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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 see that makes him certain that he is going to get out of the crevasse?

2. Joe reaches an open void while abseiling deep into the crevasse, and he struggles to continue. He compares the sensation to which experience?

3. How far into the crevasse does Joe guess he has fallen?

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

5. Why does Joe turn off his head torch?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. After learning that the rope had been cut and after getting some sleep in the crevasse, what are Joe's thoughts about the end of his life?

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

5. While abseiling to the right of the wall over which Joe had tumbled, why does Simon suddenly stop his descent?

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

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

8. 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?

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

10. After discovering that Simon had cut the rope, Joe turns off his head torch and cries himself to sleep. When he awakens, what are his immediate thoughts?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and/or contrast Joe's use of patterns and rhythm throughout the book. Does he use them as a function of his personality, as a result of the essence of climbing, or out of necessity? Discuss the appearance of these patterns in climbing, in the rescue attempt, and in Joe's journey back to base camp.

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

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.

(see the answer keys)

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