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If You Can Answer These 15 Wilderness Questions, You Might Actually Survive In The Wild

_Panic is your greatest enemy; stop, stay calm, and assess your situation before taking any action._

Stay calm and assess the situation before moving.

You're stuck in a dense forest with no signal. What do you do?

_If the bear is aware of you, speak calmly and firmly to identify yourself as human. Slowly back away, never turning your back or running._

Speak calmly but firmly to identify yourself as human.

_Onion/garlic smell = likely edible” is a safe foraging guideline. “Three shiny leaves” is a red flag—possibly poison ivy._

The jagged one that smells like onion

You find two plants: one with three shiny leaves, and another with jagged edges and a strong onion smell. You're starving. Which one is safer to eat?

_Deer are grazers and require frequent access to fresh water. Following their trails or droppings can often lead you to water sources._

Deer

Which of these animals' droppings is _most_ likely to indicate safe drinking water nearby?

_Never drink seawater; collect rainwater or use methods like a solar still to gather fresh water._

Rainwater.

You are on a deserted island, and you're thirsty. What’s your best option for drinking water?

_Eating accelerates dehydration because digestion requires water. If you don’t have water, avoid eating._

Eat the food you've packed.

In extreme heat with no water, what is the worst thing you can do?

_Use reflective objects to signal, or build a fire if possible._

Use shiny objects to reflect sunlight.

What is a good way to signal for help on open water?

_At solar noon, the sun is generally due south in the Northern Hemisphere. Moss is unreliable; it grows based on moisture, not magnetism._

Observing the sun’s position at noon.

Which of these methods is most reliable for determining direction in the Northern Hemisphere?

_Rapid or direct heat can damage tissue in frostbite. Alcohol makes you feel warm but actually lowers core temperature._

Slowly warm the body with heat or some hot water.

If your lips and fingertips are turning blue in the cold, what’s the priority?

_Stay calm and keep an object between you and the shark if possible; avoid splashing or panicking._

Stay calm, avoid sudden movements, and try to keep an object between you and the shark.

If you spot a shark in the ocean in which you're stranded, what should you do?

_Seawater’s salt content will worsen dehydration, and can be fatal._

It can increase dehydration and cause kidney failure.

Why should you avoid drinking seawater, even if you’re extremely thirsty?

_Crawling with an injury risks infection or worsening the injury. Staying put improves chances of being found. Signal fires and visual markers (like SOS or arrows) are key._

Stay put and create markers visible from above.

You’ve injured your leg and can’t walk. You’re near a river with no mobile service. What’s your best strategy?

_Swimming toward distant land can quickly lead to exhaustion and drowning; conserve energy and wait for rescue unless land is clearly within reach._

You risk exhausting yourself and may not reach it.

What is the main reason to avoid swimming toward what looks like land?

_There could be bears, squatters, or unstable flooring. Check for signs of recent activity first. Entering blindly is dangerous._

Circle the area and look for fresh tracks.

You find a seemingly abandoned cabin in the woods. What should you do before entering?

_While it varies by conditions, 72 hours is often the upper limit without water before organ failure begins._

Three days.

How long can the human body survive without water?

You've got a lot to learn about surviving outside your comfort zone.

a forest filled with lots of trees and lots of branches

You absolutely won't survive in the wild.

You know some stuff, but you're still pretty much a liability in dangerous situations.

person in red jacket standing on gray rock formation during foggy weather

You may just survive in the wild.

You've got immense knowledge about living in the wilderness, and there's no reason to worry about you if you're stuck.

You'll thrive in the wild!

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Topics In This Article

I feel like the question about the bear needs to specify what kind of bear, because that definitely changes what you should or should not do...

The only question I disagree with is the one about the plant. The safer option would have been eat neither because they could both be poisonous. It's been proven that people can eat and live off tree bark. Unless you know you're plants very well it's safer to not eat leafy plants even if they do sme

This whole quiz was done from some textbook.  Some of the correct answers could keep you from any sort of chance at survival.  Every situation is to be assessed considering the situation at hand , to include your strengths and weaknesses 

So the plant question. There are a variety of toxic plants that smell like garlic and onion. It's also a very bad idea to consume any plant if you don't know 100% what it is.

I disagree with the jumping jacks. If you're so cold you're turning blue, you probably don't have a source of heat 

For Bears- if they're brown, lay down. If black, fight back.
  

This was not a good quiz. Literally never eat plants unless you know what it is. You should never look at the sun, and you'll never figure out directions from a single moment from where the sun is any way, time and knowledge of how shadows work will. Never drink your own urine, it will make dehydration worse. Also how did not one question have a "stay put" option. If lost, the best advice is to stay put unless 1 you know what your doing (but how did you get lost) or 2 no one has any idea your lost to begin with. Best solution, always let a few people know where your going and when to expect you back. That way they can call search and rescue quickly if you do manage to get lost, in which case it's generally considered best advice to find a comfortable place to pop a squat till they find you.

It said there’s no reason to worry about me in the wild and yes I can survive for a while but I still want people to worry about me so I can, y’know, be found and stuff

I'm kind of chuckling at the people bragging about their "perfect" scores. This quiz is wildly wrong on some of the questions and others have more than one correct answer. Honestly, if you got more than 10 right, your chances aren't any better than someone who only got 5 right, lol.

If You Can Answer These 15 Wilderness Questions, You Might Actually Survive In The Wild

So, here's a quiz for you: if you can answer these questions based on real-life problems you may encounter in the wilderness, consider yourself set. Ready? Let's go!

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