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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. As Nena and Messner camped for the night at the Rongbuk river just at the edge of a village while waiting for the water to go down enough to safely cross the river, what did Nena write that she felt like?

2. How many bivouacs above the North Col did Messner believe he would need in order to reach the summit of Mount Everest?

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

4. Instead of returning to the base camp after leaving the Four Dragon Village in the Rongbuk chapter, Messner's group took a detour. Where did the group overnight?

5. What does Potala mean?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the Tibetan chapter, why did Uemura want to scale Mount Everest in the winter?

2. As Messner's team traveled to the Nepalese border in the Rongbuk chapter, why did the area remind Messner of South Tyrol?

3. As Messner packed for his ascent of Mount Everest in the Chomolungma chapter, he shared his motto regarding packing. What was Messner's motto?

4. According to Messner in the Chomolungma chapter, why would an attempt to preplan his solo climb be madness?

5. During the Cultural Revolution, what were the "Four Ancients" that the Chinese tried to destroy?

6. In the Tibetan chapter, what were the two kinds of money Messner described during his time in Peking?

7. As the expedition rested at the start of the East Rongbuk Glacier in the North Col chapter, Nena wrote in her diary that she was disillusioned with humanity. Why?

8. In the Tibet chapter, what was Nena's egotistical reason for not wanting Messner to take the walkie-talkie with him for his summit attempt?

9. How did Messner react in the Chomolungma chapter when he escaped the crevasse alive?

10. Why were women included on the 1975 Chinese expedition team?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare how Reinhold Messner changed as the book progressed. Be sure to include your assessment of his nature when he first introduced himself in the book, after he had successfully scaled Mount Everest as part of a team, when he and Nena were waiting for the weather to clear so Messner could begin his solo ascent, and when Messner finally reached the summit.

Essay Topic 2

During the time period in which Messner was attempting his solo climb of Mount Everest, the political climate in Tibet was tenuous.

a. Briefly discuss the historical events that led to Tibet's occupation and rule by China.

b. How did the political environment in Tibet affect the early expeditions to Mount Everest?

c. How did the political environment in Tibet affect Messner's solo expedition to Mount Everest?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 923 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample