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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. With whom did Beck feel competitive when he started dating Peach?

2. What did Peach feel about her nickname later in her marriage?

3. Where did Beck go after graduating with a B.S.?

4. How did Peach's father die?

5. What did Meg ask her father never to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Beck blame Peace for his unhappiness and what is her response?

2. What does Beck say about the early years of his marriage?

3. What does Peach say about Beck's "obsessions"?

4. What sort of student was Beck at Northwestern?

5. What made Beck decide to climb Everest? How does he start getting ready for the climb?

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

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

8. What did Beck begin to do after his term as president of Medical City ended? How did he cope with the problem?

9. What does Beck write about his experience climbing Mount McKinley?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The topic of marriage is woven throughout Left for Dead. Discuss the following:

1. Discuss the attitudes toward marriage that Beck Weathers has as opposed to his wife's attitudes.

2. How much do you think Beck's depression influences his views of marriage? Discuss thoroughly using examples from the book.

3. Compare/contrast the normal American view of marriage with Beck's. How are their views similar? Different? Which views are more like your own?

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

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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