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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 helped Beck fight sleep?

2. What did people at base camp tell Peach?

3. In what condition was Beck?

4. With whom do the climbers meet up when climbing down the mountain?

5. What is the date when the book opens?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Beck say about hiking the Khumbu trail on his way to base camp?

2. How did Beck end up making it back to Camp IV?

3. Whom did Peach and her friends contact to get Beck off the mountain?

4. What did Beck do while waiting to travel to base camp on Everest?

5. What does Beck learn about his rescue as he reaches Kathmandu?

6. What is the date at the opening chapter and what is Beck doing?

7. How did Beck communicate with his family during most climbs, and how did he do so on the Everest expedition?

8. What astonishes the climbers at Camp IV as they prepared to descend to Camp II, and what did the climbers do?

9. What did three Sherpas and Stuart Hutchinson find after they set out to locate Yasuko and Beck?

10. How did Beck's longtime recovery proceed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the following:

1. Compare/contrast Beck Weathers at the beginning of the novel to him at the end of the novel. How are they alike? How are they different? Are they both sympathetic characters? Which "Beck Weathers" would you most likely have as a friend? Why?

2. Compare/contrast Beck Weathers at the beginning of the novel to Beck Weathers at the end of the novel. How are they alike? How are they different? Are they sympathetic characters? Who would you most likely have as a friend? Why?

3. Compare/contrast Beck Weathers to Peach Weathers. How are they alike? How are they different? Are they sympathetic characters? Who would you most likely have as a friend? Why? Is each one compassionate? Honorable? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Peach began to notice some differences in Beck's mental attitude. He was reaching out to her and seemed to care about all the pain he caused others.

1. What do you think are the steps to forgiveness? What type of thinking and processing do you think Peach has to go through in order to forgive Beck? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you think Beck would have changed if he had not gone through the pain and suffering he did? Why or why not? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

3. How do you think Beck reaching out to Peach and caring more about others might help his chronic battle with depression? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Often titles reveal much about one or more aspects of a novel. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think is the purpose of a title? How closely related to a major theme(s) of a book do you think a title should be? Or should it be?

2. The phrase Left for Dead describes what happens to Beck Weathers on Everest. Research the story and write why you think this book was given this title.

3. If you were the writer of Left for Dead and your editor said the title must be changed, what would you choose? Why?

4. How do you feel when you have finished reading a book and you still do not understand the meaning of the title in relation to the book?

(see the answer keys)

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