View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Beck's brother Dan energize himself?

2. Where did Beck learn survival skills?

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

4. What did Beck look forward to seeing on his climb of Mount Elbrus?

5. How did Peach's father die?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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. What happened to Beck's emotional state during his first year at Midwestern?

6. What does Ken want Beck to decide while descending Mount McKinley? What is Beck's response?

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

8. What did Kit relate about the Weathers' family life?

9. What sort of student was Beck at Northwestern?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mountain Climbing is one of the predominant themes of Left for Dead. Discuss the following:

1. Research the history of mountain climbing and write an informative essay about what you find. Relate the information to what you read in Left for Dead.

2. Explain whether you would or would not like to climb mountains and give your reasons for your choice.

3. Why do you think people try to climb Mount Everest knowing how many people have died trying to do it? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Left for Dead is a memoir by Beck Weathers. Discuss the following:

1. Define the word "genre" in the context of literary criticism.

2. Why do you think literature is categorized by genre?

3. Does it help to know how a book is categorized as to its genre before reading it? Explain.

4. Memoir used to be considered inferior to what are considered "the classics." Why do you think this is so? Do you believe a book such as Left for Dead is inferior to something such as A Tale of Two Cities? Explain.

5. What is your favorite genre and why?

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)

This section contains 974 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample