View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 assistance from the Forest Service at the site of the fire.
(c) They needed Rumsey and Sallee with them at the site of the fire.
(d) They needed to find all of the firefighters who rescued the survivors.

2. What is a gofer match?
(a) A small torch made by lighting rolled paper.
(b) A stick match pulled from a matchbox.
(c) A cigarette lighter.
(d) A paper match pulled from a matchbook.

3. 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) Two or three times.
(c) Many times.
(d) Once.

4. What did Maclean say was evidence of the strength of the fire when it hit the Smokejumpers on the ridge?
(a) It blew the clothes off of their bodies.
(b) It singed the hair on their heads.
(c) It melted the soles of their shoes.
(d) It blew the watches from their wrists.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Maclean explain the change in the world after compassionately studying the fire at Mann Gulch?

2. Who was the first man to crawl through the crevice at the reef during their escape from the fire?

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

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

5. Who was Arthur P. Brackebush?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

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

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. How did the perspective shift as the author continued his discussion of the fire from looking at the mushroom cloud in the sky? What did he hope to learn by changing perspective?

8. 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?

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

10. When did Maclean begin research on the Mann Gulch fire? What where his first steps?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,371 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample