Question

18 multiple choice
what event marks the beginning of the disaster during descent?
a. a massive avalanche
b. a supply helicopter crash
c. a violent storm engulfing the mountain
d. a rope failure
19 multiple choice
how does altitude worsen the effects of the storm on climbers?
a. it improves judgment
b. it causes hypothermia and mental failure
c. it strengthens endurance
d. it prevents frostbite
20 short answer
what happens to climbers when they run out of oxygen high on the mountain?
21 multiple choice
why is andy harris’s mistake especially deadly?
a. he abandons the group
b. he ignores rescue orders
c. he gives incorrect information about oxygen supplies
d. he refuses to descend
22 short answer
describe one difficult triage decision rescuers must make during the storm.
23 multiple choice
which guide later risks his life to rescue stranded climbers during the storm?
a. rob hall
b. neal beidleman
c. scott fischer
d. anatoli boukreev
24 multiple choice
how many climbers die during the 1996 everest season?
a. 8
b. 9
c. 10
d. 11
25 short answer
what final warning does krakauer give future everest climbers?

Explanation:

These questions relate to the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, based on Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.

1. The disaster during descent began with a violent storm trapping climbers.
2. High altitude exacerbates storm effects by impairing the body's ability to regulate temperature and cognitive function.
3. At high altitude with no oxygen, climbers suffer hypoxia, impairing mental and physical function.
4. Andy Harris's incorrect oxygen supply info led to fatal decisions.
5. Rescuers had to choose between saving accessible climbers vs. those in more dangerous areas.
6. Anatoli Boukreev made risky rescues during the storm.
7. 8 climbers died in the 1996 Everest disaster.
8. Krakauer warns future climbers against underestimating Everest's danger and overconfidence.

Answer:

1. C. A violent storm engulfing the mountain
2. B. It causes hypothermia and mental failure
3. They experience hypoxia, which leads to impaired judgment, loss of physical coordination, confusion, and eventually loss of consciousness and death if not rescued quickly.
4. C. He gives incorrect information about oxygen supplies
5. One difficult decision is choosing whether to attempt rescuing a climber stranded in an extremely high, dangerous section of the mountain (where rescuers risk their own lives) or focusing on saving climbers who are more accessible and have a higher chance of survival.
6. D. Anatoli Boukreev
7. A. 8
8. Krakauer warns future Everest climbers not to underestimate the mountain's unforgiving nature, to prioritize safety over summiting at all costs, and to avoid the overconfidence and commercialization that contributed to the 1996 disaster.