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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 insists the team should not leave the camp while Hall is still up on the mountain?

2. Who is waiting for Fischer when he reaches the Everest summit because he feels indebted to him?

3. Which climber is openly scorned and hounded by journalists?

4. Who is severely injured in a bus accident while in his native country?

5. Which climber is found alive as well, although he is missing one of his gloves?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Krakauer observe about Beidleman?

2. What items was Krakauer going to take out of his pack when he got to the summit, although he decides not to once he is there?

3. Which route did the Indian team take in order to reach the summit?

4. What has happened to Weathers, according to Hutchison's discovery?

5. What happens to Krakauer and other climbers from Hall's group when they fly back to Katmandu?

6. What is the eventual fate of Anatoli Bourkeev?

7. What do the Japanese climbers do when they find the bodies of the Indian climbers?

8. What risks go up as the oxygen in Krakauer's tank begins to decrease?

9. When Hall doesn't tell his group when they will be turning back when they reach the summit, what does Krakauer interpret this to mean?

10. What does Gau do in violation of his promise?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The leaders of the teams, Scott Fischer and Rob Hall, were very experienced climbers on Mount Everest. At the same time, their eventual demise shows they were just as powerless over the mountain.

Part 1: Describe the character of Rob Hall. What was he like? What makes him a strong and a weak leader?

Part 2: Describe the character of Scott Fischer. What was he like? What makes him a strong and a weak leader?

Part 3: Compare and contrast these two figures. How are they alike and how are their different?

Essay Topic 2

There are female and male hikers up on Mount Everest, of all ages and abilities. That said, it seems the mix of hikers may also have contributed to some of the problems.

Part 1: List the female hikers that are described in the story by Krakauer.

Part 2: What are some of the ways the female hikers may have hurt their group's progress?

Part 3: What are some of the ways the male hikers may have hurt their group's progress?

Essay Topic 3

The goal of getting to the top of Mount Everest often gets in the way of making logical and safe decisions. People are blinded by the possibility of reaching their goal that they forget themselves, it seems.

Part 1: In what ways are the leaders of the groups affected by their goals of getting to the summit? What poor choices do they make because of their commitment to their goal?

Part 2: Which hikers are affected by their commitment to getting to the top? What poor decisions are made in the face of health problems and schedule problems?

Part 3: How might it have been possible to talk the hikers into safer decisions without hurting the dream they have in their mind of standing on the top of Everest?

(see the answer keys)

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