# Zombie Survival Quiz **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 5, 2008, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897 "2008-08-05T08:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pollux\_Oil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/858c86/32.png) [@Pollux\_Oil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pollux_Oil)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/21 "2008-08-06T05:03:14Z")
[QUOTE=Yllaria] I’m not sure I understand. I got a C for most of the categories. I got an F in emotional. And it added up to a Z+. Hmmmmm. [/QUOTE] Yeah…I got a B, C, D, F respectively and Z+ overall. Although F for emotional is better in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/22 "2008-08-06T05:55:34Z")
Another BBCF survivor. Again, some of the answers depend on which zombie variant arises. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/23 "2008-08-06T06:43:33Z")
CBBF Z+. It is great. I will outlive almost everyone. I think the key to success is to be completely logical to the human condition. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/24 "2008-08-06T09:13:45Z")
[QUOTE=GameHat] This quiz (I found it off of FARK) got me in a zombie mood. The discussion thread there recommended [World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War](http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Z-History-Zombie/dp/0307346617/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217973131&sr=8-1). I picked it up today and like most good books ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. Highly recommended! [/QUOTE] Recommended and seconded. And Michael Straczynski is writing [the movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/). I got an A, A, B and F (for emotional numbness; not sure how I feel about that). Cumulative score Z+; Unstoppable. Since there are a lot of different fictional zombies with different “rules”, I had to guess which one they were going by. For instance, one question was about whether zombies eat: only animals; only humans; or humans and animals. I guessed that they were going by the “rules” of Max Brooks’ _Zombie Survival Guide_. ETA: That’s why I keep a crowbar in my truck. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/25 "2008-08-06T10:20:40Z")
Overall, I got an ‘A’. Yay! I get to live! ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/26 "2008-08-06T13:54:52Z")
Much of that test is suspect. I did get a Z+, but I dont buy their explanation of a crow bar being a better item to have than a machete. They also couldn’t sell me on the idea that a long range rifle is better against zombies than a shotgun. What movies is he watching? ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/27 "2008-08-06T14:06:15Z")
[QUOTE=Bear\_Nenno] Much of that test is suspect. I did get a Z+, but I dont buy their explanation of a crow bar being a better item to have than a machete. They also couldn’t sell me on the idea that a long range rifle is better against zombies than a shotgun. What movies is he watching? [/QUOTE] I still find a baseball bat to be even better than a machete or a crow bar as it’s less likely to get stuck in a zombie so you can increase your rate of blows. The rifle thing is just stupid. Given that most zombie movie action seems to be a CQB kind of a situation, and very high stress, I don’t want to aim anymore than I have to. Or to paraphrase Ash…"“This… is my BOOMSTICK!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/28 "2008-08-06T14:54:36Z")
[QUOTE=Bear\_Nenno] Much of that test is suspect. I did get a Z+, but I dont buy their explanation of a crow bar being a better item to have than a machete. They also couldn’t sell me on the idea that a long range rifle is better against zombies than a shotgun. What movies is he watching? [/QUOTE] The answers tell me that they’re going by Max Brooks’ _Zombie Survival Guide_, with which I mostly agree. The answers are based on thought and experimentation, not on movies. I’ve got both a machete and a crowbar; I’d definitely go with the latter as an all-around anti-zombie weapon. No edge to maintain; I can use it two-handed; and it’s also a useful tool for getting into or out of abandoned buildings. (Though I’d like to get my hands on a good bastard sword. Actually, the one I lost in the divorce would do fine, if my ex-wife, the Antichrist, were willing to part with it.) A rifle is a good choice because it lets you do your zombie-killing at a distance, provided you think ahead and acquire a defensible position. X number of .30-06 rounds is a lot less bulky and heavy than the same number of shotgun shells. (Actually I might go with a Ruger .22 semi-auto; the ammo is lightweight and very common, and will usually do the job with one head shot, although sometimes you might need another.) Don’t like guns, myself, but one does what one must. ---
**Author:** ![holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holmes)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/29 "2008-08-06T15:02:38Z")
[QUOTE=Bear\_Nenno] Much of that test is suspect. I did get a Z+, but I dont buy their explanation of a crow bar being a better item to have than a machete. They also couldn’t sell me on the idea that a long range rifle is better against zombies than a shotgun. What movies is he watching? [/QUOTE] I think the main theme was, tools/weapons that were multi-purpose were better; as you only had to carry one tool that does several things, as opposed to several tools that did one thing each. I picked the machete too, as it seemed a better weapon for hacking off heads or grasping arms…and smashing skulls is not easy to do…but having a tool that could crack skulls and smash locked doors, crates…etc; would seem to be a better choice. I picked the assult rifle, which seemed a good compromise between the shotgun and the long range rifle. Z+ ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/30 "2008-08-06T15:26:20Z")
The question is, do you want to be hacking at zombies with an edged weapon? That would produce lots of blood and I don’t think you want zombie blood on you, too much chance of getting infected. I’d pick a baseball bat. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/31 "2008-08-06T15:31:11Z")
