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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why are grizzly bears not a concern on the trail?
(a) Grizzly bears do not roam east of the Mississippi River.
(b) The black bear population has driven off the grizzly bears.
(c) The Park Service shoots all grizzly bears on sight.
(d) Disease unique to the grizzly bear has wiped out the population.

2. What makes Bryson and Katz decide not to hike the whole Appalachian Trail?
(a) They want to get home quicker.
(b) They are tired.
(c) They see a map of the trail and realize they have so far to go.
(d) They miss their families.

3. What do Bryson and Katz begin hiking?
(a) The White Mountains
(b) The Rockies
(c) The Smokies
(d) The Blue Ridge Mountains

4. Which is another of Bryson's fears?
(a) Inadequate supplies
(b) Lack of needed stamina
(c) Diseases
(d) Inadequate planning

5. What does the cabdriver suggest Bryson and Katz do to get to their destination?
(a) Go by bus
(b) Catch the train
(c) Rent a motorscooter
(d) Rent a car

6. What is the only accommodation available at the campground?
(a) A full-to-capacity bunkhouse
(b) Dilapidated cottages and trailers without heat
(c) A heated sleeping platform
(d) A 10-person tent

7. Who is the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail in a single summer?
(a) Earl Shaffer
(b) Bill Irwin
(c) Woodrow Murphey
(d) David Horton

8. What kills the Chestnut trees along the Appalachian Trail?
(a) Poisonous aphids
(b) Grubs
(c) A deadly Asian fungus
(d) Root rot

9. Where does Bryson reside in the beginning of the book?
(a) New Hampshire
(b) Maine
(c) Georgia
(d) Pennsylvania

10. Of what material are the shelters in the Rockies constructed?
(a) Brick
(b) Pine branches
(c) Stone
(d) Plywood

11. What is a diversion available at the campground?
(a) Listening to country music for endless hours
(b) Looking at hanging wall pictures of previous hikers
(c) Playing board games endlessly
(d) Hanging out at the stove in the office

12. What is the idea of Trail Magic that all AT hikers believe?
(a) When things look hopeless and will never change, along comes a positive change.
(b) Never stay more than two days in the same spot.
(c) Camp should be set by 6 p.m.
(d) A hiking party of five is a bad luck omen.

13. What creatures were living in Birch Spring Gap Shelter?
(a) Mice
(b) Rats
(c) Chipmunks
(d) Skunks

14. What is Katz planning to do in Franklin?
(a) Find a woman
(b) Go shopping
(c) Idle in town for several days
(d) Go to the movies

15. What do Bryson and Katz talk about as they dine in the Georgia Mountain Restaurant in Hiawassee?
(a) The abandonment of their uninvited hiking partner
(b) The pros and cons of renting a mule
(c) The life and times of a cockroach
(d) The great food in the finest restaurants in Boston and New York

Short Answer Questions

1. Which group is responsible for the maintenance of the trail?

2. What is the primary role of the Forest Service?

3. What do Katz and Bryson hear about Mary Ellen two days after they leave her behind?

4. Why is Katz determined to take a top bunk?

5. What did the future hold for Earl Schaffer?

(see the answer keys)

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