How Ready Are You for the Apocalypse?

By: Elisabeth Henderson
Estimated Completion Time
7 min
How Ready Are You for the Apocalypse?
Image: gremlin / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

What will cause the death knell of civilization? Will it be the wrath of God pouring down in fire and ash, or will it be an asteroid colliding with our planet haphazardly? The face of this planet has been drastically transformed before. The most accepted theory of dinosaur extinction holds that an asteroid collision likely caused the sudden death of all the non-bird dinosaurs and 75% of all animal life, according to the Natural History Museum. Could this happen again? 

It certainly could. But, there is not much that can be done to prepare for such an event, besides spiritual preparation. How certain are you that when your body returns to earth your soul will not be called to account to God? Some religious groups prepare for the coming apocalypse by trying to learn what is pleasing to God and repenting when they do not live up to the divine standards, holding up signs on street corners like, “Repent, the end is nigh!” When is the last time you were on your knees?

Of course, an asteroid collision is not the only apocalyptic contender. Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute put out a list of 12 possible scenarios for the apocalypse, in the hopes that naming these can help us prepare to survive as a global society. The list includes extreme climate change, nuclear war, global pandemic, ecological catastrophe, global system collapse, major asteroid impact, super volcano, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, unknown consequences and future bad governance. Oh, and also the four horsemen. OK, are you prepared for all of those possibilities? Stockpile your survival skills with these questions! 

In the event of a catastrophe, how long will your supplies last?
At least 3 months
1 month
The only supply I need is my Bible.
A week tops

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What is the most crucial step you can take to prepare for the apocalypse?
Arm yourself
Stockpile water
Repent
Enjoy life today

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What is the best defense against zombies?
An automatic weapon
A machete
Zombies aren’t real, but sin is.
Watching zombie movies

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How long can you survive without water?
3 days
A week
The only important water is the river of living water.
What about other beverages?

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What water do you have stored in the event of the collapse of our water system?
I have rooms full of water jugs as well as a water purification system.
I have three months of water stored in my basement.
I slake my thirst with God’s word.
I just have water on tap.

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How do you spiritually prepare for the apocalypse?
I meditate on whether I am spiritually ready to be completely alone in the world.
I have a pile of spiritual books in my basement that I could read if I were hunkered down.
I begin every day with prayer and confession and try to live in accordance with God’s laws.
I’ve read Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.”

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How do you build a fire?
I know a variety of methods, but my favorite is the bow drill.
I have hundreds of matchboxes stored.
You pray to the Holy Spirit.
With a lighter and some starter fluid

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What kind of clothing will you need for an apocalyptic event?
Long sleeves and pants, boots, goggles, riot shield
A variety of clothes for all weather
Just the shirt on my back
I guess I would want to look nice.

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In the event of a zombie apocalypse, what getaway vehicle would you choose?
An armored car, with plenty of gasoline stored
A van that could hold all my friends and supplies
The wings of angels
My car, I guess.

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What energy source do you have if the grid collapses?
My bunker is solar-powered and equipped with a large battery.
I have a propane generator and lots of propane stocked up.
I will draw energy from God above and from my fellow believers.
I think I have a flashlight in my desk.

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Do you have a bag packed in case you need to flee, and, if you do, what is in it?
Yes, it’s a large backpack with food for a week, water purifying tablets, first aid supplies, a multi-tool, a hatchet, a gun, a knife, a change of clothes and sunscreen.
I have a bag, and I have supplies, but I don’t have anything packed.
I always have my Bible and a bottle of water.
I always have my bag stocked with a granola bar in case I get hungry.

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What is your comfort level with guns?
I own an armory of guns, and I regularly practice shooting them and am prepared to shoot an enemy, even if I thought they were my friend.
I have a gun, and I have been to the range when I was younger.
My weapon is the sword of the spirit.
I’m not even comfortable with the idea of guns.

