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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Simon view the climb after determining that Joe has died?
(a) Brilliant.
(b) Pointless.
(c) One for the record books.
(d) Awesome.

2. Why does Joe decide to descend deeper into the crevasse?
(a) He knows there is a way out.
(b) Because that is in the worst-case-scenario climber's manual.
(c) He sees some light at the bottom of the crevasse.
(d) He cannot bear another night on the ice bridge.

3. After he emerges from the crevasse, what obstacle next lies in his path?
(a) The glacier.
(b) Another crevasse.
(c) Bomb Alley.
(d) The lake.

4. At seven o'clock on the eve of their departure from base camp, Simon and Richard hear a strange cry in the distance. What does Richard suggest it is?
(a) A dog.
(b) Joe.
(c) Joe's ghost.
(d) Tripes.

5. Simon feels as if the whole struggle up until he cuts the rope is the deliberate scheme of whom?
(a) A bored and evil force.
(b) The Peruvians.
(c) Himself.
(d) Joe.

6. What is the weather like when Simon begins to descend the mountain alone?
(a) Scorching.
(b) A complete whiteout.
(c) Calm, silent, sunny, and warm.
(d) High winds with 20-below-zero wind chills.

7. After seeing that the rope had been cut, Joe falls asleep. What wakes him?
(a) A nightmare of falling.
(b) Someone shouting.
(c) The cold.
(d) The sounds of the glacier.

8. While crawling through the crevasse section of the glacier, what does Joe hear in his head in addition to the voice?
(a) Birdsong.
(b) Pop song lyrics.
(c) Voices of dead people.
(d) Prayers.

9. After coming to the conclusion that Joe is dead, Simon is determined to do what?
(a) To come back with a helicopter.
(b) To find Joe's body.
(c) To recover Joe's personal helmet-cam to see what happened.
(d) To get off the mountain alive.

10. How does Joe describe the shape of the crevasse chamber where he has been?
(a) A figure-8.
(b) Hourglass-shaped.
(c) Football-shaped.
(d) Pear-shaped.

11. In the opening scene of the chapter "Shadows in the Ice", Joe is convinced that he and his partner are going to die. What does Joe hope?
(a) That someone will know they made it to the summit of Siula Grande by the West Face.
(b) That he remembered to give his parents' phone number to Richard.
(c) That he hits the water at the bottom of the crevasse.
(d) That Simon has a quick death.

12. What are the bas-relief figures doing?
(a) Gawping.
(b) Pointing toward God.
(c) Carving.
(d) Copulating.

13. When Joe finally musters the courage to look down, what does he see in disbelief?
(a) Another dead climber.
(b) The Prussik knot he had dropped while hanging above the crevasse.
(c) The corpse of an ancient iceman.
(d) A snow-covered floor.

14. What name does Joe shout over and over in the crevasse?
(a) Jesus.
(b) Simon.
(c) Ramona.
(d) Richard.

15. What fifth step does Joe add to his pattern of movement through the moraines?
(a) Retching.
(b) Looking at his watch.
(c) Swinging his ax at the rocks to vent stress.
(d) Drinking.

Short Answer Questions

1. When he finds a way out, what does Joe say he has that he didn't have before?

2. As he lowers himself deeper into the crevasse, what does Joe stare at?

3. In Bomb Alley, Joe sees the footprints of Simon and Richard. What does he think this means?

4. What does Joe do when the voice tells him what to do?

5. What does Simon say the mountain has taken?

(see the answer keys)

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