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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 learn about mountaineering?

2. With what was Aconcagua rife?

3. Where did Beck's family move in 1954?

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

5. What seemed to be the only way Beck could be happy?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

5. Why does Beck go to Mexico? What does he realize while he is there?

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

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

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

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

Though Use examples from the book to support your answer. is a non-fiction memoir, it has some of the characteristics of a bildungsroman. Discuss the following:

1. Define bildungsroman, or "coming of age," and give several examples from literature you have read.

2. Trace and analyze the character of Beck as he changes from a rather selfish man to a more self aware man. What are the significant events that change Beck?

3. After thoroughly analyzing Beck's growth, do you think Use examples from the book to support your answer. could be considered Beck's coming of age story? Why or why not?

4. Are there any other persons in Left for Dead who go through a coming of age experience? Who? Why do you think so?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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