How Good Are My Survival Instincts?

Let’s say you’re stranded on a desert island, or lost somewhere in the woods, or even just that your car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Would you be able to survive? Or would your instincts lead you astray?

Answer these 12 essential survival questions to find your answer. And be sure to take notes—some of this information might just save your life someday!

A flower growing in rocky soil.

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Questions Overview

1. You've been hiking all day when you suddenly realize you're lost. What should you do?
  1. Stay where I am and wait for someone to rescue me.
  2. Backtrack as best I can to try to find my way back out.
  3. Keep going forward. I'll get there eventually if I just keep moving.
  4. Start exploring. I might as well have an adventure!
2. A storm is brewing on the island where you're stranded. Which should you do first?
  1. Make a rescue signal.
  2. Find drinkable water.
  3. Find food.
  4. Make a shelter, or start a fire.
3. It's been a minute since you've had anything to drink. How long can a person go without water?
  1. 3 hours
  2. 3 weeks
  3. 3 days
  4. 3 months
4. You find a lake on the island, which means fresh water! But wait, is that water safe to drink?
  1. Yes. Time to fill up my water bottle!
  2. Not yet. I need to purify it somehow.
  3. Nope. It's got leaves in it. Gross.
  4. Nah. Animals pee in there. It'll never be clean.
5. You feel a rumbling. It's an earthquake! What should you do?
  1. Head toward the ocean to get into an open area.
  2. Climb a tree to get away from the ground.
  3. Find some sturdy shelter, then crouch in the fetal position with my head over my hands.
  4. Jump into the air so I can't feel the shaking.
6. Looks like the earthquake was actually the island's volcano erupting! Now what?
  1. Find something to use as a mask while looking for higher ground.
  2. Head toward the volcano to get a better look.
  3. Head into the valley for shelter.
  4. Grab a bucket of water to pour on the lava.
7. The lava from the volcano has started a wildfire, and you're far from the ocean! What do you do next?
  1. Find a creek and lie in it until the fire passes
  2. Run through the fire into the area it's already burned.
  3. Hide under a big, green tree.
  4. Follow a passing animal. They know where they're going, right?
8. Yeowch! You just got a pretty gnarly wound on your leg. Where should you tie the tourniquet?
  1. A little below the wound.
  2. Directly on the wound.
  3. Around my waist.
  4. A little above the wound.
9. You cross paths with a grizzly bear, and you don't have bear spray! What should you do?
  1. Run away, as fast as I can.
  2. Back away slowly, and stand my ground if it charges.
  3. Charge the bear to frighten it and make it retreat.
  4. Throw rocks at it to make it leave.
10. Uh oh, you've been bitten by a snake! It looked venomous. What should you do?
  1. Suck out the venom with my mouth.
  2. Apply another tourniquet to stop the venom.
  3. Cut off my limb! It's too late!
  4. Wash the bite as well as I can, and keep it lower than my heart.
11. You finally have time to signal for help. Which of these is a standard distress signal (something other people recognize as a call for help)?
  1. A distinct bird call made by whistling with your hands.
  2. A flag made of a T-shirt and a branch.
  3. 3 fires in a triangle.
  4. A green blanket hanging in a tree.
12. Which of these is the most important when surviving?
  1. A strong will and belief that you can survive.
  2. Drinkable water.
  3. Plenty of food.
  4. Safe shelter.

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What to Do When You’re Lost in the Wilderness

If you spend any amount of time outdoors and in nature, it’s important to know how to survive out there should worse come to worst. But even if you’re a homebody, you never know when you’ll need some handy survival skills. Say your car breaks down outside the city, or there’s a blackout that lasts for days. Do you know what to do? Let us tell you!

1. Keep the mood high.
No, really! Wilderness experts agree that keeping a positive attitude is the #1 most important aspect of surviving a crisis. You don’t have to be excited or happy about things, but the moment you start panicking or giving up, nothing else matters. Stay positive, cooperate, and keep your head in the game.

2. Stay where you are if you’re lost.
It’s tempting to stray far, hoping to find help or resources. But if you don’t know where you are, you’ll only get more lost, and make it harder for a rescue team to find you. Stay close to where you first got lost, and when you go out to find food or water, make sure you know how to get back to your survival camp.

3. Find shelter.
Exposure is the most common killer out in the wild—not animals, not starvation or dehydration. The elements are no joke, and you never know when the weather could take a turn for the worst. And when you’re soaked through or freezing cold, everything else becomes that much harder. Get a roof over your head and build a fire to keep you warm.

4. Find and purify some water.
Water comes before food, since a human can only go about 3 days without water before their body starts to shut down. If you’re desperate, you can technically drink from a creek or a lake, but it’s not ideal. Instead, purify any water you find by running it through a filter, boiling it, or letting it evaporate and condense into a separate container.

5. Find food.
Now that you’ve got shelter and water, food is next. Most humans can survive up to 3 weeks without it, so while it’s essential, it’s lower on the list. Still, you shouldn’t wait that long! This is where a foraging guide comes in handy, or even some hunting skills.

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