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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In his climbing rhythm, Joe says to look at what?
(a) Your watch.
(b) The ice.
(c) The ice axe.
(d) Your feet.

2. Simon tells Joe that he is knackered. What does this mean?
(a) He is cinched up in his knap-sack.
(b) He is very tired.
(c) He is dumbfounded.
(d) He is trying to shake off what he just saw.

3. What is a couloir?
(a) A wall.
(b) A species of colombine.
(c) A gully.
(d) A snow formation.

4. While Simon is lowering Joe, Joe swears a lot, mostly at...
(a) The snow.
(b) The cold.
(c) Simon.
(d) His crampons.

5. What do the climbers run out of in the chapter "On the Edge"?
(a) Worry.
(b) Snow for melting into water.
(c) Gas.
(d) Food.

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

7. How long do Joe and Simon expect to be gone on their climb of Siula Grande?
(a) Two Days.
(b) 24 hours.
(c) One week.
(d) Five Days.

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

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

10. When Joe falls and lands on the slope at the base of the cliff, what happens?
(a) He breaks his left leg.
(b) His right lower leg bone is forced through the knee joint.
(c) He ruptures his left knee.
(d) He rips Simon off the mountain.

11. What animals do the climbers use to transport their gear to base camp?
(a) Mules.
(b) Yaks.
(c) Llamas.
(d) Donkeys.

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

13. When referring to their experience on the ridge, Simon tells Joe that he is...
(a) Not recalling what happened.
(b) Disoriented.
(c) Freaked out.
(d) Ready to do it again.

14. When thinking about being left on the mountain, Joe feels himself "teetering on the edge of..."
(a) Panic.
(b) A cliff.
(c) A crevasse.
(d) Lunacy.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the first character mentioned by the author?

2. When Joe sees Simon's frostbitten fingers, why does he feel anxious?

3. How does Joe try to gauge their height on the mountain?

4. When Joe follows Simon, he is careful to do what?

5. Before recounting the Mont Blanc incident, Joe determines that Simon...

(see the answer keys)

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