Are You Brave Enough to Be in the Army?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Are You Brave Enough to Be in the Army?
Image: DanielBendjy / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Being a patriot is not the same as being a soldier. Some patriots have done more for the United States than the whole of the U.S. military. All soldiers are patriots, but not all patriots are soldiers. To be a soldier, and especially to be a soldier in the U.S. Army, one needs a symphony of qualities just to be eligible for enlistment. There is a physical, of course, and there are tests of mental health, but the quality that must be present to make it through the trials of basic training, and to succeed in some of the more difficult jobs in the army is bravery.

Basic training isn't just about potential soldiers learning things. It is about the army learning about its recruits. Basic training is meant to show the stress fractures in personalities, so they can be addressed before men and women are put in harm's way, and the stakes go up. If you are going to break down in tears it is better to you do that in upstate New York than in the mountains of Afghanistan with a dozen fellow soldiers counting on you keeping it together.

The army will build up its recruits, but before that, they have to test your innate bravery. Do you have what it takes?

How do you feel about spiders?
Yikes!
Not wonderful, but fine I guess.
No problem. Are we talking giant spiders or the normal kind?
It depends on the spider.
Would you sell out a friend if you were threatened with a broken finger?
Yes. I need my fingers.
How close a friend are we talking about?
No.
Which finger?
What happens to you at the sight of blood?
I start vomiting uncontrollably.
I feel a little fear.
Nothing
I reach for a band aid.

Advertisement

What do you do when someone you're working with comes into work while under the weather?
I hide under my desk.
Tell them to go home. They're going to get everyone sick.
Tell them to suck down some bone broth.
Get them to medical treatment.
How do you clear your gutters?
I don't! It's scary at the top of a ladder!
I'd build a scaffolding.
Who needs a ladder? Just get up there.
I hire a specialist.
When did you learn to swim?
I didn't. Oops!
When I was 2.
When I was 6.
When I was 8.

Advertisement

How many bones did you break before you were 15?
0
1
3
2
What do you use for transportation?
My rollerblades
My Honda Civic
My motorcycle
An SUV
What did you do in the summer, when you were growing up?
I went to magic camp!
I went on sailing trips.
I went to camp for martial arts.
Outward Bound

Advertisement

What scared you the most, in middle school?
Everything!
Field day
The opposite sex
Finals
Which of these movie villains gave you nightmares?
All of them!
Freddy
The alien
The Predator
Would you sell out a family member if you were threatened with being badly burned?
Yikes! No! I hate being burned! It hurts!
Hmmm... does cousin Bob count?
No.
How bad a burn are we talking about?

Advertisement

Do needles freak you out?
I pass out at the sight of them.
I can't watch!
They're fine. What's the big deal?
Depends on the needle.
Would you sell out your morals for a huge pile of money?
Sure! I mean, if I don't do it, someone else will!
Which morals?
I'd rather die.
I'd rather lose everything.
How do you get around dogs?
I have a total phobia of dogs.
They're okay I guess.
I love dogs! I love their little faces!
They're fine, if they're trained.

Advertisement

Do you travel well?
No, I get jet lag from walking.
So long as the journey is slow.
Yes. Anywhere, any time.
Generally
Have you ever acted in a play?
No! Stage fright.
Once, in a nativity scene
Once, in junior high school
I starred in my high school production of Hamlet.
Do you feel okay about learning new languages?
Oh no. I'm worried about making mistakes and looking foolish!
I can try, I guess.
I'll learn them. I won't necessarily speak them well, but I'll learn them.
I'll study and speak them like a native.

Advertisement

Would you touch a substance if you don't know what it is?
I don't touch a lot of substances when I know what they are!
I'd smell it first.
I'd touch it with a stick.
I'd have someone else touch it with a stick.
What do you do when you jam your finger, like when you're playing basketball?
Scream, cry, fall on the floor
Ice it
Put a splint on it
Stop playing basketball!
Would you sell out your country, so as not to be painfully murdered?
Yes. I don't want to be painfully murdered! Is that so wrong?
Spit me up on a pike.
Shoot me in the head.
Drown me in acid.

Advertisement

How do you function when your feet are badly blistered?
I have to crawl.
I need a minute to pop the blisters.
Fine. I'll be in pain, but I'll be fine.
I might walk a little funny.
Have you ever given a speech to a crowd?
No. That's really scary!
Only to my family
Once, at a small wedding
Sure, plenty of times
Have you ever performed in a recital?
No, I can't learn something as complex as an instrument! What if I fail?
I did, with my recorder. I was 6.
I played in a garage band.
I sang in the choir.

Advertisement

Have you ever applied for a long shot opportunity you'd really enjoy, like a dream college?
No! What if I missed it?
A couple times
Many times
Yes, but there weren't a lot of long shot colleges.
Have you ever moved to a new town of your own volition?
No! I wouldn't know anyone!
Once, for school
Sure, plenty of times
A couple times, for my career
How did you arrive at your current career plan?
I just did what my parents told me.
I followed my heart.
I did what frightened me.
I followed my dreams.

Advertisement

What was the length of your longest relationship?
A few months. I worry about being trapped!
A few months. I ended up striking out.
Years. We parted as friends in the end. Circumstances.
I've been with the same person since high school.
Why do most of your relationships end?
I don't want to get stuck in a relationship, so I dump, or I am afraid of being alone, so I cling so tightly I get dumped!
Someone has to move.
We realize we aren't right for each other.
We grow apart.
Do you actually want to join the army or are you just curious?
I took this on a dare.
I dunno. Considering it.
I'm standing on line in the recruitment center right now!
I'm very curious.

Advertisement

You Got: