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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Gary carry a gun?
(a) To protect himself from his dogs.
(b) To shoot feral dogs.
(c) To protect himself against other mushers.
(d) To hunt.

2. Why is Ruth crying when Gary and the team leave Knik?
(a) She is very tired.
(b) She heard that the trail was very dangerous.
(c) She wants to go home.
(d) She wants to run in the race, too.

3. The mushers need to be in Anchorage how long before the start of the race?
(a) The night.
(b) Two hours.
(c) A week.
(d) Two days.

4. At the start of "Beginnings", how long has Gary been running dogs?
(a) Almost two years.
(b) He has just started to run dogs.
(c) Almost a year.
(d) Almost two months.

5. What does Ruth say to Gary right before he starts his dog run with the bike?
(a) "Let me help you harness those rascals."
(b) "Be careful this time. You know what happened during your last run."
(c) "Don't you think you might have rather more dogs than you need?"
(d) "I hope to see you for dinner tonight, in one piece."

6. What is the setting at the beginning of the book?
(a) In the northern woods of Minnesota.
(b) On the Iditarod trail.
(c) Near the Alaska Range.
(d) In the Colorado mountains.

7. Where does the trapping trail outside of Anchorage end?
(a) At a river.
(b) At a vertical rock face.
(c) At the edge of a canyon.
(d) At a cabin.

8. Where are the dogs when Gary sleeps in the Prelude?
(a) On top of Gary.
(b) Around the fire.
(c) Blown down the mountain.
(d) Attached to the sled.

9. After Devil falls in "First Snow", why isn't he run over by the sled?
(a) Murphy pulled Devil up by his harness.
(b) The sled swerved away from Devil.
(c) Devil rolled out of the way.
(d) The sled stopped just in time.

10. In the Prelude Gary writes, "The difficulty came because of ____________."
(a) A headache.
(b) The "problem" dogs.
(c) The terrain.
(d) The snow.

11. What is Gary's number for the race?
(a) Fifty-three.
(b) Thirty-two.
(c) Fifteen.
(d) Twenty-two.

12. What do the other mushers unofficially vote Gary to be?
(a) Most likely to be the last to cross the finish line.
(b) Least likely to ask for help.
(c) Most likely to get trapped in the Burn.
(d) Least likely to get out of Anchorage.

13. According to Gary, what is "the be-all and end-all of running dogs on the Iditarod"?
(a) Healthy dogs.
(b) Experience.
(c) A healthy musher.
(d) A tight tug.

14. How long does Gary spend in the back of the truck with the dogs when he brings them home from Canada?
(a) All night.
(b) Less than 30 minutes.
(c) Three hours.
(d) All day.

15. When does Gary start thinking like a dog?
(a) When he sleeps with them in the kennel.
(b) When he is bitten by one of his dogs.
(c) When he harnesses himself to the team.
(d) When he spends the day on his hands and knees.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Gary do when he first gets home after he encounters the snared doe?

2. What does it mean when a musher comes from "Down Below"?

3. What does Gary say when Ruth asks if he had a rough night after looking for the dogs and bike?

4. What does Gary write is the most important fact about skunks when running dogs?

5. What is one mistake that Gary makes right before the race starts?

(see the answer keys)

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