If an unresponsive drowning person may look similar to people who are floating or are underwater and are okay, what can you do to tell them apart?

The correct choice highlights an important technique to differentiate between an unresponsive drowning victim and someone who is simply floating or underwater without distress. When assessing a submerged or floating individual, observing the behavior of the person can provide crucial signs of life. If the person is able to lift their head to breathe within a few seconds, it indicates that they are conscious and capable of responding to their environment, which suggests they are not in distress.

This method focuses on assessing immediate physical responses—essential indicators of a person's state. It can help a lifeguard or a rescuer to make swift decisions about potential rescue actions without wasting valuable time, especially in situations where every second counts.

The other options may not effectively differentiate between an unresponsive person and one who is not in danger. While the RID factor is a useful concept to understand risk in drowning prevention, it does not provide immediate behavioral indicators for differentiation. Observations about nearby patrons' worries could be misleading and unreliable since not everyone around may be aware of the situation. Furthermore, having others poke the person may not only be ineffective but can also pose dangers to both the responder and the person in distress.