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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. George Schaller is a famous ______________.

2. What medical emergency does Schaller fear could stop their journey?

3. How long do Matthiessen and Schaller stay in a hotel together at the beginning of their trip?

4. What does Schaller leave behind for Matthiessen?

5. What animal could possibly leave behind a sign similar to that of a snow leopard?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Matthiessen have hallucinations about that inspire him to pull out his book The Tibetan Book of the Dead?

2. What does a sherpa point out to Schaller while they take a break on the mountainside that makes Schaller happy?

3. Whom does Matthiessen admire as they trek along arduous paths and why?

4. While Matthiessen sits outside the stone hut and relaxes in the sun, what does Schaller do?

5. Why does Matthiessen exhibit some reservation about traveling with Schaller at the beginning of the trip?

6. What happens to Matthiessen after he walks for 10 hours on the first day of their trek?

7. What does Matthiessen find on the Nepal side of the mountains that inspires a lot of questions from the group and could mean that they have gotten closer to finding what they came for?

8. What is one of the rarest of cats, where does it live, and why is it considered rare?

9. When they are hiking, what disgusts Schaller but he is powerless to prevent from happening?

10. What creature is Matthiessen interested in possibly seeing in the Himalayas that he discussed previously with a young biologist?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the role of Tibetans in the Himalayas in the 1990s when the people mentioned in this book are described. What rights do they have or lack? What freedoms, restrictions, and rules do they have? How does that differ from what they have today?

Essay Topic 2

Along their journey, Matthiessen and Schaller employ both sherpas and porters. What is a sherpa? Where does a sherpa originate from? What is a porter? How are sherpas and porters similar and how are they different? In a hierarchical sense, who has more authority and independence of the two? How do Matthiessen and Schaller relate to the sherpas and the porters on their trip?

Essay Topic 3

Tensions between certain individuals offer insight into unfolding dramatic events. Tukten and Gyalsten interact with each other and have a volatile relationship. How does this affect the rest of the climbing party? Does their conflict increase or decrease morale in the group as a whole? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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