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The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks
The Worst-Case Scenario Book of Survival Questions
The authors of the phenomenally best-selling Worst-Case Scenario Survival series have taught millions to prepare for the worstbut how can readers be sure they're really ready? The Worst-Case Scenario Book of Survival Questions collects hundreds of survival dilemmas and questions designed to test true survival skill and daring. Fifty percent longer than the handbooks, this challenging, interactive, and informative book is packed with survival trivia, expert tips, adventurous situations, and illustrations. Your car is careening toward a 20-foot drop into a do you leap from the car immediately, or wait to swim free once it begins to sink? Is it worse to be lost in the jungle during the day or in the desert at night? If you had to perform an emergency tracheotomy, where would you make the incision? In hundreds of multiple-choice quizzes, story problems, and questions, The Worst-Case Scenario Book of Survival Questions provides need-to-know answers to life's unexpected turns for the worst. Also included is a Worst-Case Scenario Aptitude Test (WCSAT), which can be scored at home to ensure optimum readiness. Don't wait until it's too late!
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2005
1 person is currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Piven
88 books24 followersJosh Piven is a television writer and producer, speechwriter, playwright, and the author or co-author of more than twenty non-fiction and humor books, including the worldwide best-selling The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series.
He wrote the teleplay and serves as producer of Don The Beekeeper, a half-hour children’s TV show about honeybees and urban beekeeping. His most recent stage play, a holiday farce called No Reservations, had its world premiere in November-December, 2013, to great success and critical acclaim. More information. His next play is Muddled.
Josh likes to refer to himself in the third person.
Piven is perhaps best known for his famously tongue-in-cheek worst-case books, books that offer readers real-world (though often hilarious) advice on surviving worst-case situations that they might—but hopefully won’t—encounter: everything from “how to fend off a shark” and “how to wrestle an alligator” to “how to avoid the Freshman 15” and “how to determine if your date is an axe murderer.”
Piven is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania—and living proof that English majors aren't necessarily failures.
He wrote the teleplay and serves as producer of Don The Beekeeper, a half-hour children’s TV show about honeybees and urban beekeeping. His most recent stage play, a holiday farce called No Reservations, had its world premiere in November-December, 2013, to great success and critical acclaim. More information. His next play is Muddled.
Josh likes to refer to himself in the third person.
Piven is perhaps best known for his famously tongue-in-cheek worst-case books, books that offer readers real-world (though often hilarious) advice on surviving worst-case situations that they might—but hopefully won’t—encounter: everything from “how to fend off a shark” and “how to wrestle an alligator” to “how to avoid the Freshman 15” and “how to determine if your date is an axe murderer.”
Piven is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania—and living proof that English majors aren't necessarily failures.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 26, 2019
Intéressant, bourré d'informations parfois anecdotiques, parfois essentielles, souvent très utiles, le format rend malheureusement ce livre très peu pratique. Il aurait fallu un index en fin de livre pour que les informations soient consultables/trouvables plus facilement en cas de nouvelle lecture ou si l'on veut en trouver rapidement une information.
March 6, 2018
Interesting read, though not all that useful for me since most of the scenarios are "while on a canoe trip on the Amazon" or "on your ice-climbing trip in the Andes" or "while driving across the Kalahari on an archeological dig"...
July 11, 2024
This book is slightly different from the others in the series, but it's a really nice read. Often gives laughs just like the others.
October 3, 2014
This book won't keep you amused for too many hours, but it's a pretty good read while it lasts. It is a light-hearted guide to various dangerous situations that might one day come in useful is you're unlucky enough to be faced by one of these problems. It shouldn't be interpreted as a serious factual book, but its advice is based on information supplied by experts, and is factually correct (as far as anything is). The situations covered include natural disasters, dangerous animal attacks, accidents and confrontations with humans.
The book is essentially made up of several types of items, each lasting one or two pages:
1) "Worst case dilemma". These are essentially choices between two options in a given situation. The situation and the two options are briefly described (with pros and cons) but there is no right answer, and it's up to the reader to think about it.
2) Dangerous situation questions. A particular situation is described and a multiple choice question is posed. In this case an answer provided by a subject expert is given and explained. None of these are particularly detailed, but it might give you a head start if any of these things were really to happen to you.
3) "Which is your worst case?". This is similar to the worst case dilemma, but the reader is asked to choose between two bad situations, rather than between two options when faced with a particular bad situation. Again, no right or wrong answer is given.
