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. In the third attempt to reach Everest's summit, which two members of the British expedition were buried in an avalanche?

2. Who had a special camera with him on expeditions in 1922 and 1924?

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

4. When Messner was questioned by the tourists at the hotel in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, what did Messner say was a constant companion while climbing a mountain?

5. According to Messner, at what age he did begin climbing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What unusual item was a standard item placed in the rooms by the hotel in Syangpoche in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter?

2. Because it lies so far above sea level, what is Tibet known as?

3. As the book opens, Messner reflects on his first ascent of Everest. What did the mountain mean to Messner?

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

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

6. According to Messner in the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, what were the primary motives of the Himalayan mountaineer?

7. How did Captain Finch originally test his bold plan back in England?

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. What was the bold plan for the second expedition to Everest that Captain Finch came up with?

10. What did the British recognize as too difficult a route in the 1920s and 1930s that is still not climbed to this day?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Noel Odell was a person that the reader learned about only through tales of the past. Why did Messner include Odell in the book? What purpose did Odell's presence serve? How were Messner's reasons for writing this book furthered by Odell's inclusion and insights?

Essay Topic 2

The mindset of a mountaineer, especially a mountaineer who climbs solo, is different from the mindset of the "average" person. With the danger inherent in mountaineering, a climber's mindset probably has to be different to continue to go up and push the outer limits.

a. Describe the coping mechanisms that mountaineers have in place to help them deal with the enormous stress of their chosen sport.

b. Discuss the coping mechanisms the mountaineers' support teams have to have in place to deal with the enormous stress of their climbers' sport.

Essay Topic 3

Nena Holguin was the woman who accompanied Reinhold Messner as his technical assistant when Messner prepared and scaled Mount Everest solo. Describe Nena Holguin, her strengths and weaknesses, and her overall role in the success of Messner's historic climb. Would Messner have reached the summit alone without Nena supporting him?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 757 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample