View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When did Maclean begin his research on the Mann Gulch fire?
(a) 1967.
(b) 1976.
(c) 1986.
(d) 1987.

2. In Maclean's mind, what did the Ponderosa pines look like during the fire?
(a) Giant candles burning for the dead.
(b) Giant traffic signs in the middle of fire whirl traffic.
(c) Giant sign posts for the rescuers.
(d) Giant trees standing firm against the match of fire.

3. What did Sallee and Rumsey say as they went up the last hillside?
(a) "My God, do not let me die this way!"
(b) "My God, please let me live!"
(c) "My God, how could you do this to me?"
(d) "My God, why did this happen to me?"

4. Where did Maclean first go in the hopes of finding Robert Sallee?
(a) The University of Montana-Butte.
(b) A paper mill near Missoula.
(c) The personnel office of the Bank of America.
(d) A sawmill in Portland.

5. What effect did Dodge's escape fire have on the Mann Gulch fire, according to Maclean?
(a) The escape fire made the Mann Gulch fire a blow up.
(b) The escape fire leaves the Mann Gulch fire a mystery.
(c) The escape fire leaves the Mann Gulch fire a scientific impossibility.
(d) The escape fire would have stopped the Mann Gulch fire.

6. What did Maclean believe were the final cries of the men who died on the ridge?
(a) Ones of disbelief.
(b) Ones of rage.
(c) Ones of self-compassion.
(d) Ones of self-pity.

7. According to Sallee and Rumsey, toward the end of their run, how many times did the smoke part in order for them to see the top of the ridge?
(a) Four or five times.
(b) Many times.
(c) Once.
(d) Two or three times.

8. When Sallee and Rumsey reached Hellman's cross, what did they both say to Laird and Maclean?
(a) They did not want to see Mann Gulch.
(b) Hellman's cross was not in the correct place.
(c) They wanted to rest before seeing Mann Gulch.
(d) Someone had moved the markers of some of the men.

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

10. Where did Maclean finally locate Walter Rumsey?
(a) In Lincoln, Nebraska.
(b) In Chicago, Illinois.
(c) In Seattle, Washington.
(d) In Boise, Idaho.

11. What sculptor's piece stands at the University of Chicago commemorating the Atomic Age?
(a) Albert Camus.
(b) Heindrick Gustav.
(c) Malcolm Miller.
(d) Henry Moore.

12. After Smokejumpers are dropped on a fire, what time do they say the fire will be put out?
(a) Ten hours after they land.
(b) By noon the next day.
(c) Twenty four hours after they reach the fire.
(d) By ten o'clock the next morning.

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

14. Who was Arthur P. Brackebush?
(a) A former student of Gisborne's.
(b) A former foreman for the Smokejumpers.
(c) A former pilot of a Smokejumper's plane.
(d) A former Forest Service ranger.

15. What did Laird and Maclean realize early in their investigation of the Mann Gulch fire?
(a) They needed the Thol family at the site of the fire.
(b) They needed Rumsey and Sallee with them at the site of the fire.
(c) They needed assistance from the Forest Service at the site of the fire.
(d) They needed to find all of the firefighters who rescued the survivors.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was the only time Smokejumpers were allowed to be alone while fighting a fire?

2. What year is generally seen as the beginning of modern scientific study of fire behavior?

3. Who is one of the best bibliographical references about the Mann Gulch fire available to Laird and Maclean?

4. Who did Maclean meet who finally makes the connection for him to Robert Sallee?

5. Who was the chief forester in Washington D.C. at the time of the Mann Gulch fire?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 719 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample