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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. How does Krakauer interpret the evidence he gathered about Chris?
(a) He believes that Chris immersed himself in nature in an effort to isolate himself from human society.
(b) He thinks that Chris was completely irrational and contributed to his own death.
(c) He sees Chris as a hopeles greenhorn without any knowledge of the terrain.
(d) He suggests that someone else was in the bus and refused to help Chris.

3. Where did Chris leave from on April 15, 1992 on his journey to Alaska?
(a) Seattle.
(b) Los angeles.
(c) Oregon.
(d) Carthage.

4. What was in the McCandless house that speaks to the feelings of Walt and Billie McCandless toward Chris?
(a) All of Chris's track trophies lined up on the mantle.
(b) No photos of Chris in the house.
(c) A photo memorial to Chris on the dining room table.
(d) Clippings of newspaper articles and magazine stories about Chris.

5. Why does Krakauer relate his own experiences in Chapter 14?
(a) To see if he is any different now as a mature man.
(b) To prove that he had no right to write about Chris.
(c) To show his affinity with Chris.
(d) To show how he was so much better than Chris.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the skeleton in Walt's closet that stressed the whole family, Chris in particular?

2. A year after Chris's death, what did Krakauer observe on the banks of the Teklanika River where Chris had been unable to cross?

3. What connection did Jim Gallien make when he read the article about Chris's death?

4. What kind of business do Carine and her husband operate?

5. What happened to Billie in July of 1992?

Short Essay Questions

1. What discovery about himself did Krakauer make after conquering Devil's Thumb?

2. What discovery did Chris make the summer after his freshman year in college that drove a deeper wedge between him and his father?

3. As Krakauer, visiting the site, stood on the banks of the raging Teklanika River, what advantage did he have that Chris did not have?

4. How did Chris manage the last leg of his trip into Fairbanks?

5. How does swainsonine become lethal in the body?

6. What is so unusual about Chris's never seeing another human being while he was camped at the bus?

7. Who was Sam McCandless, and why was he the one to notify Chris's parents?

8. To show his kindred spirit with Chris, what does Krakauer write about in Chapter 14?

9. Explain Jim Gillien's difficulty in contacting the Alaska police.

10. What kind of work made Walt McCandless such a success?

(see the answer keys)

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