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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Joe knocks down a row of large icicles, he curses the pain of a...
(a) Broken knee joint.
(b) Shattered femur.
(c) Cracked tooth.
(d) Broken heel.

2. How far from the nearest village do Joe, Simon, and Richard pitch base camp?
(a) 28 miles of rough walking.
(b) 28 miles of easy walking.
(c) 56 miles of rough walking.
(d) 5 miles of glacier.

3. Joe notes that some of the icicles are as thick as...
(a) An ice weep.
(b) A glacier.
(c) A man's arm.
(d) A family bible.

4. As Simon lowers Joe down the mountain, how is Joe facing?
(a) Face down, feet first.
(b) Face up, feet first.
(c) Face up, head first.
(d) Face down, head first.

5. What is the first thing that Simon says to Joe in the chapter "Tempting Fate"?
(a) "It's freezing cold!"
(b) "This is it!"
(c) "My fingers have never been this bad."
(d) "I'll go first, shall I?"

6. Why does Simon cut the rope?
(a) He is sick of the rescue attempt.
(b) He thinks the rope is going to break anyway.
(c) He can't think clearly because of altitude delirium.
(d) He is about to be pulled over a cliff by Joe's weight.

7. What is the elevation of Siula Grande?
(a) 21,000 metres.
(b) 4,500 feet.
(c) 21,000 feet.
(d) 29,000 feet.

8. Joe notes in the chapter "On the Edge" that any accident needing a rope to break a fall would be...
(a) Fatal.
(b) Ideal.
(c) A bummer.
(d) Just what they need.

9. What does Joe assume Simon will do when he finds out that he has broken his leg?
(a) Simon will stay and die with him.
(b) Simon will help him.
(c) Simon will flip out.
(d) Simon will leave him.

10. What is the name of the rock that Joe and Ian climb?
(a) The Bonatti Pillar.
(b) The Rock of Gibraltar.
(c) Les Petits Drus.
(d) Chamonix.

11. What is a pitch?
(a) A slide down the mountain on one's back.
(b) The echo of the ax cracking the ice.
(c) A toss of the rope.
(d) A section of a climb equal to one length of rope.

12. What collapses under Simon's feet?
(a) An ice bridge.
(b) A snow ridge.
(c) A crevice.
(d) The summit.

13. At the beginning of the chapter "On the Edge", on which side of Siula Grande are Joe and Simon descending?
(a) The West Face.
(b) The South Face.
(c) The East Face.
(d) The North Face.

14. In the opening scene, what is Richard's tent covered with?
(a) Mud.
(b) Snow.
(c) Hoar frost.
(d) Ice.

15. On what route do two climbers witness the deaths of two other climbers?
(a) The Red Granite Spire.
(b) Mount Everest.
(c) The Croz Spur.
(d) Siula Grande.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Joe attempting to do when he falls and injures himself?

2. When the rope suddenly pulls on Simon with great force, what situation is Joe in that Simon cannot see?

3. On their first night on Siula Grande, what do Joe and Simon sleep in?

4. What description does Joe lend to the sounds of icicles breaking away?

5. How do Peruvian flutings contrast to European flutings?

(see the answer keys)

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