I got a Z+. In all fairness, I just finished Dead Rising on the XBox360. I disagree with some of the answers though. Question 26 [spoiler] “Truck” is clearly superior to “walking” or “biking” as it offers the most protection and provides you with much greater mobility. [/spoilers] Question 27 “Shotgun” is better than rifle. I am not planning to engage zombie targets at a thousand yards out. I want to be able to point and blast skulls. Question 36 I said katana. Ax is good but I don’t think you can swing as fast. A katan OTOH requires a bit of skill. Kind of a toss up. Question 38 I was torn between school and mall. An urban school maybe as they tend to have bars on the windows. Suburban schools are more sprawling and have large windows in all the classrooms making them hard to fortify. A mall OTOH only has a few openings and stores with supplies and those gates are actually pretty strong. OTOH, they have lots of long open hallways so you’re kind of screwed if any of the openings are breached. Question 45 Zombies do retain residual memories. Question 52 Grenades aren’t not useful. They just aren’t as effective as they would be against a living human. They can still blow off limbs. ---
**Author:** ![Pollux\_Oil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/858c86/32.png) [@Pollux\_Oil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pollux_Oil)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/32 "2008-08-06T17:23:19Z")
I had some time to think about it, and I think the reason that most of us Dopers are getting As and Z+s is because the people who are most likely to not know anything about zombies and zombie invasions are also not very likely to be taking a zombie invasion quiz on the internet in the first place. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/33 "2008-08-06T18:07:22Z")
I think walking is better due to the amount of noise a truck would make. Also, there’s a good chance roads and streets would be littered with abandoned cars and other obstacles, the bicycle would also be very useful for carrying larger loads of gear or weaker individuals. The assault rifle seems like a good compromise between the shotgun and rifle - but shotgun is better than rifle IMHO, an assault rifle would be useful due to the larger magazine, decent range, and burst fire (you’ll probably face other things besides zombies). Other answers really depend on geography and what movie the guy watched, for example in urban areas, schools are old structures made of stone and heavy gates, and malls are large closed structures with few entrances, in suburbia newer schools and malls are open buildings with several entrances. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/34 "2008-08-06T19:21:06Z")
I was surprised I got a Z+ That was from a B A B F scores. I disagree with some of their ‘most correct’ answers however. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/35 "2008-08-06T19:45:13Z")
I think a motorcycle would be the best. Fast, good tradeoff of mileage and cargo capacity, plus you can take to the back country or railroad tracks if the roads are blocked. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/36 "2008-08-06T20:03:44Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] I think a motorcycle would be the best. Fast, good tradeoff of mileage and cargo capacity, plus you can take to the back country or railroad tracks if the roads are blocked. [/QUOTE] I said bike, but if I had a long distance to travel for some reason, I would think a motorcycle would be better. A boat might work well and I could sail some sailboats by myself, but that was not an option. I am fearful I would just hurt myself on a motorcycle, I have no experience. I am another that chose baseball bat over crowbar. I of course assumed a good tough aluminum bat and not wooden, so I think it would be a better weapon. I also chose shotgun. I think the stopping power is a good trade off for the shorter range. The problem with a truck is what they mentioned, a truck is not useful if the roads are clogged. If the roads are clear, I agree a truck would be good, but also tougher to keep in gas. A classic death in zombie fiction is being swarmed while trying to get more gas from a gas station without power or siphoning from another vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/37 "2008-08-06T20:14:41Z")
[QUOTE=Pollux Oil] Yeah…I got a B, C, D, F respectively and Z+ overall. Although F for emotional is better in that case. [/QUOTE] Ah! So I had mediocre scores, but failing in emotional pulled me up. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/38 "2008-08-06T20:15:30Z")
I got a Z+. That’s good right? I want to take this time to personally thank all you dopers who have made me aware of the importance of being prepared for the soon to be zombie attack. Before I joined up here I was completely oblivious to this problem. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/39 "2008-08-06T20:36:46Z")
[QUOTE=Tijuana\_Golds] I think walking is better due to the amount of noise a truck would make. Also, there’s a good chance roads and streets would be littered with abandoned cars and other obstacles, the bicycle would also be very useful for carrying larger loads of gear or weaker individuals. [/QUOTE] I don’t see how that’s a problem. You can always drive on the shoulder or plow cars out of the way with a truck. The biggest problem I can think of is that if you are in open country between towns, you have no protection when you inevitably need to stop and rest. I mean you may need to travel hundreds of miles to get to safety. You can’t do that on foot or bike through zombie infested lands. Just make sure you gather fuel when you can. Don’t wait until the truck sputters to a stop in Zombietown until you look at the fuel gauge and stupidly say “looks like we’re out of gas!” Resident Evil Extinction, Dawn of the Dead and Land of the Dead all made effective use of A-team style fortified trucks. Just make sure you have a driver who doesn’t panic and drive like an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897/40 "2008-08-06T21:19:05Z")
I know people that have guns and I can use them, no crowbar or baseball bats for me. My favorite way of travelling would be my trusty ATV with a winch. Stable, can carry gear and go over or around most obsticles. F+ all the way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-survival-quiz/458897.md?page=3)