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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. Where did Beck find a pipe wrench?

2. What did Beck find on his second major climb?

3. When did Beck propose to Peach?

4. What did Beck feel that he would some day do?

5. What did Beck ask one man who was on the Aconcagua climb with Beck?

Short Essay Questions

1. What sort of student was Beck at Northwestern?

2. What does Beck see as his contribution to the household, and what does he neglect?

3. How did Beck choose the mountains to climb?

4. What did Beck relate about his time when his father was stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1958?

5. Where did Beck attend medical school, and what specialty did he enjoy?

6. What did Meg ask of her father? How did she feel about him?

7. What does Peach write about the women in her family?

8. What did Dan relate about his and his father's coping methods for their negative emotions?

9. Who served as a surrogate father to Peach, and what was Beck's relationship with the man?

10. What did Beck write about his life in Japan?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the following:

1. What is a plot? What are the most important elements of a plot and their definition? Does non-fiction have a plot? Why or why not?

2. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of Left for Dead, identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution or denouement). Do you find it difficult to identify the plot because of Left for Dead being non-fiction? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot?

3. Identify the major sub-plots and their elements in Left for Dead. (They may not contain every element of a major plot). Do the sub-plots add to the main plot? Why or why not. Are the sub-plots interesting in and of themselves? Why or why not.

4. Do you think having a plot in non-fiction is important? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the book Beck writes repeatedly about depression. He is an over achiever who seems to have been driven by a need to overcome his chronic depression.

1. Do you think Beck's drive to constantly be doing something helped his depression? Why or why not? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. Compare the effects of using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate depression with having to constantly be doing some activity to self-medicate. Use examples from the book to support your answer.

3. Considering the number of years that Beck drove himself to overcome his depression, and the fact that he is an obviously intelligent person, why do you think it took him so long to figure out what he was doing was not the answer?

Essay Topic 3

Beck was reliant on those closest to him, including Peach. He underwent physical and emotional pain as he dealt with people's reactions to his unsightly body and fought infections. He had eleven surgeries over the next year. The pain was excruciating.

1. Do you think the average person would resent his or her life becoming more difficult because of a spouse's poor choice? In other words, all of a sudden Peach is faced with having to do many tasks her husband cannot do for himself, as the the result of him being determined to climb a mountain she asked him not to climb. Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

2. Humans often have a tendency to think someone deserves pain or suffering if they are the cause of their suffering. Beck chose to climb, even when his daughter and wife asked him not to do it. Does Beck deserve his suffering? Why or why not? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

3. Everyone has done something unwise and suffered the consequences of the behavior. Do you think the consequences of a bad choice is the best way for a person to grow? Why or why not? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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