View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Maclean call the "No Man's Land" of the Mann Gulch fire?
(a) The point at which the fire becomes a blowup.
(b) The point at which the fire was fifty yards behind the men running in semidarkness.
(c) The point at which the men can see no escape from the fire.
(d) The point at which the men can run niether forward nor backward.

2. What is "Red Skies of Montana?"
(a) A book written about the Mann Gulch Fire.
(b) The name given to the Gates of the Mountains.
(c) A movie made about the Mann Gulch Fire.
(d) The new branch of the Smokejumpers.

3. 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.

4. 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 Forest Service.
(c) A better understanding of the role of the Smokejumper.
(d) A better understanding of himself and people close to him.

5. 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 ten o'clock the next morning.
(c) Twenty four hours after they reach the fire.
(d) By noon the next day.

6. What year is generally seen as the beginning of modern scientific study of fire behavior?
(a) 1922.
(b) 1946.
(c) 1946.
(d) 1918.

7. What observation did Jansson and the doctor at the scene make about the final steps of the men who died on the hill?
(a) They fell and were instantly devoured by the fire.
(b) They were dead before they fell to the ground.
(c) They fell and got up many times before dying.
(d) They fell, then rose and took a few steps, then fell again.

8. Who was Elmer Bloom?
(a) The announcer.
(b) The movie director.
(c) The movie producer.
(d) The Forest Service photographer.

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

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

11. How many Smokejumpers have died from fire since the Mann Gulch fire?
(a) Ten.
(b) None.
(c) Five.
(d) Two.

12. When did the investigative committee that the chief forester assembled arrive in Mann Gulch?
(a) August 19.
(b) August 5.
(c) August 9.
(d) August 10.

13. What common portrayal of death did Maclean believe did not occur for the Smokejumpers?
(a) To see the future.
(b) To see the people they love.
(c) To see the people waiting for them in Heaven.
(d) To see their whole lives in review.

14. Where did Maclean and his brother-in-law first go to view Mann Gulch?
(a) Down the Missouri River.
(b) Over the ridge climbed by Sallee and Rumsey.
(c) Through the mountain range.
(d) Up through the Gates of the Mountain.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What was one of many reasons Maclean thought Henry Thol, Sr. should be proud of his son?

2. How did W.R. Moore assist Maclean in his research about Mann Gulch?

3. What did Maclean's wife die from?

4. What was the name of the doctor who went in with the rescue crew the night of the fire?

5. What happened to the Smokejumpers once they left Dodge and his escape fire?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 732 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample