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. What type of weather hit when Terray and Lachenal reached the Spider, during their climb in 1946?

2. How many climbers were in the first ascent to the top of the North Face?

3. Where did Rebitch and Vörg end their third day?

4. What did Kasparek do to make progress over the Second Ice Field easier?

5. Why did Rebitsch and Vörg start up the northeast face of the mountain?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the climbers do on their last night on the mountain before reaching the summit?

2. What did Kurz have to do to try to reach the rescuers?

3. When Australian and Swiss teams both climbed the North Face at approximately the same time, how far apart did they reach the summit?

4. Describe the ascent of Buhl, Jöchler, the Maags, and the French through the Ramp.

5. How did Fritz Kasparek and Harrer meet?

6. What research did Harrer do for his book?

7. Describe the end of Sedlmayer and Mehringer's attempt to climb the North Face.

8. What blocked the descent from Buhl and Jöchler's bivouac spot below the Rote Fluh?

9. How were photos taken of the climbers traversing toward the Spider?

10. What unusual attempt to climb the North Face did Fuchs and Monney consider but then reject?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss teamwork and friendship in Harrer's book.

1) How is teamwork important to climbers? How do climbers help each other?

2) How is a solo climb different from a climb by a team or group up the North Face?

3) What is the role of friendship or camaraderie between climbers? How is Harrer's relationship with Fritz an important part of his portrayal of his own climb up the North Face? What other friendships are important in the book?

Essay Topic 2

Extreme mountain climbing pushes the limits of human ability. Discuss this aspect of climbing in Harrer's book.

1) What drives human being to push the limits of human ability, according to Harrer? Is this a worthwhile pursuit?

2) How do the limits of human accomplishment change over time? Does climbing the North Face become less of an accomplishment in any way over time?

3) What does it mean to say that a task is impossible? How does the impossible become achievable?

Essay Topic 3

Harrer sees extreme climbing as being a challenge for both the mental and physical aspects of mankind. Discuss the relationship of the mental and physical in Harrer's book.

1) How does Harrer defend extreme climbing from critics who call it suicidally dangerous, and how strong are his arguments that extreme climbing requires extreme mental balance?

2) What is the relationship of the mental and physical aspects of climbing, and what are examples from the book of both mental and physical accomplishments?

3) How does technology and equipment affect the mental and physical challenges of climbing?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 895 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample