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

2. What did Walt leave in the bus?

3. When Krakauer reached an impassable place on the mountain, what did he do?

4. When Krakauer was at the mountain he came to climb, what enhanced his emotions?

5. Who gave Krakauer dinner and a place to sleep in Petersberg?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What indicates to Krakauer that there was a very close relationship between Carine and Chris?

4. Carine knew that Chris was leaving but she didn't know where he was going. Why?

5. How does swainsonine become lethal in the body?

6. What do Carine and her parents regret after the fact of Chris's death?

7. In Chris's journal, what did he think was happening to him?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write about respect for authority. Using the example of Chris failing one course, physics, because he refused to turn in his assignments according to the way the professor wanted them. Then broaden the point of view. You may want to write about taggers (delinquents who paint graffiti on public buildings). Conclude with your idea about what society would be like if everyone simply did whatever he or she pleased without regard to others or the law.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about Walt and Billie as examples of people working hard to fulfill the American dream. Explain whether you think their ambition might have affected their children. Conclude with your opinion about making money and making a life.

Essay Topic 3

From information in the book, Into The wild, and other sources, write about the Alaskan wilderness. Discuss whether you think it would be a good place to visit, even with the transportation you might need and all the equipment you would need for such a trip.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 955 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample