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. How long does it take Gary to get to Alaska?

2. While training for his first race, why doesn't Gary sleep well?

3. How often should a dog's feet be examined while running the Iditarod?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the challenge of running from Koyuk to Nome?

2. According to Gary, what are "problem" dogs?

3. Describe the incident in "Major Wrecks" when Gary and his team encounter the skunks.

4. Describe how Gary and his team descend into Dalzell Gorge.

5. Describe Gary's fear when he learns his diagnosis in "An End."

6. Describe the manner in which Gary and his team make it down Happy Canyon.

7. Gary writes in the Prologue, "Everything had been done wrong." What does he think he did wrong?

8. Why do you think the chapter is called "An End"?

9. Why is Gary in a doctor's office at the end of the book?

10. Describe Don's Cabin. How did it get its name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do you think Gary's second Iditarod run was different from his first run? Give specific examples of at least three things he would probably do differently. Fully support your choices.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Gary's relationship with his dogs. How does it evolve over time? Discuss Gary's relationship with his dogs when he used them for trapping and hunting, after he lived with the dogs, during his first Iditarod, and in "An End."

Essay Topic 3

Gary interacts with a variety of people, animals, and places in this book. Discuss how Gary interacts with his wife, trail leaders and others at the pre-race meetings, mushers on the trail, and animals on the trail. Are these interactions positive or negative? Why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample