Would You Be the Leader in a Wolf Pack?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Would You Be the Leader in a Wolf Pack?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Wolves have a complex society. Like early human tribes, they have their leaders who earn their positions through action and social dominance. Like modern people, they have complex family organizations and unspoken ranks within their packs. Wolves are not dogs though, and their society isn't anything like the relationship between humans and dogs. Much of what scientists believed about wolves was actually based on dog behavior, which has diverged from that of wolves for ten thousand years.

Wolf packs usually comprise of a family of wolves, with the mother and father as the pack leaders. The pack leaders don't make all the decisions in the pack, but they can issue orders and veto decisions made by other members of the pack. They are both political leaders and field marshals, ordering and leading hunts, and deciding how to share the spoils of those hunts.

Being a wolf pack leader requires dominance, but also kindness, so the younger wolves don't try to take over. It takes endurance, experience, wisdom, and the ability to get the pack to work as a team, even when they are starving and the weather is unforgiving. Do you have what it takes? Could you assume the role of the Alpha and make sure your family survives in the wilderness? Take this quiz!

How much suffering can you endure?
More than most
A bit, but not at the hands of other people
Not very much
Not any
How sharp are you, even when you aren't comfortable?
As sharp as a tack
I'm pretty clever.
I'm more reactive than proactive.
I need to be comfortable to think.
Do you know how to survive in the wilderness without tools?
I'm an Outward Bound graduate.
A bit, but I would need at least a hatchet.
I'd need a Swiss Army knife and a lighter at least.
Nope, not even a bit.

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Can you build a shelter?
I don't even need tools for that.
I could do it, but I wouldn't do an amazing job.
Build? No. Find? Maybe.
No.
Can you remain sensitive to others' needs even when you are busy?
Always. Social connections are important.
I try, but I don't always succeed.
I'm very sensitive to what my peers are giving off.
No more than the next person.
Can you navigate without a compass or a map?
All I need is the stars.
If the sun is out, I can do it.
Not too well.
Not at all.

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How often do you need to ask for directions?
Need? Never, and I'm not just saying that.
I should probably ask more often than I do.
Occasionally.
All the time. I'm lost without Google Maps.
How well do you adapt to new environments?
Very well.
I prefer to stick to one environment, even if it isn't friendly.
Not too well.
Not well at all.
How ambitious are you?
I have towering ambition.
I'm not socially ambitious.
I am only ambitious about my career.
I have no ambition.

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Once you have achieved a goal, how long does your ambition stick around?
It never wanes.
It shifts a bit.
It slowly fades.
It's instantly gone.
How do you handle the cold?
I'm impervious to the cold.
I love a good chill.
I'd rather be somewhere temperate.
I'd rather be inside, with climate control.
Can you work in the terrible summer heat?
Yes, I don't mind sweating.
Give me the cold over the heat any day.
I'm usually okay in the heat, but it does slow me down a bit.
Give me air conditioning or give me death.

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Can you take charge of someone you love, even if they don't want you to tell them what to do?
I have no qualms about that.
I sometimes have trouble asserting myself like that.
Nope, I'm not a fan of confrontation.
I can barely take charge of myself.
Are you good at giving gifts?
I'm the master of gift giving.
I'm okay at gift giving.
I don't always give gifts that people feel are quite right.
I don't even give my mother a Christmas card.
How much does your family trust you?
Totally, 100%.
Mostly, but not on every issue.
They trust my first instincts.
Not all that much.

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How good a parent are you?
I'm the most loving, attentive parent there is.
I'm very affectionate.
I'm kind to my children, while they are children.
My children are still alive, so there's something.
Can you keep others' affairs in order as well as your own?
Like a boss, or a secretary.
Not that well.
Not at all.
I can do it reasonably well, if we all use Google Drive.
How aggressive are you with pursuing your goals?
I'm totally ruthless about my goals.
I try to be both aggressive and clever about them.
I'm shy.
I've been told I need to work on that.

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Are you an animal lover?
I love the way they taste.
I'm picky, only liking certain animals.
I'm afraid of animals.
I love all animals!
Are you squeamish?
Not even a little.
I can be a little squeamish.
I'm squeamish and skittish.
I hate the sight of blood!
Do you know how to dress a kill?
Like Bear Grylls crossed with Yves Saint Laurent.
I can skin them.
No, I'm a city person.
No, I'm a vegan.

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Do you know how to judge whether something in the wilderness is poisonous or not?
Yes. I don't want to suffer kidney failure.
I can recognize poisonous frogs.
I can recognize which mushrooms are poisonous.
No, I'd be out of luck there.
Do you like to live in close proximity to others?
I love having room mates.
Sometimes I like to be on my own.
I don't mind having family around, but I like to get away sometimes.
No, I have to have my own place, and I don't want anyone there.
Are you a light sleeper?
I sleep deeply.
I sleep hard.
As light as a feather.
I have insomnia.

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How's your killer instinct?
Hannibal Lecter would think it's excessive.
It's good, but it is tempered by playfulness.
Terrible
Nonexistent
Can you swim well?
Like a fish.
I take to it like a duck to water.
Not well, but I won't drown.
I don't even wade well.
How are you with strategy?
I strategize like Napoleon.
I'm good with short term planning.
I'm terrible with strategy.
I'm okay, but I need my planner.

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How protective are you of your people?
I'm very territorial.
I'm as protective as the next person.
I'll give them warning of things, but I won't stick my neck out.
I don't care what happens to them so long as I'm safe.
How much do you trust your spouse?
Completely
Mostly, but not on every issue.
I trust their instincts.
I don't trust anyone enough to marry them.
How territorial are you?
Step off, or I'll bite you.
I protect what's mine.
Not very. If you push, I'll move.
I'm too easygoing for that.

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