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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

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

5. When Joe and Simon move together along the ridge, how far behind Simon does Joe follow?
(a) 150 yards.
(b) A full rope-length.
(c) One car-length.
(d) Within earshot.

6. What side of Siula Grande do Joe and Simon have the ambition to conquer?
(a) The North Face.
(b) The South Face.
(c) The East Face.
(d) The West Face.

7. How does Simon cut the rope?
(a) He saws at the rope with a knife for one hour.
(b) He cuts it with a set of climber's rope-shears.
(c) He touches a knife to it.
(d) He uses a sharp rock.

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

9. How do Peruvian flutings contrast to European flutings?
(a) They are made of snow.
(b) They are difficult to see.
(c) They are made of yellow rock.
(d) They appear to defy gravity.

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) A Peruvian flatbread that Gloria cooks for Richard.
(d) The ceiling of a snow cave.

11. What does Joe say about bivouac sites?
(a) He usually dislikes them.
(b) They are cold.
(c) They are hidden.
(d) They are convenient.

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

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

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

15. How many hours do Joe and Ian hang on the rope before being rescued?
(a) 21.
(b) 12.
(c) 2.
(d) 1.

Short Answer Questions

1. How far from the nearest village do Joe, Simon, and Richard pitch base camp?

2. Who witnesses two climbers in Europe fall to their deaths the year before?

3. On what mountain range do two climbers witness the deaths of two other climbers?

4. What is verglas?

5. In the opening scene, what is Richard's tent covered with?

(see the answer keys)

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