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About This Quiz
Being a cowboy in any age is a difficult job. It's not well paid. Cowboys are cut off from civilization for long periods. It is tough on the body and requires finely honed skills that the cowboy in question needs to be able to employ at a moment's notice. The cowboy life is about caring for animals, taking care of ranch infrastructure and maintaining both body and equipment in a state of readiness so that should a cow stray from the herd, it is brought back to the fold.
There are fewer stories of gun-slinging cowboys now, but vigilance for thieves maintains one of the cowboy's most important jobs. In the Old West, there was no FBI, and even finding a sheriff or a US Marshal could be a difficult task. Everyone had to look out for themselves against threats from both nature and from man. For those who needed to disappear into the frontier, had just come to America from another country or just for those who craved a life of adventure, the life of a cowboy in the Old West was alluring. In a world where moving from state to state meant the possibility of total self-reinvention, the cowboy life held a special appeal. Tell us how you would manage it, and we'll give you an Old West handle.
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First and foremost, you have to gear up for your long ride. What kind of horse you want to take a gander at for your new job?
American Paint Horse
American Standardbred Horse
Morgan Horse
American Quarter Horse
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Protection from the elements is important on the range. What kind of top layer will you wear?
A woven poncho
A brown duster
A shotgun coat
A tailcoat
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You'll need some entertainment when you make camp with your crew. What musical instrument do you pack?
A harmonica
A mouth harp
A guitar
A drum set
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Cowboys sometimes employ dogs to help with herding livestock. What kind would you have on hand?
Australian cattle dog
Border collie
Belgian Malinois
Golden retriever
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Perhaps most personally, what kind of hat will you wear while working?
A brown brick
A black gambler
A gray cattleman
A white open crown
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Having a dangerous job means confronting threats. What kind of pistol do slap in your holster for the job?
S&W .44-caliber Schofield revolver
Colt .45-caliber single-action Army revolver
Colt Model 1877 .41-caliber double-action revolver
Colt .32-30-caliber single-action Army revolver
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Some shots need to be further away than 20 paces. What kind of long gun do you hang from your saddle?
Winchester Model 1873
1873 Springfield Trapdoor
Sharps rifle
Holland and Holland over-under
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Some cattle escaped their pen and have wandered toward a nearby pass. What should you do?
Tell someone else to get them while I figure out how they escaped and stop it from repeating.
Tell someone else to figure out how they escaped, and go after them with my trusty dog.
Immediately head after them! I know where they'll be!
Ask one of the more experienced hands to get the cows while I find someone in town to fix the fence or whatever they broke through.
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You've been sent into town to pick up some supplies, but you'll have a whole extra day there. What would you plan to do with the spare time?
I'd listen for useful gossip about local goings-on.
I'd visit a barber.
I'd have my gear maintained by a professional.
I'd ask if there was any work in town.
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You've been offered a bribe to let someone steal some of your boss's cattle. What do you do about it?
Tell the offerer that I'm not interested, but try not to look intimidated.
Tell the offerer that there's no way any one cowboy at the ranch could help, so don't bother asking.
I'd tell him I have six reasons not to accept right here in my holster.
I'd arrange for payment and hope we get away with it!
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A cowboy from another ranch has just cheated in a game of faro you're playing at a saloon casino. What do you do?
Figure out how he's cheating so I can sabotage that next time.
Say something that tells him that I know he cheated, but don't tell anyone else.
Challenge him to a duel!
Tell the dealer!
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While in town, a mysterious stranger offers to sell you a treasure map. The ball's in your court. What do you do?
Laugh. What, was I born yesterday?
I've no interest in fool's gold.
I'd tell him to stick his hands in the air and just take the map.
I'd pay for the map, insisting he show me where to go.
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You've heard stories about one of the local gangs hanging out at the inn on the outskirts of town, with their latest score. What do you plan to do?
Tell the sheriff and get a posse together before they turn their gaze on the ranch!
Go to the saloon and assemble a posse without the help of the law.
Go down there myself and skin my smoke wagons.
Get the heck out of town.
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Another cowboy wakes you up in the middle of the night. There's a fire in the barn! What in tarnation do you do?
Ask to be shown the smoke
Wake up everyone so we can fight the fire
Jump out of bed and find a bucket of water
Take my own advice: "Run for your lives!"
