How Street Smart Are You?

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About This Quiz

Are you street smart or book smart? Find out with this exciting quiz! Street smarts test are crucial for navigating the urban jungle and living a functional life. From knowing when to stand up for yourself to having a backup plan in case of emergency, street smart individuals are always prepared for whatever comes their way.

This quiz will test your emotional and situational intelligence, as well as your ability to navigate tricky situations. Do you have what it takes to spot danger, make quick decisions, and always have a plan B? Or are you more comfortable with book smarts and theoretical knowledge? Take the quiz to find out where you stand in the realm of street smarts!

Don't get caught off guard in the city - test your street smarts now and see how you measure up! Whether you're a seasoned urban dweller or a newcomer to the concrete jungle, this quiz will challenge your instincts and preparedness. Get ready to discover just how street smart you really are!

Do you have headphones on at night?

Only if there are a lot of people around

Yes, but there is no music on in them.

Yes, they're noise-canceling too!

Do you always have enough cash on you to get home if you absolutely had to?

Obviously

Usually

What is "cash"?

If someone mugs you at knifepoint, what do you do?

Give them money, obviously. It's just money, not worth dying for.

Try to bargain with them

Run away!

Fight and win!

You think you are being followed. What's the best way to be sure?

Go into a store.

Stop and examine a window display.

Switch sides of the street a few times.

Turn round and bark at them. If they're following, I'll know. If they're not, now they know I'm crazy and they won't start!

On the subway, there is an open seat, but it's between two people manspreading into it. Can you get that seat?

Yes, I just say, "Excuse me" loudly as I sit.

I just sit there and take up space until they move.

I ask them nicely to move.

No. I'd be scared.

From how far away can you typically identify that a crazy person is crazy?

Over 100 yards. I just know.

As soon as I'm close enough to see their expression

I have a sense once they are nearby.

I don't think that's something you can know until they act nuts.

Problem solving what is the scariest time of day to be accosted in the street?

4 a.m.

Breakfast time

Midnight

Afternoon

A guy decides to hit on you in an enclosed space like a subway or bus. Hardly anyone else is around. How do you signal that you are not interested?

If he's creepy enough to do it in an enclosed space, I just smile and nod until I can switch cars. Plus, I lie about where my stop is.

I get a weapon into my hand,then say, "It's not OK to hit on men/women in enclosed spaces. You need to go away."

I say no thanks, very firmly.

II mention my boyfriend repeatedly, even if I don't have one.

Do you charge your phone every night?

Of course, and I carry a charger.

Yes

No, more like every few days

No, it dies all the time!

How often do you wear shoes that you couldn't sprint 100 yards in?

In the street? Never! What if there's a zombie apocalypse?

Rarely, and I have a change in my bag if necessary.

Only on workdays when I'm around a lot of people

All the time. Give me stilettos or give me death, man.

What sort of bag do you typically carry?

Theft-proof backpack with hidden zipper and reinforced seams

Shoulder bag, so it's where I can see it

Briefcase

Regular backpack

Where on your person is your phone?

In a zippered compartment in my backpack, or a zippered pocket on a piece of clothing

In an inside pocket

Front pocket

Back pocket or backpack outer pocket

What security do you have on all your devices?

PIN, GPS, remote erase app, case

PIN, "find my phone" type apps, case

Lock pattern, case

I don't even have a case.

In an Uber-free area, do you always know the name or number of a cab company?

Yes, I write it down in case my phone dies.

I usually have an idea.

No, but I should!

Who am I, the memory man?

A woman comes up to you and says she just needs $5 for the bus. What's her deal?

Scam artist, 100%. People in real trouble don't ask for $5, they ask you to call their mom, 911, for directions, or to sit with them.

She's likely a scammer and she's not getting my money. I will consider walking her to the bus stop if she's scared.

She's possibly a scammer, but I'll consider Venmoing her if she can show me a LinkedIn profile that proves who she is.

That poor lady! Here's $10!

A very nice man in a suit would like to give you a free piece of literature. What does he want?

To make me join a cult or donate money

To make me sign a petition

To get into my pants, by a circuitous route

To give me something nice to read. What a nice man!

You see someone start to cross the street without noticing a bus coming. What do you do?

Yank them back if I have to. That's the only time you can touch someone.

Touch their arm

Yell out

Fret a lot

Someone has fainted! What's going to happen now?

I'm going to check they're breathing and call for help.

I'm dialing 911.

Honestly? I'm probably going to stand around like an idiot. Sigh.

I'm going to film it. Screw privacy rights and dignity! I want those clicks!

You are walking home when a fight spills out of a pub. Do you engage?

No, I just keep walking.

I stop and check there are no guns involved.

I run past in terror.

I stop and film it.

You are offered a free hotel room overseas with a friend. What is the first step to prepare?

Check my passport is in date, then make sure I have a photocopy stored where a friend/family can get it if I lose mine

Check whether my phone and cards will work in the place they've invited me, and if not, address the issue

Look at flights. The price will only get worse if I don't.

Tweet about it! Tell everyone the exact dates that my home will be unoccupied! Then buy stuff!

In a foreign country, someone sliced open your bag and took your phone and wallet. What's your next step?

Use my real phone and wallet, since they took my backups. I don't go around foreign countries with my actual valuables on me.

Use my backup phone and wallet, as they took my better ones.

Use my other card that I locked in the safe in my hotel room. Buy a throwaway phone.

I have absolutely no idea. I'm screwed.

In a bar, you just got a new drink but need to go to the bathroom. What will you do?

Drink it, then go. I can hold it.

Ask a friend to guard it, then go.

Ask the bartender to guard it, then go.

When you gotta go, you gotta go. Nobody's gonna take my drink.

You need to get cash. What's a step you'll never miss in making sure you do so safely?

Check the area for suspicious characters. Ensure my wallet is ready to put the cash away quickly.

Check nobody is looking over my shoulder.

Cover the PIN pad with my other hand.

Ask everyone to step back, I'm getting cash!

You need emergency services while in Europe. What do you dial?

112

999

911

No idea! Do they even have real police? They don't even carry guns!

You are on line at the DMV when a person screams at you that you cut them in line. You didn't. What happens next?

Put on headphones and set brain to "ignore wacko" mode

If they keep it up, let them go ahead. It's not worth it.

Shouting match time!

Run away

Have you ever gone abroad on your own?

Yes, many times

Yes, once

Yes, but only to meet someone who was going to show me around

Of course not. I'd die.

A person is walking their unbelievably adorable dog. How will you arrange things so that you get to pet it?

I ask the owner. It's only polite - and it makes sure the dog is friendly.

I drift into its path then say hello. If the dog is friendly, proceed with petting.

I touch the dog. If I still have fingers afterward, petting is on!

I veer across the street toward them screaming, "Lovely doggie come to mama/papa!"

If your local subway or bus is shut down, do you know an alternate route to get home WITHOUT checking?

Yes, many

Yes, one or two

I have an idea.

Not without a car, no

A heatwave has descended! What do you have with you at all times?

Water

Sunscreen

Hat

Emergency beachwear, in case of unexpected partying

Which of the following quotes rings truest for you?

He who fights and runs away has wasted good running time with all that fighting. - Mahatma Gandhi

It's better to look poor and be safe, than look rich and be a victim. - Anthony Liccione

I was street smart, but unfortunately the street was Rodeo Drive. - Carrie Fisher

At the very least, we need a sort of street-smart science: the ability to recognize evidence, gather it, assess it, act on it. - Judith Stone