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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. Who is the inexperienced climber that made it to the top of Everest with a guide?

2. Who does Fischer actually depend on for financial support for his climbing?

3. Hall only makes his climbers hike a few miles a day because of the _______________.

4. How many people in Hall's group (besides Hall) have ever climbed above 8,000 feet?

5. What does Krakauer help the Sherpas chop ice for when they get back to camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the Sherpas do in preparation for the climbers to begin the eventual ascent to the summit?

2. Describe Krakauer's feelings when he reaches the summit in his description at the beginning of this book.

3. What did Rob Hall and his climbing partner, Gary Ball, achieve as climbers together?

4. What happened to turn Base Camp into the tidy place it is in the 1990's?

5. How is the influence of Western culture seen in the village of Namche?

6. Describe Scott Fischer.

7. Describe the character of Pete Shoening.

8. Describe the Icefall.

9. What does Krakauer realize about his breathing when they reach Base Camp again before starting their second acclimatization climb?

10. Why does Doug Hansen stay behind while the rest of the climbers head up to Camp Three?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

With the teams, there seems to be trouble brewing between some of the guides and the leaders. This is thought to be another contributing factor to the tragic events.

Part 1: How did Anatoli's absence affect Fischer's team?

Part 2: In what ways did other guides affect their teams? For example, what might Beidleman have done better to help his team?

Part 3: What is crucial in the formation of a team like this? What would have been the ideal situations for the leaders and the guides?

Essay Topic 2

Anatoli Bourkeev is a person who might be considered a strong hiker, as he was also a guide on the trip to the summit. However, he does not always act in a way that seems to support his role.

Part 1: Describe the character of Anatoli Bourkeev.

Part 2: What kind of hiker and guide is Anatoli Bourkeev? How does this differ from other guides on the trip?

Part 3: In what ways does Anatoli Bourkeev help the hikers? In what ways does he harm the hikers?

Essay Topic 3

During this particular time period, there are a number of teams up on Mount Everest, all trying to reach the summit on the same date or similar dates.

Part 1: Name three of the teams that are on the mountain at the time of this story.

Part 2: How does the number of teams affect the hiking schedule and the ascents to the summit?

Part 3: If there were fewer groups up on the mountain, would this have made a difference in terms of the eventual events of the story? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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