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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. How many Smokejumpers have died from fire since the Mann Gulch fire?
(a) Two.
(b) Ten.
(c) None.
(d) Five.

3. What effect did Dodge's escape fire have on the Mann Gulch fire, according to Maclean?
(a) The escape fire leaves the Mann Gulch fire a scientific impossibility.
(b) The escape fire would have stopped the Mann Gulch fire.
(c) The escape fire made the Mann Gulch fire a blow up.
(d) The escape fire leaves the Mann Gulch fire a mystery.

4. What observation did Jansson and the doctor at the scene make about the final steps of the men who died on the hill?
(a) They fell, then rose and took a few steps, then fell again.
(b) They fell and got up many times before dying.
(c) They fell and were instantly devoured by the fire.
(d) They were dead before they fell to the ground.

5. Of what material are the Mann Gulch crosses made?
(a) Wood.
(b) Concrete.
(c) Marble.
(d) Plastic.

6. What did Maclean and the others decide was one key point on the hillside they needed to locate?
(a) The opening in the reef through which Rumsey and Sallee escaped the fire.
(b) The exact spot at which the Smokejumpers landed with their gear.
(c) The true location of Hellman's marker.
(d) The exact spot at which Sylvia was found alive.

7. What common portrayal of death did Maclean believe did not occur for the Smokejumpers?
(a) To see the future.
(b) To see their whole lives in review.
(c) To see the people waiting for them in Heaven.
(d) To see the people they love.

8. What did Maclean's wife die from?
(a) Lung cancer.
(b) Brain cancer.
(c) Stomach cancer.
(d) Esophagal cancer.

9. What does "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani" mean?
(a) "My God, My God, why hast thou foresaken me?"
(b) "My God, My God, please save me from death."
(c) "My God, My God, why is this happening to me?"
(d) "My God, My God, forgive me my sins."

10. At the end of his life, what did Maclean consider the ultimate drive of the human spirit?
(a) To die in peace.
(b) To cry out for compassion.
(c) To escape death at any cost.
(d) To continue doing what we last hoped to do on earth.

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

12. To what did Maclean compare the fire lower on the hillside as it met the escape fire set by Dodge?
(a) Deranged mice running toward a mouse hole and hitting a wall.
(b) Deranged serpents searching for food.
(c) Deranged military monsters enraged by the obstacle in front of them.
(d) Deranged soldiers running blindly into the smoke and fire.

13. Who is one of the best bibliographical references about the Mann Gulch fire available to Laird and Maclean?
(a) The chief librarian at the New York City Library.
(b) The postmistress of a nearby logging town.
(c) The Forest Service land office manager.
(d) The head librarian at the local library.

14. Who was Arthur P. Brackebush?
(a) A former foreman for the Smokejumpers.
(b) A former student of Gisborne's.
(c) A former Forest Service ranger.
(d) A former pilot of a Smokejumper's plane.

15. Who did the author reference when he compared ghosts and tragic heroes?
(a) Hamlet from "Hamlet."
(b) Macduff from "Macbeth."
(c) Romeo from "Romeo and Juliet."
(d) Iago from "Othello."

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Maclean compare the death of his wife and the death of the Smokejumpers?

2. Who made the crosses that mark the spots the Smokejumpers fell, defeated by the fire?

3. Who was Henry Thol, Sr.?

4. As an old man, what did the author hope to receive by his study of the Mann Gulch fire?

5. What is a gofer match?

(see the answer keys)

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