View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Chris confided to Gail Borah that he was close to one member of his family. Who is that?
(a) His uncle, Milton.
(b) His sister, Carine.
(c) His cousin, Jason.
(d) His gramdmother.

2. In what area do people who knew Chris agree that he was inexperienced?
(a) Managing money.
(b) Having a relationship with a girl.
(c) Cooking for himself.
(d) Living off the land.

3. In Chris's relationships with people, what is the most striking contradiction?
(a) His hurtfulness toward his family and his refusal to help anyone else.
(b) His ambivalence to his family and his hatred of the people he met.
(c) His coldness toward his parents and his warmth with people he met in his travels.
(d) His love for his family but his inability to show it.

4. What problem did the authorities have after removing Chris's body?
(a) Keeping the body frozen.
(b) Identifying him.
(c) Getting the body to Fairbanks.
(d) Finding enough tissue to autopsy.

5. What device does Krakauer use to open Chapter 1 and subsequent chapters?
(a) A photograph.
(b) A skull and cross bones.
(c) A quotation.
(d) A drawing.

6. Who had left Chris a $40,000 inheritance for his school?
(a) A former employer.
(b) His grandmother.
(c) A friend of the family.
(d) A wealthy uncle.

7. What had Chris's mother and father offered to do after he graduated from college?
(a) Give him a trip to Europe.
(b) Bring him into the family business.
(c) Buy him a new car and pay for his graduate school.
(d) Help him get a job with their Congressman.

8. What did Gallien think about Chris's weapon?
(a) It was difficult to carry.
(b) It was too small to be effective against large animals.
(c) It was badly in need of cleaning.
(d) It had no case to put it in for protection from the weather.

9. What problem did Killian have in contacting the authorities?
(a) The ice broke on the river and left it more than a hundred yards wide.
(b) His vehicle broke down and it took hours to fix.
(c) It was difficult to find a place where radio signals could get through.
(d) The other people did not want him to contact the troopers because they did not want to get involved.

10. To whom did Chris send a postcard from Bullhead City?
(a) His sister.
(b) Westerberg.
(c) Jan Buress.
(d) His ex-girlfriend.

11. Who did Chris meet on a trip into Salton City to get some supplies?
(a) A drifter he knew at The Slab.
(b) A waitress at the small cafe.
(c) Westerberg, who is looking for work.
(d) Ron Franz, an 80-year-old man.

12. What does Krakauer think might have made the difference in Chris's survival?
(a) If he had brought along some brandy.
(b) If he had not made one or two critical mistakes.
(c) If he had taken someone with him.
(d) If he had found a warmer shelter in Alaska.

13. What did Chris realize after he decided to abandon his once beloved Datsun?
(a) That it would be impossible to continue without a car.
(b) That he missed his family and wanted to go home.
(c) That he was free from material possessions that tie him down.
(d) That he needed better hiking shoes since he was now walking.

14. What is ironic about Krakauer's descriptions of Walt McCandless and that of his rebellious son, Chris?
(a) Krakauer describes Chris and Walt McCandless as being very similar, both stubborn and temperamental individuals.
(b) Walt had always been kind and generous but Chris had always been aloof.
(c) Chris was a carbon copy of his father when he was that age.
(d) Walt and Chris believe in the same socialistic things.

15. Why does Krakauer devote Chapter 9 to the story of Everett Ruess?
(a) Krakauer wants to show how different Ruess is from Chris.
(b) Krakauer wants to demonstrate mental illness in Ruess.
(c) Karkauer wants to expand the scope of his thesis.
(d) Krakauer sees great similarities between Ruess and Chris.

Short Answer Questions

1. At which stop did Chris remain for the longest time?

2. What feat did Waterman achieve in 1978?

3. What item of clothing did Chris seem to abhor?

4. What effect had Chris had on Ronald Franz?

5. Why was author Jon Krakauer interested in writing Chris's story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 820 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample