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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 the first person to want to scale Mount Everest meet the Indian yogis who impressed the man with their teachings about self-discipline?

2. According to Messner, what was the single most important source of foreign currency to Nepal?

3. By what nickname was Tenzing Norgay known?

4. As Messner prepareed for his solo climb in 1980 in the Kanchung chapter, for how long had Messner been divorced?

5. In the Kanchung chapter as Messner and Bulle returned to Europe, how did Messner characterize the way Bulle was feeling?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe what the oxygen apparatus of the 1920's looked like.

2. When Messner referred to "fair means" in climbing in the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, what was he referring to?

3. Why did the second person to attempt a solo ascent of Everest decline to use oxygen gear?

4. In the Kanchung chapter, how did Messner characterize his homeland of South Tyrol?

5. What was the most interesting part of the lecture tour schedule for Messner in the Kanchung chapter?

6. When a tourist at the hotel asked Oelz why he climbed Everest after learning that he and Messner had reached the summit in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, how did Oelz respond?

7. What made Messner's ascent of the Abruzzi Ridge different from that of previous mountaineers?

8. According to Messner in the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, why did no one understand the local people better than the leader of the second British expedition to Mount Everest in 1922?

9. When the climbing team reached Syangpoche in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, they were unsuccessful in completing their task. What was their task and why were they unsuccessful?

10. What did Messner suspect was the main reason that men often invited him to talk over a beer after hearing Messner's lecture?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book, there were several situations where Messner almost lost his life. Identify at least three instances where Messner's life was in danger and detail how he escaped from death. What lessons had Messner learned from his previous mountaineering experience combined with the experience of those mountaineers that had gone before him that allowed Messner to survive?

Essay Topic 2

Interspersed with Messner's account of his solo climb of Mount Everest, as well as the entire situation surrounding his attempt, Messner shared a great deal of history surrounding the mountain itself and the early attempts to climb Everest. How did the historical accounts support or detract from Messner's solo ascent attempt? Why might Messner have chosen to include all of the historical information in the book?

Essay Topic 3

The book's main title is "The Crystal Horizon." Why did the Messner choose this title? How does the title foreshadow Messner's experiences on Mount Everest?

(see the answer keys)

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