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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What device does Joe wish they had in their possession as they descend from the summit of Siula Grande?
(a) A compass.
(b) A GPS.
(c) A flare gun.
(d) A satellite phone.

2. What does Joe try to use to climb up the rope?
(a) A Prussik knot.
(b) A sticht plate.
(c) A karabiner.
(d) A "Friend".

3. What does Simon insist that Joe not do on this trip?
(a) Snore.
(b) Smoke cigarettes.
(c) Drink beer.
(d) Smoke marijuana.

4. What description does Joe lend to the sounds of icicles breaking away?
(a) Clanging.
(b) Like glass shattering.
(c) Chandelier sounds.
(d) Cracking.

5. What does Joe do while he is waiting for Simon between lowerings?
(a) He digs a bucket seat in the snow for Simon.
(b) He screams at Simon to slow down.
(c) He traverses the slope to get out of Simon's way.
(d) He reties the knot between the ropes.

6. How far does Simon lower Joe each time before he descends himself?
(a) Approximately 300 abseils.
(b) Approximately 300 meters.
(c) Approximately 150 feet.
(d) Approximately 300 feet.

7. Joe is thrilled at the prospect of achieving what?
(a) His father's dream.
(b) A base jump.
(c) A solo climb.
(d) A first ascent.

8. How does Joe describe the look in Simon's eyes when he tells Simon that he has broken his leg?
(a) 'Exhibiting an instant connection to my plight.'
(b) 'Full of...a distance given to a wounded animal which could not be helped.'
(c) 'Unthinking.'
(d) 'As if he were saying "No comment"'.

9. What are Joe Simpson and Ian Whittaker doing when the ground breaks out from underneath them?
(a) Getting ready to sleep.
(b) Digging a snow hole.
(c) Abseiling.
(d) Belaying.

10. What is a patina?
(a) A type of mountaineering skate used to descend slopes.
(b) A thin layer that appears slowly over time.
(c) The ceiling of a snow cave.
(d) A Peruvian flatbread that Gloria cooks for Richard.

11. Which practice route does Al Rouse understate as 'a ridge of some difficulty'?
(a) The South Ridge of Cerro Yantauri.
(b) Rosario Norte.
(c) Cerro Serapo.
(d) The South Ridge of Seria Norte.

12. While Joe struggles to dig a snow cave, Simon struggles to do what?
(a) To repair his sticht plate with his bare fingers.
(b) To thaw out his fingers.
(c) To dig his own snow cave.
(d) To repair his head torch with his bare fingers.

13. When Joe first looks at his knee after his fall, how does he describe it?
(a) As a "zigzag".
(b) As "kinked".
(c) As "bloody stuffed".
(d) As "cockeyed".

14. What is another word for "abseil"?
(a) Traverse.
(b) Rappel.
(c) Climb.
(d) Bivi.

15. What is a "Friend"?
(a) A hydration bag with a tube for drinking.
(b) A belay device.
(c) A sleeping mat.
(d) Climbing gear.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many practice climbs do Joe and Simon complete in order to acclimatize?

2. What object does Joe have trouble with in the beginning of the story?

3. What is blue ice?

4. How long is one length of climbing rope?

5. What does Joe mean by a "tortured" cornice?

(see the answer keys)

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