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Who will you be able to trust in the event of societal collapse?
No one
My family and best friends
The church
Whoever will help me

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What do you have in your first aid kit?
Bandages, gauze, wire for a splint, iodine, antibiotic ointment, ibuprofen, antiviral medicine, antihistamine, safety pin, knife
Bandaids and neosporin
I will care for the wounded with love.
I don’t have a first aid kit

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How would you use the restroom if there were no working restrooms?
I would dig a hole a good distance from wherever I’m staying.
I would use my waste disposal bags.
We don’t talk about that in public.
Um, what now?

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How will you communicate with your loved ones if you lose each other?
We have a plan to get back in contact through our two-way radio system.
I have materials to leave notes for people if I have to leave the house.
Through prayer
Through wishful thinking

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Where would you go if there were nuclear fallout?
Into my steel bunker under my home
Into my basement
Into my prayer closet
Into a fetal position

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How are you preparing for the global temperatures to increase drastically?
In addition to my solar powered A/C, I am training my body to withstand higher temperatures by using less air conditioning.
I have 10 battery-powered fans and lots of batteries.
It will be good practice for those who have to face hellfire.
I’m using more air conditioning

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If all the crops fail due to disease, how will you get food?
I have been cultivating a variety of crops and saving seeds.
I will draw from my stores of canned and dried food.
My food is to do the will of Him who sent me.
I guess I’ll see if anyone can share with me.

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What would you do if you saw a fiery ball of light crashing toward the planet?
Dive for my steel bunker
Close all the windows
Say my prayers
Hide

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What resources do you have for getting protein if there are no stores?
I am a skilled hunter with plenty of guns.
I have piles of beef jerky stored.
I will pray, and God will provide.
I will hope these beans last a while.

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If artificially intelligent robots were taking over the world, what would you do?
Gather my weapons, enter my fortress and wait
Hide and survive as long as I can
Pray for their souls
Freak out

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How much do you know about local plant life in your area?
I know which plants are edible, which are medicinal and which have other uses, and I know where to find them.
I think there are a few edible berries, but I’m not sure which ones they are.
I have a beautiful garden and am growing tomatoes.
I don’t know the names of any of the plants; they’re just plants.

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If your area were inundated with a flood, what would you do?
I have a boat, life jackets and waterproof bags to bring essentials with me.
I am a good swimmer.
I would pray that Lord will provide.
I would hope to get out before it comes

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What is one risk you would anticipate if nuclear war becomes a reality?
A cloud of soot could muffle the atmosphere and create a nuclear winter, in which crops would fail and we would starve.
Poisoning from radiation would spread far beyond the bomb sites, and the effects would be prolonged.
God’s wrath would be poured out in full.
We could be instantly incinerated.

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How will you help your children to mentally prepare for the apocalypse?
I will teach them the uncertainty of life by putting them in survival situations and training them to survive.
I will show them that we have to save enough food and water to live off of.
I will teach them to follow in God’s paths and that “no one knows the day or the hour” that the Lord will come again.
I won’t tell them anything about it so that they don’t get freaked out.

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If civilization collapses, what will your social strategy be?
Go into my bunker and defend it until I’m forced to leave
Welcome a group of trusted friends and family to share my stockpile and shelter
Gather with the servants of God to do God’s work
Join a roving gang and steal what others have saved

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What would you do if you realized your best friend or family member intended to steal the last of your fuel?
Do what I have to do to defend myself, even if it means harming them
Plead with them to share what we have
Pray that the Lord will bring them justice
Try to steal it back

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If the global economic system collapsed, what would your plan be?
To watch carefully where power is growing and move into the power center
To hope that wise people come into power and make decisions that will be good for the whole of society
To pray that God will send just rulers
To turn off the news—it’s too depressing.

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What is the greatest risk in the event of an asteroid colliding with the Earth?
The impact will create clouds of dust that will seal in the atmosphere and create a perpetual winter.
Being burned up in the explosion
Being called home before you are ready
Being smashed by a giant rock from space

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You Got: