First Aid in the Wilderness Online Quiz | CPR/First Aid

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. You are going on a backpacking trip and, since your clumsy Uncle Freddy is going too, you decide to read up on first aid. Here is the first question in your manual: 'Which of the following is the order in which injury/illness issues should receive attention?'

Answer: Cardiopulmonary, bleeding, shock

This is one of those basics that are the same wherever you are. Clear the airway, administer CPR if needed; stop the bleeding; treat or prevent shock.

Many people wonder why stopping the bleeding does not come first. If your heart stops working you don't bleed, so CPR comes first. If you ARE bleeding, your heart is still pumping blood and so you won't need CPR, but the first-aider should still check for a pulse.

2. You and your Uncle Freddy are out playing golf, and a storm kicks up. You take shelter, but Freddy is having his best game ever and wants to finish the last hole. He's just completed that last putt... when he is struck by lightning. Which of the following is Freddy most likely to need?

Answer: Artificial respiration

When you are struck by lightning, it's the brain that is affected most severely. The heart usually resumes beating on its own after being shocked (the whole idea behind a defibrillator!), but the brain takes much longer to get back to normal. Since the brain controls breathing, a person who has been struck by lightning may need artificial respiration for quite some time (usually no longer than half an hour) before they can breathe on their own again.

3. You and Freddy are out hiking in an aspen forest, and that night Freddy discovers a tick imbedded in his neck right at the hairline. What's the best method to remove it?

Answer: Use tweezers and pull it out

Not only are petroleum jelly, matches, and nail polish ineffective, they can cause the tick to burrow in further, releasing more saliva and increasing the risk of infection.

Here's how you do it: use tweezers to grasp the tick right where it is attached to the skin (its head/mouth). Don't crush it. Pull steadily but firmly until the tick releases its hold. Don't worry if some tick parts are left in the wound, they'll work themselves out on their own. Swab the wound with alcohol and cover with a bandage.

If you are in an area where ticks are known to carry diseases, keep the tick. See a doctor to determine whether you should receive further treatment. If a red ring develops around the site, see your doctor immediately. This could be an indication that you have been exposed to Lyme disease.

It is important to remove a tick as soon as you notice it, since the risk of infection increases after the tick has been attached for more than 24 hours.

4. You and Uncle Freddy are rock hunting in a wilderness area in northern New Mexico, USA. You make camp in a dry wash near a bunch of cute prairie dogs. Two days later Freddy comes down with severe flu-like symptoms. What might he have?

Answer: Bubonic plague

Since 1900 when the disease was first introduced into the United States, there have been over a thousand human plague cases. Today the plague is found in wild rodent populations in the western United States.

Freddy contracted the plague from a flea bite. One of the fleas from an infected prairie dog hopped over and bit him, and some of the saliva on the flea's mouth parts got into Freddy's bloodstream, transferring the bacterium Yersinia pestis from the flea to poor Freddy.

Fortunately, infected humans respond well to antibiotic treatment, so Freddy made a full recovery. There is no known treatment for the poor prairie dogs, who die within a few days of being infected.

5. You're backpacking with your Uncle Freddy, and you're about two days from the trail head. Freddy trips on the path and takes a tumble. When you get to him, it's obvious his shoulder is dislocated. Between his groans, Uncle Freddy instructs you to bind his arm firmly against his chest, and then help him hike out and get to a doctor. Is this good advice?

Answer: No

Sorry Freddy! Not only should you reduce a dislocation, but you should do it as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more the muscles spasm, and the more difficult it will be. Reducing the dislocation reduces the risk of circulatory damage, and the pain relief is often immediate and profound.

6. Thank goodness accident-prone Uncle Freddy has never broken his leg while on one of your wilderness trips! But if he ever does, why would a traction splint be necessary for a fracture of the femur (thigh bone)?

Answer: To control bleeding

Thigh muscles are incredibly strong, and when the femur is broken these muscles can cause the bone ends to severely damage the nearby tissues. If this results in a severe hemorrhage, the victim could bleed out. A traction splint can prevent this from happening.

7. Freddy has a bit of what he euphemistically refers to as "tummy trouble" while you are out camping. If this develops into severe diarrhea, to which of the following groups would Freddy have to belong before it became necessary to immediately take him to the nearest medical facility?

Answer: Any of these

Of course, "Uncle" Freddy is not likely to be pregnant or a child under three years of age! But the immediate evacuation (sorry!) rule also applies to anyone of any age with severe diarrhea lasting longer than 48 hours, with any of the following additional symptoms:

* Stools containing blood or pus
* Abdominal pain or tenderness
* Fever
* Symptoms of dehydration

8. You are camping again with your Uncle Freddy, and somehow he manages to gash his arm while whittling. You stop the bleeding by applying pressure, and clean the wound thoroughly. Freddy tells you to suture the wound closed to prevent infection while you hike out. You have a sterile suture kit and you know how to use it. Should you do it?

Answer: No

Uncle Freddy is wrong! Never suture a soft-tissue wound in the wilderness. Simply clean and dress the wound, hike out, and seek medical attention. This treatment allows the purulent material to drain, instead of sealing it in to spread possible infection to surrounding tissues.

9. You're out in the wilderness, fishing with Uncle Freddy, and he slips on some fish guts and sprains his ankle. Which acronym pops into your mind that summarizes the treatment for sprains?

Answer: RICE

RICE: Rest Ice Compression Elevation. Rest (get your weight off that ankle, Freddy!), then apply ice or another source of cold (such as wet cloths) immediately to reduce the swelling. The application of an elastic bandage can also reduce swelling, and elevating the affected joint helps with absorption of blood and other fluids, reducing swelling and pain.

ABC: Airway Breathing Circulation
DNR: Do Not Resuscitate (might not be a bad idea for Freddy...)
CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

10. You and Uncle Freddy are in the forest hunting for truffles, when Freddy trips and hits his head on a fallen tree. His scalp is ripped and he is bleeding quite a bit. He's also scared that an infection from his wound could spread to his brain. Could that really happen?

Answer: Yes

It's rare, because the scalp resists infection better than other soft tissues, but it's possible. You should flush out foreign material from the wound. If a foreign body is actually imbedded in the skull, do not attempt to remove it. Flush the wound, bandage it loosely to prevent further contamination, and evacuate the victim to the nearest medical facility for treatment.

Source: Author Bheth

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

First Aid in the Wilderness Trivia Quiz

Taking accident-prone Uncle Freddy with you into the wilderness may be nerve-wracking, but it gives you a chance to practice those first-aid skills. Enjoy the quiz!

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