View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Gloria and Norma are gawping at Simon. Why?

2. In the opening scene of the chapter "Shadows in the Ice", Joe is convinced that he and his partner are going to die. What does Joe hope?

3. In Bomb Alley, Joe sees the footprints of Simon and Richard. What does he think this means?

4. After 12 hours in the crevasse, Joe finally escapes. Although briefly mentioned in the chapter "In the Far Distance", a new character is now officially introduced. Who is it?

5. When Richard returns to base camp, he informs Simon that Spinoza will arrive with the donkeys when?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does the "voice" utter its first words of discouragement? What does it tell Joe?

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

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

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

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

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

7. While crawling away during his escape from the crevasse, what is Joe's most common excuse for stopping, and what persuades him to continue?

8. How does Joe describe his night in the moraines under the stars?

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

10. While preparing for his escape attempt up the snow cone towards the light, how does Joe's view towards the crevasse briefly change?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

In "Ten Years On", Joe includes an excerpt from Simon's book "Against the Wall", in which Simon describes the rope as representing a "powerful symbol of trust and friendship". Cite examples in the book that support or refute this notion. Is the climber's rope simply a safety measure or, as Simon suggests, symbolic of a powerful life-and-death bond of trust between men on the mountain?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,142 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample