Could You Have Survived the Black Plague?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
6 min
Could You Have Survived the Black Plague?
Image: ManuelVelasco / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Most guesses place the death toll of the Black Plague at somewhere between 75 million and 200 million back in the mid-1300s. If you think that's a lot now, imagine what it would have been like back then when the world population was estimated to be somewhere around 440 million in total. A plague nearly wiped out half the world. That's Thanos-level stuff and it was 100% real. It must have been absolutely terrifying. Luckily it didn't manage to wipe out the human race and those that survived were actually stronger as a result. And nowadays we have all kinds of medicine, including those extremely helpful and lifesaving antibiotics, to help keep us safe from these sorts of diseases. And it's important we do because people literally get the plague still. Not a lot, and if it's caught in time it can be cured, but it still happens. 

So how do you think you would have handled things back in the day? If you were around as the Plague swept across Europe, would you have been OK or would that have been the end of the line for you? There are a lot of factors that could have made it go one way or the other. Why not take this quiz and find out just how lucky you would have been?

When's the last time you saw a mouse or a rat roaming around your house?
I think they live in the walls
Not in a long time
Never
I don't think I ever have
A good way to avoid sickness is to avoid the sick. How many people do you live with anyway?
I have a crowded house
There are a few of us here
I'm flying solo
Just one person!
Hygiene is important, you know. Be honest - do you wash your hands with soap and water every time or do you just go for the quick rinse?
Eh, sometimes I don't even rinse
I'm a rinser
Soap and hot water, every single time
I'll use soap when I can see my hands are dirty

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Speaking of washing your hands, how often do you do it anyway?
When they're dirty
Whenever
Before I eat anything and when I use the bathroom
After I go to the bathroom
When's the last time you took a bite of food someone else had already bitten?
Is that not a good thing?
I mean...I share food sometimes
Eew, never
I can't recall
If you're thirsty and your friend has an open bottle of water, are you going to take a drink?
Of course!
Yeah, probably
I can get my own drink. No offense
Depends on the friend

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If you found out the plague was being spread by one super-evil llama, would you fight that llama?
I'm totally fighting that llama
I could probably beat up a llama
But then wouldn't I get the plague? I'm not doing that
I mean...couldn't someone else do it?
Your sheets are supposed to be washed every 2 weeks. How often are you doing yours?
Oh man, every 2 weeks? That seems like a lot
Like...every month or two?
Every two weeks at least
I sort of have no idea
Fleas on rats helped to spread the plague around. Anyway, how many furry pets do you have?
Several
I have one
Nothing furry up in here
I don't have a furry pet, but I do have a pet

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Are you currently living in the country or the city?
A decent sized city
A very big city
I live in the middle of nowhere
A small town
Say the news starts telling you that there's a massive disease outbreak in town but it's isolated to one area right now. What do you do?
Someone will fix it, no worries
Avoid that area, I guess
I am leaving as soon as possible
Try to stay indoors
Your friends invite you to head to this massive bridge nearby for some bungee jumping one weekend. Are you in?
Heck yeah!
That sounds insane but sure.
Oh heck no.
I might go to watch, but I don't know if I'd jump

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If you were renovating your house and discovered a secret room in the basement you never knew existed, what would you do?
I'm live streaming as I go in
I'm getting a friend to go in first
Yeah, no. That's not happening
I guess I'll get some help and some lights and then go investigate
Is jogging part of your workout routine?
Yup!
Sometimes
Nope
Not often
How many people would you say you come within two feet of in an average day?
Probably over 100
Dozens
Barely any if I don't want to
That really depends on the day

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If you're looking for something fun to do for a long weekend, how likely are you to go camping?
I love camping!
I might do that once or twice a year
I hate camping
I guess it's possible
How much time do you have to spend outdoors in the average week?
I'm always outside
I spend a lot of time outside
Have to? None
I dunno...a few hours at least
Look out the back window. What's in your yard?
It looks like a bit of a mess
Not much, just the usual yard stuff
Nothing
I don't have a yard

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Let's get serious for a minute - if someone you loved fell ill, would you still try to take care of them?
You better believe it
Probably
I can't care for anyone if I get sick too
Until I could get them help, of course
The area you're in is fully in the middle of an outbreak now. What will you do?
Whatever the news says
I guess I'm staying home
If I'm not quarantined, I'm heading as far away as I can get
I guess it depends on what my options are
If you heard a plague outbreak was happening, what's the first thing you'd do in your home?
Panic a little
Call my friends and freak out
Check the house thoroughly for any signs of rodents and disinfect everything
Is there something I need to do? I'm Googling it and doing it

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Someone in your house is showing signs of infection. What do you do with them?
Will those face masks help?
I'm driving them to the hospital asap
They need to be isolated right away in another building or on a different floor until help arrives
Shun them!
If the plague is airborne, how far away from another person do you want to be at all times, just to be safe?
I guess I shouldn't be touching anyone
Arm's length
Honestly? I don't want to even see another person
The CDC says three feet, so I say 4 feet
What kind of place is most likely to be hit by the plague?
Um...anywhere?
Big cities
Crowded rural areas
Places with bad sanitation

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Are you the kind of person who hugs people hello?
You know it!
Well, some people
Blech, no
Not really
So are you a pretty healthy person right now or not?
Erm... not really
I could take better care of myself
I'm in great health
I'm mostly good, I think
How often do you get sick with things like a cold or the flu in an average year?
I feel like I'm always sick with something
I guess a couple of times a year
I'm almost never sick
Not very often, really

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They didn't have cars or even the same understanding of sanitation that we have back in the 1300s. How would you have handled an outbreak in those conditions?
I probably would have had no idea what to do
Yeah, I got nothing
Running away was fashionable at any time
Lots of prayers, I guess
Are you safer in your house or outside?
I have no idea
Aren't they mostly the same when a disease strikes?
The fleas are outside, so...
Depends on what part of an outbreak we're talking about
What kind of emergency supplies do you think you'd need to have on hand?
I need supplies? Dude...
I guess food?
Bottled water, canned food, gloves, antibacterial soap, that kind of thing
Same stuff you need for a zombie outbreak

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You Got: