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Quizzes
Survival Quiz 1
Below is a list of items you could pick for your survival pack. Which ones would you choose? I picked out about a dozen survival items that everyone should carry in a small pack. What do YOU think you should always have with you? (My answer is at the bottom of the page.)
- WOOL BLANKET
- 2-3 BIG TRASH BAGS
- GIANT BAG OF POTATO CHIPS
- LIGHTWEIGHT METAL CUP
- DEODORANT
- WHISTLE
- EXTRA PAIR OF SOCKS
- CELL PHONE
- MULTI-TOOL OR KNIFE
- TOILET PAPER
- FLASHLIGHT OR HEADLAMP
- BIG FISHING POLE
- SOLAR SPACE BLANKET
- SMALL TARP
- PILLOW
- I-POD
- FIRE-STARTER OR LIGHTER
- CANDLE
- LARGE CHEESE PIZZA
- AIR MATTRESS OR SLEEPING PAD
- HAIRBRUSH OR COMB
- NUTS, CANDY BAR
- FILLED WATER BOTTLE
- LARGE CAMP LANTERN
- WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS
- SLEEPING BAG
- LIP GLOSS
Survival Quiz 2
What would YOU pick to save your life? You and four others were on the way to a family fishing camp in Alaska. Your plane crashed and the pilot and co-pilot were both killed. It is mid-January and the nighttime temperature is 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. There is snow on the ground, and the area is pine forest with many creeks. The nearest town is 20 miles away. You are all dressed in light fishing and outdoors clothing. Your group of survivors managed to pull the following items from the plane:
- A ball of steel wool
- A small ax
- A loaded .45-caliber pistol
- Can of Crisco shortening
- Newspapers (one per person)
- Cigarette lighter (without fluid)
- Extra shirt and pants for each survivor
- 20 x 20 ft. piece of heavy-duty canvas
- A sectional air map made of plastic
- A compass
- Family-size chocolate bars (one per person)
Rank these items in order of importance for your survival. List the uses for each. Are your answers the same as the example? This exercise helps you think about priorities and how to make use of common items.
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1. Cigarette lighter (without fluid): The biggest danger is exposure to cold. The greatest need is for a source of warmth and the second greatest need is for signaling devices. This makes building a fire the first order of business. Without matches, something is needed to produce sparks, and even without fluid, a cigarette lighter can do that.
2. Ball of steel wool: To make a fire, the survivors need a means of catching he sparks made by the cigarette lighter. This is the best substance for catching a spark and supporting a flame, even if the steel wool is a little wet.
3. Extra shirt and pants for each survivor: Besides adding warmth to the body, clothes can also be used for shelter, signaling, bedding, bandages, string (when unraveled), and fuel for the fire.
4. Can of Crisco shortening: This has many uses. A mirror-like signaling device can be made from the lid. After shining the lid with steel wool, it will reflect sunlight and generate 5 to 7 million candlepower. This is bright enough to be seen beyond the horizon. While this could be limited somewhat by the trees, a member of the group could climb a tree and use the mirrored lid to signal search planes. If they had no other means of signaling than this, they would have a better than 80% chance of being rescued within the first day. There are other uses for this item. It can be rubbed on exposed skin for protection against the cold. When melted into an oil, the shortening is helpful as fuel. When soaked into a piece of cloth, melted shortening will act like a candle. The empty can is useful in melting snow for drinking water. It is much safer to drink warmed water than to eat snow, since warm water will help retain body heat. Water is important because dehydration will affect decision-making. The can is also useful as a cup.
5. 20 x 20 foot piece of canvas: The cold makes shelter necessary, and canvas would protect against wind and snow (canvas is used in making tents). Spread on a frame made of trees, it could be used as a tent or a wind screen. It might also be used as a ground cover to keep the survivors dry. It’s shape, when contrasted with the surrounding terrain, makes it a signaling device.
6. Small ax: Survivors need a constant supply of wood in order to maintain the fire. The ax could be used for this as well as for clearing a sheltered campsite, cutting tree branches for ground insulation, and constructing a frame for the canvas tent.
7. Family size chocolate bars (one per person): Chocolate will provide some food energy. Since it contains mostly carbohydrates, it supplies the energy without making digestive demands on the body.
8. Newspapers (one per person): These are useful in starting a fire. They can also be used as insulation under clothing when rolled up and placed around a person’s arms and legs. A newspaper can also be used as a verbal signaling device when rolled up in a megaphone-shape. It could also provide reading material for recreation.
9. Loaded .45-caliber pistol:The pistol provides a sound-signaling device. (The international distress signal is 3 shots fired in rapid succession). There have been numerous cases of survivors going undetected because they were too weak to make a loud enough noise to attract attention. The butt of the pistol could be used as a hammer, and the powder from the shells will assist in fire building. By placing a small bit of cloth in a cartridge emptied of its bullet, one can start a fire by firing the gun at dry wood on the ground. The pistol also has some serious disadvantages. Anger, frustration, impatience, irritability, and lapses of rationality may increase as the group awaits rescue. The availability of a lethal weapon is a danger to the group under these conditions. Although a pistol could be used in hunting, it would take an expert marksman to kill an animal with it. Then the animal would have to be transported to the crash site, which could prove difficult to impossible depending on its size.
10. Compass: Because a compass might encourage someone to try to walk to the nearest town, it is a dangerous item. Its only redeeming feature is that it could be used as a reflector of sunlight (due to its glass top).
11. Sectional air map made of plastic: This is also among the least desirable of the items because it will encourage individuals to try to walk to the nearest town. It’s only useful feature is as a ground cover to keep someone dry.
Answer for Quiz 1: The items in BOLD, are often essential, the ITALIC items are nice to have but bulky, and the UNDERLINED text items are not essential.
