself and to those around you to get some shut eye and relax. After three to four days without sleep, most humans start to hallucinate. Cognitive and physical capabilities start to decline. And you start to be a real big jerk to everyone around you. Do you know how long a person has gone without getting any snooze time?
If a natural disaster is heading your way, what should you do with your bathtub and sinks?
There are natural disasters in almost every part of the globe. It doesn't matter where you go, each place has its own unique weather problems. There are the hurricanes of the tropics and gulf coast of the United States, the volcanos of the Pacific Rim, the earthquakes of the West Coast, whatever it is they get in tornado alley, etc. With a lot of natural disasters you can get a little bit of a heads up that something is about to happen. How do you prepare?
If you are on fire, you should stop, drop, and what?
It is one of those dreaded situations we all hope to never find ourselves in. You check yourself out in the mirror and yep, sure enough, you are completely engulfed in flames and on fire. Now it is probably extremely painful so you are not exactly thinking with a clear head. But there in the back of your mind is a little phrase that you learned back in elementary school regarding fires. You should stop, then drop, then something. What was that something?
Which of these should you NOT do if your home is flooding?
When the rain comes down it washes things away. And sometimes it comes down so much that it decides to stay. It rains down so hard and fast that there is nowhere for the excess to drain and a city floods. the waters rise and people look out of their homes helplessly. It is a terrible feeling to see that water line creeping up your yard toward your front door knowing that your home is going to flood. All you can do is wait to see how bad.
What is the longest a human has fallen without a parachute and survived?
Falling from high places is scary and it sucks very much. If you find yourself falling from high up, spread yourself out to try and slow yourself down. Steer yourself to the best landing spot, if you can. Before you land, position yourself so you will land on your feet with your knees bent. Cover your head and back of your neck with your arms. After that, pretty much all you can do is hope for the best and get to medical professionals as quickly as possible.