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. When the climbing team woke up in the Sherpa hut at the beginning of Messner's book, how long did they have to reach Syangpoche?

2. In what year did Messner and Oelz successfully scale Mount Everest?

3. What did Messner say he hated like the plague?

4. Which member of the British expedition was the last to see the two climbers who were lost on Everest on June 8, 1924?

5. Who was one of the first people that Messner told about his newly acquired permit from the CMA in the Kanchung chapter?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In the Kanchung chapter, what did the article Messner read in the "Peking Review" state?

4. How did Messner describe the region of Solo Khumba in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter?

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

6. As the book opens, what reason did Mallory give when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest a second time?

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

8. When the climbing team woke up in the Sherpa hut in the early pages of the Mount Everest-Fairytale and Reality chapter, why was the team headed to Syangpoche?

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

10. 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?

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

Reinhold Messner seemed to be a man who was supremely confident in his ability to succeed. Identify at least three instances from the book that highlighted his confidence. How was Messner helped by his confidence? How was Messner hurt by his confidence?

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)

This section contains 673 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample