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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. How long is the trail that the team runs in "First Snow"?
(a) About twenty miles.
(b) About ten miles.
(c) About seventy miles.
(d) About one hundred miles.

3. What is something Gary does NOT ask at the pre-race rookie meeting?
(a) "What's the Burn?"
(b) "What are suckholes?"
(c) "Why is the Burn so dangerous?"
(d) "If you can't see then how do you watch for them?"

4. Gary discovers that this spice helps dogs eat when they're not hungry.
(a) Pepper.
(b) Garlic.
(c) Onion.
(d) Salt.

5. Why isn't Gary worried when he doesn't see any other teams on the trail after he leaves Anchorage?
(a) He knows that the other teams are too far ahead of him.
(b) It is dark.
(c) He knows he will see them later.
(d) He trusts Cookie.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Ruth crying when Gary and the team leave Knik?

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

3. At the start of "Beginnings", how long has Gary been running dogs?

4. During race training, how long does Marge stay with Gary and his team?

5. What is the "presence" that Gary feels in the Prelude?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Gary hears his diagnosis at the end of the book, what does he think about? Be specific.

2. What happens to the musher who leaves Shaktolik just before Gary does?

3. Why is Gary horrified when he first views Dalzell Gorge?

4. In "Beginnings," what does Gary mean when he writes, "I began to notice the dogs"?

5. To what is Gary referring when he writes in the fourth chapter, "When it first happens it is frightening--like watching Dr. Jekyll turn into Mr. Hyde"?

6. How does the red-bearded musher in "Alaska" react when his lead dog bites Gary?

7. What "absolute fundamental knowledge" scares Gary at the end of the Prelude?

8. Describe Gary's experience with the campfire outside of Kaltag?

9. How do the dogs show their desire to run in the first snow of the season?

10. In the last chapter, how does the doctor tell Gary about Gary's test results?

(see the answer keys)

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