Station 9
Reasoning and explanation
CANDIDATE INFORMATION
You and 5 others have survived a plane crash in mid-January in the Arctic (unfortunately
none of the air crew survived and the plane is unserviceable for flight). You are at least 50
miles from any known civilian settlement, the sky is cloudy and you do not know which
direction is North. You and your fellow survivors have managed to salvage 12 items.
Choose which 6 items you think are the most valuable to survival and explain to the assessor
why you chose them.
A ball of steel wool
A compass
Cigarette lighter (without
fuel)
Family size chocolate bars
Extra shirt and trouser for
6m x 6m piece of canvass
(one per person)
each survivor
Newspapers (one per
A Sectional air map made of
Small axe
person)
plastic
Can of lard
Loaded .45 calibre pistol
One litre of 100 proof
whisky
Station 9
Reasoning and explanation
ASSESSOR INFORMATION / GUIDANCE
This station is designed to assess the candidates reasoning and explanation skills and in
reality there are answers that are more right although explanation as to choices if justified
can be accounted for in the scoring system.
You are basically exploring the candidate’s ability to reason and explain their choices. We
are looking for candidates who appear to have sound reasoning ability and an idea of how
to put forward their thoughts clearly.
They have been provided with a list from which they must make their choices. The list is
detailed for you as well as some background information and scoring method to assist you.
EXPLANATION
Mid-January is the coldest time of year in the Arctic. The first problem the
survivors face is the preservation of body heat and the protection against its loss. This
problem can be solved by building a fire, minimizing movement and exertion, using as much
insulation as possible, and constructing a shelter.
The survivors have just crash-landed. Many individuals tend to overlook the enormous
shock reaction this has on the human body and the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot increases
the shock. Decision-making under such circumstances is extremely difficult.
Such a situation requires a strong emphasis on the use of reasoning for making decisions
and for reducing fear and panic. Shock would be shown in the survivors by feelings of
helplessness, loneliness, hopelessness, and fear. These feelings have brought about more
fatalities than perhaps any other cause in survival situations. Certainly the state of shock
means the movement of the survivors should be at a minimum, and that an attempt to calm
them should be made.
Before taking off, a pilot has to file a flight plan which contains vital information such as the
course, speed, estimated time of arrival, type of aircraft, and number of passengers. Search-
and-rescue operations begin shortly after the failure of a plane to appear at its destination
at the estimated time of arrival. The 50 miles to the nearest town is a long walk under even
ideal conditions, particularly if one is not used to walking such distances. In this situation,
the walk is even more difficult due to shock, snow, dress, and water barriers. It would mean
almost certain death from freezing and exhaustion. At temperatures of minus 25 to minus
40, the loss of body heat through exertion is a very serious matter. Once the survivors have
found ways to keep warm, their next task is to attract the attention of search planes. Thus,
all the items the group has salvaged must be assessed for their value in signalling the
group’s whereabouts.
The ranking of the survivors’ items was made by Mark Wanvig, a former instructor in
survival training for the Reconnaissance School of the 101st Division of the U.S. Army.Mr.
Wanvig currently conducts wilderness survival training programs in the Minneapolis,
Minnesota area. This survival simulation game is used in military training classrooms.
Answer: RANKINGS
1. Cigarette lighter (without fluid). (4 points)
The gravest danger facing the group is exposure to cold. The greatest need is for a source of
warmth and the second greatest need is for signalling devices. This makes building a fire the
first order of business. Without matches, something is needed to produce sparks, and even
without fluid, a cigarette lighter can do that.
2. Ball of steel wool. (4 points)
To make a fire, the survivors need a means of catching he sparks made by the cigarette
lighter. This is the best substance for catching a spark and supporting a flame, even if the
steel wool is a little wet.
3. Extra shirt and trousers for each survivor. (3 points)
Besides adding warmth to the body, clothes can also be used for shelter, signalling,
bedding, bandages, string (when unravelled), and fuel for the fire.