4) "10 things you should know about...". A quick summary of facts about a particular dangerous animal or situation.
5) "What's wrong with this picture?" Pretty much what it sounds like.
6) "What's the worst it could be?" Hints about what to look out for, when a fairly minor issue might turn out to be much more serious. Usually, three possible causes for a trivial-seeming issue are given.
At the end of the book, all of the knowledge is brought together in a 50 question long multiple choice quiz.
All in all, this is a fun book with a serious underlying theme. It's unlikely that any of this information will ever be useful to you, but it's a much more interesting and quick way to learn this stuff without wading through tedious textbooks. This book would also make a great present.
The book is essentially made up of several types of items, each lasting one or two pages:
1) "Worst case dilemma". These are essentially choices between two options in a given situation. The situation and the two options are briefly described (with pros and cons) but there is no right answer, and it's up to the reader to think about it.
2) Dangerous situation questions. A particular situation is described and a multiple choice question is posed. In this case an answer provided by a subject expert is given and explained. None of these are particularly detailed, but it might give you a head start if any of these things were really to happen to you.
3) "Which is your worst case?". This is similar to the worst case dilemma, but the reader is asked to choose between two bad situations, rather than between two options when faced with a particular bad situation. Again, no right or wrong answer is given.
4) "10 things you should know about...". A quick summary of facts about a particular dangerous animal or situation.
5) "What's wrong with this picture?" Pretty much what it sounds like.
6) "What's the worst it could be?" Hints about what to look out for, when a fairly minor issue might turn out to be much more serious. Usually, three possible causes for a trivial-seeming issue are given.
At the end of the book, all of the knowledge is brought together in a 50 question long multiple choice quiz.
All in all, this is a fun book with a serious underlying theme. It's unlikely that any of this information will ever be useful to you, but it's a much more interesting and quick way to learn this stuff without wading through tedious textbooks. This book would also make a great present.
December 9, 2015
I am a HUGE fan of Bear Grylls' "Worst-Case Scenario" show. In fact, when I first found it, I watched all the episodes if the first two seasons in a week. The show is based off the Worst-Case Scenario books. This book features survival questions and scenarios that you must decide how you will react, and what your decision would be. There are multiple types of questions. Some are multiple choice, while others are just to test your ability to think outside the box, and whether or not you can survive a worst-case scenario. At the end of the book is an aptitude test to see how much you really know. I took it and ranked at the top of the four. My score was 45/50 and I am considered a Master (according to the book). Yeah, and I am feeling pretty awesome about that.
Some of the questions aren't survival related necessarily, so you will have to guess like I did (which may be why I got five wrong) when taking the test, but overall it is a very good book that I would recommend, especially to those who love survival books. There is tons of information packed into this little book.
Some of the questions aren't survival related necessarily, so you will have to guess like I did (which may be why I got five wrong) when taking the test, but overall it is a very good book that I would recommend, especially to those who love survival books. There is tons of information packed into this little book.
December 26, 2011
This book helps you know if you can survive a variety of disasters.
It includes disaster scenarios ending in multiple choice options the reader can choose from. Turn the page and find out what's the best answer and why. Some scenarios have no best option, so the reader is given two choices and told the pros and cons of each. The book ends with the "Worst-Case Scenario Survival Aptitude Test." I gave this test to friends and found that a lot of the questions are not in the pages of the book, making it kind of unfair.
Another cool book in the Worst-Case Scenario series.
It includes disaster scenarios ending in multiple choice options the reader can choose from. Turn the page and find out what's the best answer and why. Some scenarios have no best option, so the reader is given two choices and told the pros and cons of each. The book ends with the "Worst-Case Scenario Survival Aptitude Test." I gave this test to friends and found that a lot of the questions are not in the pages of the book, making it kind of unfair.
Another cool book in the Worst-Case Scenario series.
March 3, 2008
this is a surprisingly good book to read right before bed. it gets me to stop thinking about me and my ordinary life and instead put myself in terrible, life-threatening scenarios and decide what i should do to save myself. seriously, it helps put things in perspective and helps me get a good night of sleep.
April 16, 2012
On multiple occasions the information they give out as "survival" information is just plain wrong. Several other times their information was contradictory to itself. This book is more likely to get you killed than to save you.
June 20, 2010
I was funny as hell. Great to read to guests when over, like a game - but without all the setup.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews