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

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

4. When Joe falls and lands on the slope at the base of the cliff, what happens?

5. When referring to their experience on the ridge, Simon tells Joe that he is...

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Joe consider standing on the summit an unsettling anticlimax?

2. After breaking his leg, why doesn't Joe ask Simon for help?

3. At the beginning of "Tempting Fate", what does Joe say about his fingers, and how does he deal with them?

4. What occurs to Joe at the beginning of "On the Edge"?

5. 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?

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

7. 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?

8. 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?

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Simon's inner conflict regarding telling the truth about what happened. How does he justify the fabrication of a lie or the editing of the complete truth? How does he justify complete honesty? Does he believe he will be criticized? If so, why, and by whom? Does he believe he will receive support? If so, why, and by whom?

Essay Topic 2

What influence does Richard have on the outcome of this story? Is he significant? Would the outcome have been different if Richard had not been with them?

Essay Topic 3

Joe provides a wealth of imagery when describing the figures he sees in the ice cliff shortly after emerging from the crevasse. Comment on these, providing at least five examples. When we read vivid descriptions, this usually leads our minds to other images of things that we have experienced. Describe what you see, as related to your own experience, when you read his descriptions. How do you relate to his descriptions? Do you see any significance in what these figures look like and/or in what the figures are doing? Do you view these figures as ambiguous in any way? If so, how? Which of Joe's primal needs or core beliefs are these figures appealing to or taunting, if any?

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This section contains 1,364 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample