View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Matthiessen not know when he arrives at the location where he is supposed to meet Tukten?

2. Whom do Matthiessen and Jang-bu go to meet in Shey?

3. Where will the plane take Matthiessen in Chapter 4?

4. Where is Matthiessen when he begins to think about ending the journey?

5. Who is feeling better and able to travel again now that Tukten carries his load?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Matthiessen goes to the Kathmandu Valley to meet Tukten, what does he find and what does he do?

2. What is the rare event concerning the bharal that Schaller is delighted to see outside the monastery?

3. What kind of sleeping arrangements can Matthiessen, Schaller, and the rest of their group find at the monastery?

4. After Matthiessen and Schaller part ways, where and with whom does Matthiessen travel next?

5. What does Matthiessen notice about Tukten that makes him stand apart from the other sherpas and the group as a whole?

6. What is the story that the locals tell Matthiessen on his descent down the mountains after the group leaves Murwa?

7. When Matthiessen thinks about the letters in his rucksack, he grows restless. What does he start to imagine?

8. When Matthiessen reaches Shey, what does he notice?

9. What are the conditions Matthiessen faces when he arrives in Kathmandu for the second time at the end of the book?

10. What do Matthiessen, Tukten, and Dawa discuss around the campfire and what does Tukten say?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Along their journey, Matthiessen, Schaller, the sherpas, and porters all exhibit signs of fatigue ranging from bloody feet to altitude sickness and snow blindness. How does the elevation of the mountains affect them? Describe the symptoms of altitude sickness. What does the topography of the mountains demand from them physically?

Essay Topic 2

The author reiterates the theme of loss in "The Snow Leopard". Identify at least two themes about loss in the book. Cite an example to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Along their journey, Matthiessen and Schaller employ both sherpas and porters. What is a sherpa? Where does a sherpa originate from? What is a porter? How are sherpas and porters similar and how are they different? In a hierarchical sense, who has more authority and independence of the two? How do Matthiessen and Schaller relate to the sherpas and the porters on their trip?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 793 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample