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

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

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

4. How did Maclean compare the death of his wife and the death of the Smokejumpers?
(a) Courage stuggling for oxygen.
(b) Pain and sadness gasping for air.
(c) Peace in knowing Heaven was next.
(d) Loneliness and pain in the last breath.

5. What was one of many reasons Maclean thought Henry Thol, Sr. should be proud of his son?
(a) His son carried a picture of his family with him.
(b) His son was not alone when he died.
(c) His son died while protecting another man.
(d) His son was the closest man to the top of the ridge.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Laird Robinson stop smokejumping?

2. What did the blowup and its fire rising out of Mann Gulch look like?

3. What well-known magazine had a lead article entitled "Smokejumpers Suffer Ordeal by Fire?"

4. What did Laird and Maclean realize early in their investigation of the Mann Gulch fire?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What object do Sallee and Rumsey discover at the site of a fallen comrade? Why was this discovery important?

2. How did Jansson's explanation of why the non-flammable objects such as wallets and watches were found uphill from the men's bodies? How did his explanation differ from that of the Forest Service?

3. What did Maclean mean when he said, "viewing total conflagration is literally blinding, as sight becomes sound."

4. What did the land in Mann Gulch look like in the aftermath of the fire?

5. Why did both parents and the Forest Service hope for silence after the court judgments concerning suits filed against the Forest Service?

6. What different theories did Henry Thol on one side and Carl Gustafson present as to the escape fire set by Dodge? How did Maclean suggest the Review Board of the Mann Gulch fire might have immediately answered the question of the escape fire set by Dodge?

7. What does Maclean believe has become the symbol of fear in the late twentieth century? What artist does he site as support for this claim?

8. What were Sallee and Rumsey arguing about as Maclean approached them on the ridge? What did they agree on?

9. What happened to the men when they left the foreman, Dodge, at the site of the escape fire? What name did the author give to the point at which the men left? From what perspective did the author tell the story of their assent?

10. What was the movie released in 1952 about the Mann Gulch fire? What does Maclean note about the film and its historic accuracy?

(see the answer keys)

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