A Look Back In Time

Survival Self-Test

I was going through some old survival magazines today, and thought it might be fun to do the Survival Self-Test from the November 1983 issue of Survival Guide (the predecessor of American Survival Guide).

1.  In fitting an axe handle to an axe head, you should use:
a. soft pine wedges and boiled linseed oil.
b. wood screws and epoxy glue.
c. bolts and glycerin.
d. oak wedges and water.

2.  At 0 degrees Fahrenheit and wind velocity of 40 mph, the wind chill is:
a. -3 degrees F.
b. -5 degrees F.
c -35 degrees F.
d. -53 degrees F.

3.  In a beehive, the super is:
a. where the queen lays eggs.
b. where workers make honey, but the queen is excluded.
c. where drones live until they fertilize a new queen.
d. where the new queen is reared to maturity.

4.  When practicing practical pistol shooting, fire:
a. only one round at each target you engage.
b. two rounds at each target you engage.
c. three rounds at each target you engage.
d. four rounds at each target you engage.

5.  Hiding keys outside your home:
a. helps prevent lockouts.
b. should be done carefully.
c. is an invitation to burglars.
d. will fool burglars.

6.  In a tactical situation where silence is required, the hand signal "thumbs up" means:
a. yes or affirmative.
b. no or negative.
c. look or observe.
d. hear or listen.

7. The best emergency treatment for minor frostbite:
a. is to rub the affected area with leaves.
b. is to rub the affected area with snow.
c. is to thaw the affected area with 105 - 110 degree F water.
d. is to bundle the affected area in warm woolens.

8.  In an urban survival situation:
a. you are in no danger from an attack launched from hundreds of yards away.
b. you have plenty of time to escape and hide.
c. you may be threatened by long-range weapons and have no time to hide.
d. looters will always be bound by the Geneva Convention.

9.  You are driving through an unfamiliar big city.  You should:
a. keep your windows rolled down so you can ask directions.
b. keep packages visible on the seat so you won't lose them.
c. keep your doors and windows locked.
d. keep your lights on to prevent accidents.

10.  You are forced into hand-to-hand combat with an adversary.  You should immediately attempt to land a blow on:
a. his groin.
b. his jaw.
c. his eyes.
d. his nose.

11. Hypoxia is a lack of sufficient oxygen available to the body cells.  It is most commonly accompanied by:
a. sweating and increased breathing rate.
b. light-headedness, dizziness, tingling and warm sensations.
c. all of the above.
d. none of the above.

12.  In weatherman's parlance, a trough is:
a. an elongated area of high atmospheric pressure, extending from the center of a high pressure system.
b. an elongated area of low atmospheric pressure, extending from the center of a low pressure system.
c. an elongated area of low atmospheric pressure, extending from the center of a high pressure system.
d. an elongated area of high atmospheric pressure, extending from the center of a low pressure system.

13.  Radiation sickness:
a. makes infections more likely and harder to treat.
b. kills viruses and bacteria, so infections are less likely.
c. is always fatal.
d. is more harmful to adults than to children.

14.  Alpha, beta and gamma carotene:
a. are radioactive particles.
b. are measurable with a dosimeter.
c. cannot be detected in humans.
d. are provitamins that may be converted into vitamin A in the body.

15.  The best way to win a fight is to:
a. avoid it.
b. employ superior firepower.
c. use sniping and stealth tactics.
d. surround the enemy.

16.  Fungi in stored grain:
a. is harmless to humans.
b. indicates poor storage conditions.
c. has no effect on pigs and chickens that eat it.
d. does not attack the germ.

17.  A woman who lives in an apartment alone should:
a. list her last name and initial of her first name in the telephone directory.
b. open the door when the doorbell rings.
c. get on an elevator with a strange man.
d. not carry a weapon.

18.  Skunk cabbage is:
a. totally inedible.
b. poisonous.
c. a natural herb, good for hay fever.
d. a provider of edible roots.

19.  The Soviet Kalashnikov automatic rifle will accept:
a. American .223 ammo.
b. American .30-06 ammo.
c. Israeli 9mm ammo.
d. Egyptian 7.62 ammo.

20.  If you are fishing in the ocean and catch a spiny fish, you should:
a. handle it with care.
b. not touch it as those spines may be poisonous.
c. carefully skin the fish, avoiding the spines.
d. throw it back.

Answers

1 - A
2 - D
3 - B
4- B
5 - C
6 - A
7 - C
8 - C
9 - C
10 - D
11-C
12 - B
13 - A
14 - D
15 - A
16 - B
17 - A
18 - D
19 - D
20 - B

How'd you do?

In other 1983 news...

The H&K 94A3 (semi-auto version of the MP5 submachine gun) got a great review.  The Man-Pack was a portable solar panel that folded down to 9 x 5 inches and would provide 800 milliamps at 13 volts.  It cost a mere $795 (a similar, but more efficient and smaller product is available these days for $149).  There is an interesting article on the storage life of various medications.  Need to tune up your Mini-14?  They've got the scoop for you.  There's a piece of feral dogs.  For wilderness survival skills, there is a cool way to make a "hot rock bed."  The back cover ad is for the H&K P7 pistol, with a MSRP of $599.  A quick check of GunsAmerica finds several available for between $1,150 and $1,250.  Looks like solar technology would have been an awful investment, but quality firearms always are.  And no look at an old magazine would be complete without a comment on how cool (or unusual) the old ads were.