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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the coldest night that Messner ever remembered enduring while climbing (albeit not on Everest)?
(a) -20 degrees Celsius.
(b) -40 degrees Celsius.
(c) -30 degrees Celsius.
(d) -10 degrees Celsius.

2. After erecting his tent on the second day, how many pictures did Messner take before abandoning photography and climbing into his tent?
(a) Two.
(b) Eight.
(c) Ten.
(d) Four.

3. As Messner passed 8000 meters, what did he liken his progress rate to?
(a) A snail.
(b) A moose.
(c) A yak.
(d) A hare.

4. After sharing barley beer with a family in the Four Dragon Village in the Rongbuk chapter, what did Messner leave with the family as a guest gift?
(a) His handkerchief.
(b) His diary.
(c) His compass.
(d) His pocket knife.

5. The advanced base camp that Messner and Nena had been in was once a camp of the 1920s expeditions. Which camp was it?
(a) Camp I.
(b) Camp III.
(c) Camp II.
(d) Camp IV.

6. When Messner and Nena left Lhasa in the Tibet chapter, where did they travel to?
(a) Dzong.
(b) Shigaste.
(c) Lhunpo.
(d) Peking.

7. In the Tibet chapter, how did Messner and Nena actually travel to their intended destination as they waited for the weather on Everest to clear?
(a) By caravan.
(b) By driving.
(c) By walking.
(d) By flying.

8. When the jeep finally arrived, where did the team travel to first in the Rongbuk chapter?
(a) Fata Morgana.
(b) Nanga Parbat.
(c) Tingri.
(d) Rimpoche.

9. As Messner described Nena watching his ascent from the base campin the Chomolungma chapter, what did Messner liken his tracks to from Nena's perspective?
(a) A pearl necklace.
(b) A winding road.
(c) A shoelace.
(d) A ruler.

10. As the Chomolungma chapter opens and Messner finally began his ascent of Everest, how long had he been at an altitude of 5000 meters or higher?
(a) Four weeks.
(b) Seven weeks.
(c) Eight weeks.
(d) Three weeks.

11. What was the only medication besides aspirin that Messner had brought with him for his climb?
(a) Vitamin B-12.
(b) Vitamin C.
(c) Herb oil.
(d) Fish oil.

12. How many bivouacs above the North Col did Messner believe he would need in order to reach the summit of Mount Everest?
(a) Four.
(b) One.
(c) Two.
(d) Three.

13. In the Tibet chapter, who did Nena send back to Shigatsa because of altitude sickness?
(a) Jul.
(b) Tsao.
(c) Shezung.
(d) Lhunpo.

14. As Messner began his descent, what disturbed him the most?
(a) His exhaustion.
(b) His ennui.
(c) His numbness.
(d) His cough.

15. What did the CMA want to turn the ruins of the Rongbuk Monastery into?
(a) An observation post.
(b) A weather station.
(c) A hotel.
(d) A general store.

Short Answer Questions

1. Even though Messner's tent only weighed 2 kilos, the tent could withstand winds that were how strong?

2. As Messner passed 8000 meters, how many paces was he taking between rest breaks?

3. On the first day of his Everest ascent, how long did Messner climb before finally erecting his bivouac tent?

4. What does "Tashi delek" mean?

5. As Messner and Nena gathered provisions in Peking in the Tibet chapter, they had an interpreter with them. What was the interpreter's name?

(see the answer keys)

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