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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. How long do Joe and Simon expect to be gone on their climb of Siula Grande?

3. At the end of the chapter "On the Edge", Joe notes what about the day?

4. A hundredweight of icicles falls on Joe's head. How much is this?

5. Who is the narrator when italic print is used in the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Joe nervous about the first bivouac site?

2. While thinking about the possibility of having fallen off the ridge while roped together, Joe talks about what incident witnessed by Simon?

3. While trying to find the North Ridge again after leaving the summit, what happens to Simon?

4. When Joe and Simon start their ascent of the first ice wall on Siula Grande, what is Joe's attitude toward what they are doing?

5. Why do Simon and Joe avoid the issue of discussing their game plan after Joe's injury?

6. What does Joe like about Simon's personality?

7. On page 65, Joe says, 'I knew it would be a good day.' By the end of the day, how and why does his view of the day change?

8. Toward the end of "On the Edge", Joe awakens in the snow hole with what sensation?

9. Describe the Peruvian family that lives in the huts.

10. When beginning his climb for the summit from the bivouac site 300 feet below the summit, what pros and cons does Joe mention about climbing in the daylight?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Joe mentions more than once in the book that he has strange feelings of dread or uneasiness before bad things happen. Why do you think this is? What are Joe's ambiguous feelings on the summit? Research other climbers' similar comments, and compare. Why does he continue to climb mountains if he is so dubious about the ultimate objective? Is the journey more important, or the destination, or even the return journey? Do you think the unspoken final objective of mountain climbers is the summit, or actually making it back alive to tell about it?

Essay Topic 2

Revisit the Shakespeare soliloquy that Joe hears in his head and eventually recites. Why does this verse come to mind, and why is he familiar with it? Why is it significant that a soliloquy surfaces in his mind, and not another type of speech or writing? What inherent characteristics of a soliloquy make it appropriate to Joe's current circumstances? Does the content of the Shakespeare piece have any significance to Joe's situation? How do you interpret the soliloquy?

Essay Topic 3

Joe experiences voices, music in his head, hallucinations, delusions, and blackouts. Research the effects of pain, starvation, and dehydration on the brain and relate them to Joe's ordeal and what he experiences. Are his symptoms surprising? Why or why not?

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