4. Can of Lard. (3 points)
This has many uses. A mirror-like signalling device can be made from the lid. After
shining the lid with steel wool, it will reflect sunlight and generate 5 to 7 million
candlepower. This is bright enough to be seen beyond the horizon. While this could be
limited somewhat by the trees, a member of the group could climb a tree and use the
mirrored lid to signal search planes. If they had no other means of signalling than this, they
would have a better than 80% chance of being rescued within the first day.
There are other uses for this item. It can be rubbed on exposed skin for protection against
the cold. When melted into oil, the shortening is helpful as fuel. When soaked into a piece
of cloth, melted shortening will act like a candle. The empty can is useful in melting snow for
drinking water. It is much safer to drink warmed water than to eat snow, since warm water
will help retain body heat. Water is important because dehydration will affect decision-
making. The can is also useful as a cup.
5. 6m x 6m piece of canvas. (3 points)
The cold makes shelter necessary, and canvas would protect against wind and snow
(canvas is used in making tents). Spread on a frame made of trees, it could be used as a tent
or a wind screen. It might also be used as a ground cover to keep the survivors dry. Its
shape, when contrasted with the surrounding terrain, makes it a signalling device.
6. Small axe. (2 points)
Survivors need a constant supply of wood in order to maintain the fire. The axe could be
used for this as well as for clearing a sheltered campsite, cutting tree branches for ground
insulation, and constructing a frame for the canvas tent.
7. Family size chocolate bars (one per person). (2 points)
Chocolate will provide some food energy. Since it contains mostly carbohydrates, it
supplies the energy without making digestive demands on the body.
8. Newspapers (one per person). (2 points)
These are useful in starting a fire. They can also be used as insulation under clothing
when rolled up and placed around a person’s arms and legs. A newspaper can also be used
as a verbal signalling device when rolled up in a megaphone-shape. It could also provide
reading material for recreation.
9. Loaded .45-caliber pistol. (1 point)
The pistol provides a sound-signalling device. (The international distress signal is 3 shots
fired in rapid succession). There have been numerous cases of survivors going undetected
because they were too weak to make a loud enough noise to attract attention. The butt of
the pistol could be used as a hammer, and the powder from the shells will assist in fire
building. By placing a small bit of cloth in a cartridge emptied of its bullet, one can start a
fire by firing the gun at dry wood on the ground. The pistol also has some serious
disadvantages. Anger, frustration, impatience, irritability, and lapses of rationality may
increase as the group awaits rescue. The availability of a lethal weapon is a danger to the
group under these conditions. Although a pistol could be used in hunting, it would take an
expert marksman to kill an animal with it. Then the animal would have to be transported to
the crash site, which could prove difficult to impossible depending on its size.
10. Litre of 100 proof whisky. (1 point)
The only uses of whiskey are as an aid in fire building and as a fuel for a torch (made by
soaking a piece of clothing in the whiskey and attaching it to a tree branch). The empty
bottle could be used for storing water. The danger of whiskey is that someone might drink
it, thinking it would bring warmth. Alcohol takes on the temperature it is exposed to, and a
drink of minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit whiskey would freeze a person’s oesophagus and
stomach. Alcohol also dilates the blood vessels in the skin, resulting in chilled blood belong
carried back to the heart, resulting in a rapid loss of body heat. Thus, a drunken person is
more likely to get hypothermia than a sober person is.
11. Compass. (0 points)
Because a compass might encourage someone to try to walk to the nearest town, it is a
dangerous item. Its only redeeming feature is that it could be used as a reflector of sunlight
(due to its glass top).
12. Sectional air map made of plastic. (0 point)
This is also among the least desirable of the items because it will encourage individuals to
try to walk to the nearest town. It’s only useful feature is as a ground cover to keep
someone dry.
How to score:
Each individual should indicate their top 6 choices in order. Award points to their choices
based on the ranking scale given.
Score the applicant on the form