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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. Who does Simon get extremely angry at during his last full day at base camp?

2. After reciting a soliloquy as a preoccupying game, Joe realizes what?

3. What does Simon assume the foul taste in his mouth is from?

4. While crawling through the crevasse section of the glacier, what does Joe frequently do?

5. When Joe finally musters the courage to look down, what does he see in disbelief?

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

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

6. Describe Joe's one article of clothing that Simon can't bring himself to burn.

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Joe experiences voices, music in his head, hallucinations, delusions, and blackouts. Research the effects of pain, starvation, and dehydration on the brain and relate them to Joe's ordeal and what he experiences. Are his symptoms surprising? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Revisit the Shakespeare soliloquy that Joe hears in his head and eventually recites. Why does this verse come to mind, and why is he familiar with it? Why is it significant that a soliloquy surfaces in his mind, and not another type of speech or writing? What inherent characteristics of a soliloquy make it appropriate to Joe's current circumstances? Does the content of the Shakespeare piece have any significance to Joe's situation? How do you interpret the soliloquy?

Essay Topic 3

Did Simon do the right thing by cutting the rope? Joe staunchly defends him. Discuss the moral and ethical issues at hand.

(see the answer keys)

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