Answer:
vegetative state
A vegetative state occurs when the cerebrum (the largest part of the brain) is severely damaged (making mental function impossible), but the reticular activating system is still functional (making wakefulness possible).
This situation is best explained by the process of natural selection.
Hypothesis: an educated guess to a question that can be tested
I would calmly check the breaker panel to verify that the power hadn't simply gone off again. I'd troubleshoot back to the pump, then its suction pipe from the well, then peek at the water level in the well. If the well had run dry, I'd - still calmly - step into my shop and take the stainless-steel buckets down from the high shelf above the Porter-Cable routers and walk across the road with them. I'd step over the guardrail, then walk down the embankment to the Waits River, where I'd fill my buckets and bring them - full - back to the house.
