The Ultimate First Aid Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
The Ultimate First Aid Quiz
Image: cookiecatagency/ThinkStock

About This Quiz

Quick -- do you know how to perform CPR? Help someone who has just fainted? Get an insect out of a kid's ear? No? Well, read on. When you're done with this quiz, you'll feel a lot more confident in emergency first-aid situations.
What's something helpful you can give to a person who might be having a heart attack?
an aspirin
a cup of coffee
a massage
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Potential heart attack victims can take aspirin to reduce blood clotting.

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What's the universal sign for choking?
mouth wide open, tongue out
index finger pointing into the mouth
both hands to the throat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Putting both hands on your throat isn't the only way to signal that you're choking, of course, but it's the best way to make sure you get speedy help.

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At what point is a fever considered dangerous in an adult?
100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius)
101 F (38.3 C)
103 F (39.4 C)
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You should seek medical help if you have a fever of 103 F or higher -- or if you've had a fever for more than three days.

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If you happen to lose a tooth and can't stick it back in the socket, you should immediately place it in _____.
warm water
milk
orange juice
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Milk will do the trick, as will saliva or a warm saltwater solution.

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What's the proper ratio of chest compressions to breaths in CPR?
10 to 1
15 to 2
30 to 2
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you're performing CPR, you do 30 chest compressions and two breaths.

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If chemicals have splashed into your eyes, for how long should you flush them with water?
one minute
20 minutes
one hour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You should rinse your eyes out for at least 20 minutes, either standing in the shower or with your head under a faucet.

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If you're with someone who needs CPR but you're not trained in it, what should you do?
elevate the person's head
chest compressions only
wait for trained help
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's better to do something than nothing at all in this situation. If you don't know CPR, you can try chest compressions -- about 100 a minute -- until help arrives.

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What are the ABCs of CPR?
airway, breathing, circulation
air, breaths, compressions
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Airway, breathing, circulation. The first step in CPR is checking the victim's airway. If not, you begin rescue breathing, and then chest compressions to restore circulation.

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Which type of painkiller will also reduce swelling?
ibuprofen
aspirin
naproxen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Taking ibuprofen will ease your pain and help stop swelling.

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If someone has fainted, should you raise his head or his feet above heart level?
head
feet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If the person is breathing, putting him on his back and raising his feet about a foot will help restore bloodflow to the brain.

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What's the 'five and five' method that the American Red Cross recommends for delivering first aid to a choking victim?
abdominal thrusts for five minutes, then five back blows
five back blows and five abdominal thrusts
five abdominal thrusts, wait five seconds, then five more
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 'five and five,' rescuers give five back blows followed by five abdominal thrusts (otherwise known as the Heimlich maneuver).

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If you're choking and you're all alone, what should you do?
stick your finger down your throat
throw yourself over a chair or into countertop
lie on your back and try to perform abdominal thrusts
any of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sounds scary, but you can perform the Heimlich on yourself. Make a fist and place it above your bellybutton, wrap your other hand around it, then use a chair or countertop to press your hands upward and inward.

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The bite of this spider produces a fluid-filled blister that then leaves a deep ulcer?
black widow
brown recluse
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The black widow and the brown recluse are both dangerous -- but it's the brown recluse bite that produces the blister and ulcer.

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What's NOT a good thing to put on sunburn?
aloe vera gel
petroleum jelly
moisturizing lotion
a damp towel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All of these are helpful except petroleum jelly, which will impede healing.

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If you suspect you have food poisoning, should you take anti-diarrheal medicine?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If diarrhea is caused by food-borne bacteria, taking Pepto Bismol or Imodium will just keep the bacteria from exiting your system.

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If your child has an insect stuck in his ear, you can pour warm ____ into the ear.
water
oil
tea
vinegar
all of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A slow stream of olive oil, mineral oil and baby oil could do the trick to float the insect out of the ear canal.

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You have hypothermia when your body temperature is below ____.
94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius)
95 F (35 C)
96 F (35.6 C)
97 F (36.1 C)
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When the core temperature of your major organs drops down to 95 degrees or lower, it is called hypothermia.

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What should you never do when caring for someone with hypothermia?
warm the victim's arms and legs
give the victim alcohol
put the victim under a heat lamp
all of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hypothermia victims should be warmed from the center of the body, and never with direct heat, like from a heat lamp. And, of course, you should always give them nonalcoholic drinks.

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If you've been bitten on the arm by a poisonous snake, should you raise your arm above your heart or lower it?
raise it
lower it
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Raising your arm would direct the venom to your heart, so you'd want to lower the arm and stay as still as possible.

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What's the phone number for the National Poison Control Center?
911
611
1-800-222-1222
1-800-234-5678
1-800-448-8888
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

1-800-222-1222 -- a fairly easy one to commit to memory.

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You Got:
/20
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