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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 finally musters the courage to look down, what does he see in disbelief?

2. What method of movement does Joe first try when he is out of the crevasse?

3. What name does Joe shout over and over in the crevasse?

4. What does Simon do with Joe's clothes?

5. What fifth step does Joe add to his pattern of movement through the moraines?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Simon sees the cliff over which Joe had been hanging, how does he feel?

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

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

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. 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?

6. 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?

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

8. In the moraines, what device plays a crucial role in Joe's survival?

9. As Simon turns for one last look at Siula Grande, what goes through his mind?

10. Through the moraines, Joe's watch is a strong preoccupation. Besides pain, what is his obsession?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout his ordeal, Simon mentions the presence of songs and song lyrics in his head, even ones that he hates. Research and write about why this happens in the human psyche. Do you think that this means music plays an important role in Joe's life? How, exactly, is the music helping Joe? Is the music as prevalent as the voices and thoughts? Briefly mention your own experience with this phenomenon when under stress, if any.

Essay Topic 2

At seven o'clock on the night before their departure, Simon and Richard hear an 'eerie wail' that Richard dismisses as a dog (p172). Study the time line of events. Is it possible that the wail they hear is Joe's first cry for help that he howls into the night from the highest point of the moraines? Why or why not? Support or refute this with evidence.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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