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 did the bones outside the bus reveal?

2. What similarity is there between Jon's relationship with his father and Chris's relationship with Walt?

3. What is significant about the cloth belt Krakauer founds in the bus?

4. In light of his own experiences, what does Krakauer think of Chris's tactics?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does swainsonine become lethal in the body?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Describe why the McCandlesses could not take the exact trek to the bus that Chris had taken.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write about mountain climbing and the kinds of people who are compelled to do that. Use examples from the book as well as any information you find about other mountain climbers. Sir Edmond Hillery and Mr. Everest might be a good example.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Given the amount of information Krakauer includes about Chris's abilities, write and OP-ED piece about another successful course Chris might have taken to realize his ideals. You might want to have him go into the Peace Corps or get involved in something like Habitat for Humanity.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,008 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample