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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. How did Rumsey verify that the tin can of potatoes the men found near Hellman's marker was the same one left there after the fire?
(a) He had not opened the can because it was dented on the bottom.
(b) He had used his knife to make holes through which Hellman could drink the liquid.
(c) He had put a slit in the side of the can to allow Hellman to drink the liquid.
(d) He had used his knife to take off the top of the can for Hellman to have food and water.

2. What did Laird and Maclean realize early in their investigation of the Mann Gulch fire?
(a) They needed to find all of the firefighters who rescued the survivors.
(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 the Thol family at the site of the fire.

3. Where did Maclean place the ashes of his wife Jessie when she died?
(a) At Seely Lake.
(b) On Mount Jessie.
(c) On Mount Helena.
(d) On the western bank of the Missouri.

4. What was the name of the doctor who went in with the rescue crew the night of the fire?
(a) Dr. Hawkins.
(b) Dr. Williams.
(c) Dr. Jansson.
(d) Dr. Thomas.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Where did Maclean and his brother-in-law first go to view Mann Gulch?

3. At the end of his life, what did Maclean consider the ultimate drive of the human spirit?

4. When Sallee and Rumsey reached Hellman's cross, what did they both say to Laird and Maclean?

5. When did Wag Dodge die?

Short Essay Questions

1. Maclean believed that the Smokejumpers did not see their lives in review as they died. What did he believe their final thoughts to be? How was he able to confirm his idea?

2. What was it like when the fire reached its height and totally covered the landscape? To what did Maclean compare the fire at this point?

3. How did Dr. Hawkins describe the death process the Smokejumpers underwent in the final moments of their lives? To what did Maclean compare their suffering?

4. When Maclean and his group began their trek to Mann Gulch, how did Maclean respond to those who were concerned about his heart being strong enough to make it to the site of the fire?

5. How did Maclean explain the picture of a big fire? What was it made up of in his opinion?

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

7. Who was Henry Thol, Sr.? What was his role in the Mann Gulch fire?

8. How did the Forest Service receive Maclean when he began searching for the documentation on the Mann Gulch fire? Why?

9. Who is the firsthand source of information Maclean and his investigative partner Laird Robinson set out to find before they did anything else? Why? Who were they looking for?

10. How did the author describe the final moments of the men's lives before the fire overtook them? What elements of nature were prominent in their lives just before their deaths? How did they actually die?

(see the answer keys)

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