Who Should Survive?

 

 

 

 

 

The following exercise was taken from somewhere on the web, I'm sorry I can not remember the URL or author.  Several modifications were made on it to make it suitable for a high school class.

 

A severe storm has crippled a small ship, the S.S. Guppy, and the only remaining lifeboat has room for only seven people. You have no hope of reaching civilization, but there's a fairly good chance that you can make it to one of many small, uncharted, and unpopulated islands in the area. You may have to remain on such an island for years. Your task is to choose which seven people should be allowed on the lifeboat, and hence, be allowed to survive.

 

Break into groups of four.  Come to a group consensus of which 7 people you would save and why.  Be also able to defend why you have chosen not to take others.  You will be expected to present your findings to the class the next day.

 

 

  1. Dr. Dane: thirty-seven, Ph.D. in history, college professor, in good health (jogs daily), hobby is botany, enjoys politics, married with one child (Bobby).

 

  1. Mrs. Dane: thirty-eight, rather obese, diabetic, M.A. in psychology, counselor in a mental health clinic, married to Dr. Dane, has one child.

 

  1. Bobby: ten, mentally retarded with IQ of 70.

 

  1. Mrs. Victor: twenty-three, ninth-grade education, cocktail waitress, worked as a prostitute, married at age sixteen, divorced at age eighteen.

 

  1. Jean Garcia: three months old, healthy.

 

  1. Mary Evans: eighteen, trade school education, wears glasses, artistic.

 

  1. Mr. Newton: twenty-five, starting last year of medical school, suspected homosexual activity, music as a hobby, physical fitness nut.

 

  1. Mrs. Clark: twenty-eight, daughter of a minister, college graduate, electronics engineer, single now after a brief marriage, member of Zero Population.

 

  1. Mr. Blake: fifty-one, B.S. in mechanics, married with four children, enjoys outdoors, much experience in construction, quite handy, sympathizes with anti-black views.

 

  1. Father Frans: thirty-seven, Catholic, priest, active in civil rights, former college athlete, farming background, often criticized for liberal views.

 

  1. Dr. Gonzales: sixty-six, doctor in general practice, two heart attacks in the past five years, loves literature and quotes extensively.