Jeez, playing dead would be the LAST thing i would try to do. First of all, I would go nuts when it scratches me, I’d think most people would scream. Or maybe even laugh because it tickles. Second, i also think that bears aren't that maneuverable, a quick dodge when it's charging at you could probably do it. If it didn’t involve me risking my life I would probably try hitting it on the nose and see its response xD.

Wow. All these posts and I didn't see one mention of the most obvious tool of self-defense against a bear attack there is. Actually, there are two that are quite powerful and effective. There's a product out there made especially for bears. It's a potent cayenne pepper spray that shoots its contents something like fifteen feet or more. The nose of a bear, touched upon in the previous post, is the most sensitive organ readily available to strike that a bear bears. (good pun, eh?) If you're completely caught unprepared, I'd recommend standing up to the beast and if he gets within striking distance, give that beak of his a good closed fist hit, like you mean it. He'll be stunned that you actually countered his attack (most humans lie down so the bear can eat his meal without too much work) and in so much pain as to be quite put off by the whole thing and would retreat post haste. Multiply that many times if he inhales a good nose full of concentrated cayenne pepper. That stuff will actually stun him like a taser stuns a human. Knocks him right out for five minutes or more. And he's going to be disoriented for a while after that. There's plenty of time to make your getaway after stunning your would-be prey. The more lethal option, of course, if things got downright ugly, would be the common pistol of at least .44 Magnum caliber. I'd actually recommend a .454 Casull in a Raging Bull (?) revolver if you knew you were going to have a high likelihood of encountering a polar or Kodiak Brown (Grizzly) because, lets face it, even a .44 isn't much against a charging mass of 1400 pounds. The .454 would drop him right now as long as you hit him somewhere on the head. Even the thick skull of a polar bear isn't too much for a .454 to smash apart and it's still not too much dead weight to strap to your hip either. Personally, since I like bears and think they have every right to consider me a meal (after all, I'm the one invading his territory), I'd prefer the spicy method to the lethal method unless he just doesn't seem to get the hint with the cayenne.

Thanks for the very useful information. Hoping that i will not be put under that situation.
My first reaction will be to run from that place. NOw i wont do that.