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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When he finds a way out, what does Joe say he has that he didn't have before?
(a) Feeling in his fingers.
(b) The will to live.
(c) A plan.
(d) An escape route.

2. After close inspection, what does Joe determine the "floor" of the crevasse to be?
(a) Not really snow at all.
(b) A dead end.
(c) The fragile ceiling of a lower cavern.
(d) Snow-covered rock.

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

4. While crawling through the crevasse section of the glacier, what does Joe frequently do?
(a) He bleats out obscenities.
(b) He stands up to check the progress of his route.
(c) He vomits.
(d) He digs bucket seats.

5. When Richard returns to base camp, he informs Simon that Spinoza will arrive with the donkeys when?
(a) At six o'clock tomorrow morning.
(b) Within the week.
(c) After the girls are done making their cheese.
(d) Within two hours.

Short Answer Questions

1. After Bomb Alley, what is Joe's next objective?

2. What does Simon assume the foul taste in his mouth is from?

3. How does Joe describe the shape of the crevasse chamber where he has been?

4. Why does Joe decide to descend deeper into the crevasse?

5. When Joe finally musters the courage to look down, what does he see in disbelief?

Short Essay Questions

1. After he sees the frayed ends of the cut rope, what goes through Joe's mind?

2. The morning after arriving back at base camp, Simon revisits his feelings about the place while urinating on a boulder. How does he describe these emotions?

3. As Simon descends Siula Grande at the beginning of "Silent Witness", how does he feel about the mountain?

4. When Joe finally clears the crevasses of the glacier and arrives at the moraines, what painful condition does he realize that he is stricken with, and how does he describe it?

5. What does Joe discover upon reaching the "bottom" of the crevasse?

6. Joe tells of the most difficult thing he has ever done, and the best view he has ever seen. What are these?

7. What logic does Joe use to assume that Simon believes he is dead?

8. Why is Joe so worried about losing Simon's tracks?

9. While trying to reach base camp, what single thought springs Joe into action, but also holds the possibility of being the final death of him?

10. What are some of the reasons Richard gives for their expeditious departure?

(see the answer keys)

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