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What time of year would you put the bulls in with the cows of your herd?
Summer, so the cows give birth in spring.
Autumn, so the cows give birth in summer.
Winter, so the cows give birth in summer.
Spring, so the cows give birth in winter.
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There's a rumor going around about cattle getting sick in the territory. What do you plan to do about it?
Keep our cattle in the pasture and bring feed to them rather than driving them.
Maintain all the fencing so no sick cows wander into the ranch.
Find all the local cattle that are sick and put them down.
Call a vet! Obviously!
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You see one of the other ranch hands stealing from the strongbox. What's the plan, partner?
Pretend I didn't notice, but keep track of where they stash the score.
I'd loudly confront him, red-handed.
I'd draw and have him return the loot and order him to leave.
I'd hide and say nothing. He looks dangerous!
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Your plan backfired and now everyone thinks you stole from the boss! What's the first thing you do?
Voice my innocence and accuse the real thief.
Ask the real thief why they did this.
Dispatch the real thief and make a break for it.
I surrender!
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Pursued to the edge of the property by the other cowboys, you're on your own. What are your next steps?
Find a shortcut to town.
Hit the road and get to town.
Continue west until I reach the sea.
Beg passers-by for help.
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Back in town, the mysterious stranger knows what happened to you, and promises to clear your name for a price ... Do you agree to it?
Yes, but I'll drive a hard bargain.
I'd ask why he wants to make a deal when he could turn me in.
He knows! Dueling time!
Pay whatever he asks!
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The ranch thief tells the sheriff that you're a thief and a liar, and says you stole even more than you were accused of before. Can ya'll handle this?
Heck no, but confronting him now will only get me arrested.
No way! I'll confront them in front of the sheriff and give the sheriff my piece so they know I mean it.
Take them both on, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" style.
Go to the sheriff after, tell them the truth and beg for help.
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There's a shootout at the inn where you're staying, but no witnesses and you're the only person with a piece. Do you surrender?
No! I'd jump out a window onto my horse and escape!
No. I'd start a fire to cover my escape out the back.
I'd go down in a blaze of glory! I am a legend!
Yes, of course! Twelve to one are terrible odds!
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Running to the border, you have several options in terms of routes. Which do you take?
South, down Mexico way
West, to 'frisco
East, to The Big Apple
North, to Canada
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Starving and crossing the wastes on your own, you see what look like animal tracks. What's your plan?
Ready my rifle. It could be anything.
Ready my rifle, it could be a cougar.
Ready my rifle. It could be dinner.
Ready my rifle. I've never used it before!
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Wretched and friendless, you stumble into a ranch that could use your services for a few days. Do you take them up on it?
Yeah. I need the work.
Yes. I need time to plan my next move.
No, I'm just passing through.
No, I don't trust them.
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An oil baron's thugs show up to convince your new boss to sell his land for a pittance. What do you do?
Ambush them!
Pick them off from a distance!
Challenge all six to a duel!
Hide!
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The oil baron finds out who you are and tells the US marshal where to find you. The rancher wants to hide you to repay you for defending the ranch. What choice do you make?
I can't drag them into this. I'll ask them to tell the marshals to go the opposite way I'm going.
They seem like nice folks, but I need to run, and rob them to make it look like they didn't help me.
Wait for the marshals, locked and loaded.
Hide! Of course hide!
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Forced to sell your bullets, horse and provisions for a train ticket, to where do you go?
Wherever the first train is going
Back east
Up to Chicago
To California
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You overheard someone say where the strongbox is located on the train. Masked bandits board the train to rob it, but they don't know where the strongbox is. If they see your pistol, they'll turn on you. What do you do?
Get the drop on the leader with my empty piece and tell them that if they let me in, I'll show them.
Tell them where to look so I can dispose of the piece.
Threaten them with the piece, even though it's harmless.
Slip the piece into the pocket of the person next to me, so I'm not the one in trouble.
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The train stops in a vast, flat plain. Inside are the bandits, who are after you, and outside is a posse of marshals who are out for you. What's the plan?
Yell to the marshals as though I'm with the gang, so they invade the train.
Yell to the bandits as though I'm with the marshals, so they fight the marshals.
Take on everyone!
Find a steamer trunk big enough to hide in.
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