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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. What does Joe try to use to climb up the rope?

2. Why are Simon's fingertips turning black?

3. When Joe says to Simon, 'We should top out today' (p41), what does he mean?

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

5. How long is one length of climbing rope?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Joe tells Simon that he has broken his leg, he describes the pitiful look that Simon gives him as, 'a distance given to a wounded animal which could not be helped' (p74). From Simon's point of view, why does he give him this look?

2. On page 65 in "On the Edge", Joe says, 'Funny how my anxiety [about Simon's frostbitten fingers] seemed to have more to do with whether he would be able to carry on climbing after we got down rather than concern for his injuries'. Why is this statement significant?

3. In "Storm at the Summit", how does Joe get a bloody lip and a cracked tooth?

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. Joe says that a 'warm feeling' stays with him while Simon lowers him. What 'warm feeling' is he referring to?

6. At the beginning of "Disaster", what is Joe's attitude?

7. What happens on The Bonatti Pillar on Les Petits Drus in the French Alps?

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

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

10. Describe Simon's feelings at the end of "The Final Choice".

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

Why do Joe and Simon work so well together? What qualities does Simon possess that are attractive to Joe? Would things have turned out differently (either better or worse) if Joe would have had a different partner?

Essay Topic 3

Some may argue that the accident could have been avoided. Explore the possible causes of the accident. What single mistake leads to a chain reaction of events? Explain the cause and effect of each of these events in the chain, and how different decisions would, or could, lead to a different outcome. Why do most climbing incidents, accidents, disasters, and deaths occur on the descent? Is there anything that Joe and Simon could do differently to prevent the ordeal, or is it just a freak accident, no matter what they do?

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