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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What kind of business do Carine and her husband operate?
(a) An auto repair business.
(b) A daycare for the elderly.
(c) An electronics shop.
(d) A publishing company.

2. Racing against a storm, Krakauer reaches the summit of the Thumb. How does he describe it?
(a) He describes it as the coldest place on earth.
(b) He describes it as a big disappointment.
(c) He describes it as breathtakingly beautiful.
(d) He describes the summit as malevolent and surreal.

3. What is so poignant about the final photograph Chris took of himself holding his good-bye note?
(a) It is blurry because he was too weak to hold the camera steady.
(b) He doesn't realize that he is holding the note upside down.
(c) The end of his good-bye note says he will see everyone in a month.
(d) His emaciated frame contrasts with the smile on his face.

4. After Chris left home, why didnn't Carine get upset when he won't tell her where he was?
(a) She thought their father would try to bring him home if he knew.
(b) She didn't want to know because she didn't care.
(c) She was glad he was gone so she could have his room.
(d) She knew Chris was happy and thought he would come home some day.

5. What family outings did the McCandless family mention to Krakauer?
(a) Going to the Grand Canyon every year.
(b) A beach house in Cape Cod.
(c) Camping trips with an Airstream Trailer.
(d) A yearly trip to Texas.

6. How is Carine different from Chris?
(a) She is interested in helping the homeless.
(b) She is a good cook.
(c) She always returns home when she disappears.
(d) She made peace with their parents.

7. What is significant about the cloth belt Krakauer founds in the bus?
(a) It must have been made when Chris got too thin for his jeans.
(b) Chris had made it to keep himself busy.
(c) Chris probably didn't want to ruin the leather belt he had made at Ron Franz's house.
(d) He seemd to have made it to tie up his paperback books.

8. What ambitions did Jon Krakauer's father have for all of his children?
(a) That they would excell in sports.
(b) That they would attend Ivy League schools.
(c) That they would leave home and be on their own after high school.
(d) That they would all enter the family business.

9. What did Billie find in the bus?
(a) A coffee mug with the family monogram on it.
(b) A spoon from an old family silverware set.
(c) One of Buck's dog collars.
(d) Photos of her and Walt.

10. What connection did Jim Gallien make when he read the article about Chris's death?
(a) The empty bag of rice the article said the police found in the bus reminded him of the hitchhiker he'd picked up.
(b) The rubber boots the news article mentioned were the ones he'd given Chris.
(c) Chris was the young hitchhiker he had given a ride to the Stampede Trail.
(d) The .22-caliber rifle they found in the bus was the same as the hitchhiker's he'd given a ride to.

11. How does Roman Dial, who teaches at the University of Alaska, interpret Chris's actions?
(a) Roman admires McCandless's efforts but would not undertake them himself.
(b) He thinks the native Alaskans are right to condemn Chris.
(c) Roman thinks no one should ever attempt what Chris did.
(d) He agrees that Chris was borderline neurotic.

12. When Krakauer was at the mountain he came to climb, what enhanced his emotions?
(a) The clean air which gave him an oxygen high.
(b) Two sturdy aluminum curtain rods with him, lashed in a cross shape, to prevent him from falling into a crevasse.
(c) The beauty of the snowy terrain and clear sky was intensified for him by his solitude.
(d) The cheers of the people who came to see him off.

13. How far did Chris travel on the Stampede Trail before he located the abandoned bus?
(a) A mile and a half.
(b) Ten miles.
(c) Twenty miles.
(d) Forty miles.

14. Why does Krakauer think Chris could not excrete poison from his body?
(a) His deteriorated body did not have enough glucose and amino acids to bind with the poisons.
(b) Melted snow water caused him to become severely constipated.
(c) He did not have enough white blood cells to fight organisms.
(d) His bowel and urinary sustems had shut down.

15. What did Billie realize as she get to the bus?
(a) The place looked like a frozen desert.
(b) The terraine looked like where she grew up and that Chris must have loved it.
(c) Chris had found the farthest place he could to get away from them.
(d) It was so isolated that no one could remain sane there.

Short Answer Questions

1. What characteristic of his father's does Krakauer mention as a flaw?

2. Why does Krakauer relate his own experiences in Chapter 14?

3. At the time of publication of the notice of Chris's death, what problem did the police have?

4. Why did the Candless family not follow the route Chris had taken to get to the bus as Billie wanted?

5. What daunting challenge did Krakauer set for himself as a young man?

(see the answer keys)

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