Survival of the Fittest

The Most Dangerous Game - Survival of the Fittest

The reality television series “Survivor” is popular because it has all of the elements of human conflict and drama. Contestants battle each other, nature and its forces, and themselves to survive in a primitive, isolated environment. The contestants are given limited supplies (usually, a machete, a pot, and a canteen), and they must build a shelter and forage for food. They are also given challenges that test their endurance, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and willpower. Because only a small number of people in a civilized society have had their survival skills tested, many are intrigued by the possibility of how they would cope with this situation. Thus, many people compete for the chance to be a contestant on the reality series. Although survival training is common in the military, most people would be unprepared for what they would encounter in an unknown wilderness situation. Let’s see how well your critical-thinking skills would play out in a similar situation.

To begin, form an alliance with one other person in your classroom. You and your partner will need to work through the following situation to prove to your teacher that the alliance of your minds is the strongest among all of the groups.

You and your partner are the lone survivors of a plane crash in the Amazon jungle. Knowing that it is nearly impossible to detect survivors from an air search, you and your partner realize that traveling through the jungle is your only choice.

Work with your partner to find logical solutions to these questions and type your answers in the text box below.. Be prepared to defend your decisions.

1. Search the crash site and find five items that you both believe will be useful to place in a portable survival kit. Choose wisely by considering the hostile environment around you. List the items and the reasons why you chose them.

2. Before you leave the crash site, decide how you and your partner plan to fulfill your basic needs: water, food, shelter, and fire. Consider your jungle environment before you determine solutions to these needs.