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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the time Messner was writing the book, how long had it been since Nepal was forbidden to foreigners?

2. On the second British expedition's assent of Everest, which team member was nauseous and did not continue on past 7,600 meters with the rest of the team?

3. At what altitude did the hotel in Syangpoche that the climbing team was headed to after leaving the Sherpa hut in the beginning of the book lie?

4. In what year was the second solo attempt on Everest undertaken?

5. What name is the 500-meter high ice wall known by?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Messner in the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, why did no one understand the local people better than the leader of the second British expedition to Mount Everest in 1922?

2. What did the British recognize as too difficult a route in the 1920s and 1930s that is still not climbed to this day?

3. When Messner referred to "fair means" in climbing in the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, what was he referring to?

4. What was the most interesting part of the lecture tour schedule for Messner in the Kanchung chapter?

5. According to the Kanchung chapter, the first person to want to scale Mount Everest alone was not a mountaineer. Why did this person believe he could scale Everest with no experience?

6. When a tourist at the hotel asked Oelz why he climbed Everest after learning that he and Messner had reached the summit in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, how did Oelz respond?

7. When the climbing team reached Syangpoche in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, they were unsuccessful in completing their task. What was their task and why were they unsuccessful?

8. In the Kanchung chapter, what did the article Messner read in the "Peking Review" state?

9. What did Messner suspect was the main reason that men often invited him to talk over a beer after hearing Messner's lecture?

10. According to Messner in the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, what were the primary motives of the Himalayan mountaineer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Messner visited a number of interesting and unique places as he traveled throughout the land. Pick any three places Messner visited and describe each place in detail. Then, compare these three places that you've chosen in terms of village layouts, talents and skills of the native people, and the characteristics of the inhabitants of each land.

Essay Topic 2

There were several people discussed in the book who did not survive their encounter with Mount Everest. Identify at least three people who were killed on the mountain. Compare each of these deaths, being sure to indicate who died, how the person died, and what impact on Messner this person's death had. What did Messner learn from each of these other climbers?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the course of the book, the traditions and culture of the Tibetan people were described. Identify at least three different traditions of the Tibetan people that Messner revealed in the book as well as Messner's reasoning for sharing this information with the reader. How might the book have been impacted if these traditions had not been shared?

(see the answer keys)

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