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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. As an old man, what did the author hope to receive by his study of the Mann Gulch fire?
(a) A better understanding of Sallee and Rumsey.
(b) A better understanding of the role of the Smokejumper.
(c) A better understanding of the Forest Service.
(d) A better understanding of himself and people close to him.

2. When was the only time Smokejumpers were allowed to be alone while fighting a fire?
(a) As they made escape fires.
(b) As they dug trenches and holes.
(c) As they fell to earth from the plane.
(d) As they ate a meal.

3. Who did Maclean watch play billiards nearly every day when he was a young teacher?
(a) Albert Abraham Michelson.
(b) Albert William Conneley.
(c) Albert Adam Smith.
(d) Albert Simon Winchester.

4. What does the sculpture at the University of Chicago commemorating the Atomic Age look like?
(a) Both a mushroom and a skull.
(b) Both a skull and a womb.
(c) Both a womb and a mushroom.
(d) Both a mushroom and a planet.

5. Where did Maclean and his party land their boat to begin their trip to Mann Gulch?
(a) At the mouth of Rescue Gulch.
(b) At the base of Fields Gulch.
(c) At the entrance to Merriweather Canyon.
(d) At the foot of the Gates of the Mountain.

6. How did W.R. Moore assist Maclean in his research about Mann Gulch?
(a) He ordered that all documents on the fire be sent to Washington, D.C.
(b) He ordered that all documentation on the fire be put on the internet.
(c) He ordered that all documentation on the fire be sent to the library in Missoula.
(d) He ordered that all Forest Service documents on the fire be available to Maclean.

7. Who made the crosses that mark the spots the Smokejumpers fell, defeated by the fire?
(a) The Red Cross.
(b) The Smokejumpers in Missoula.
(c) Wag Dodge and his crew.
(d) The U.S. Forest Service.

8. At the end of his life, what did Maclean consider the ultimate drive of the human spirit?
(a) To escape death at any cost.
(b) To cry out for compassion.
(c) To continue doing what we last hoped to do on earth.
(d) To die in peace.

9. Who did the author reference when he compared ghosts and tragic heroes?
(a) Iago from "Othello."
(b) Hamlet from "Hamlet."
(c) Romeo from "Romeo and Juliet."
(d) Macduff from "Macbeth."

10. What did Maclean believe the atomic mushroom to be a symbol of in the 20th century?
(a) A symbol of the future of science.
(b) A symbol of our inner fear of the explosive power of the universe.
(c) A symbol of everything wrong with governmental agencies such as the Forest Service.
(d) A symbol of American supremacy in firefighting.

11. What time did Dodge's watch say when he rose from the ashes of his own fire?
(a) Nine forty-five.
(b) Ten minutes after six.
(c) Seven fifteen.
(d) Fifteen minutes after seven.

12. What well-known magazine had a lead article entitled "Smokejumpers Suffer Ordeal by Fire?"
(a) Look.
(b) Life.
(c) Time.
(d) National Geographic.

13. Where did Maclean finally find Robert Sallee?
(a) In Portland.
(b) In Seattle.
(c) In Helena.
(d) In Missoula.

14. When on the ridge in Mann Gulch, what did Maclean witness Sallee and Rumsey argue about?
(a) Where Dodge had lit his fire.
(b) Where Thol's marker should actually be.
(c) Where Diettert died.
(d) Where Hellman actually fell.

15. To what did Maclean compare the fire lower on the hillside as it met the escape fire set by Dodge?
(a) Deranged soldiers running blindly into the smoke and fire.
(b) Deranged mice running toward a mouse hole and hitting a wall.
(c) Deranged military monsters enraged by the obstacle in front of them.
(d) Deranged serpents searching for food.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Sallee and Rumsey say as they went up the last hillside?

2. What feeling did the Smokejumpers share with all other youth their age?

3. What date did Maclean, Robinson, Sallee, and Rumsey agree to meet and visit Mann Gulch?

4. In Maclean's mind, what did the Ponderosa pines look like during the fire?

5. What observation did Jansson and the doctor at the scene make about the final steps of the men who died on the hill?

(see the answer keys)

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