Question

in this excerpt, both avalanches and crevasses can best be described as
a natural events that are risks when climbing a very tall mountain.
b types of mountain climbing ropes.
c forms of a deadly altitude sickness.
d pieces of technology that help guide climbers through mountain passes.

high altitude mountain climbing probably has one of the highest fatality rates for any activity. climbers have slipped from ropes, and they have frozen to death. they have died of altitude, the worst form of altitude sickness. they have dropped into deep crevasses and been crushed by avalanches. the albums with pictures of my parents at himalayan meadows also show photographs of other climbers, many of them dead now.

Explanation:

• Option B is incorrect as avalanches and crevasses are not types of ropes.
• Option C is wrong because they are not forms of altitude sickness (altitude sickness is a medical condition, while avalanches and crevasses are environmental hazards).
• Option D is incorrect as they are not pieces of technology for guiding climbers.
• Option A is correct because avalanches (snow slides) and crevasses (deep cracks in ice/snow) are natural events/hazards that climbers face when climbing very tall mountains (like those in high - altitude regions), and the text mentions climbers being exposed to avalanches and dropping into crevasses as part of the risks of high - altitude mountain climbing.

Answer:

A. natural events that are risks when climbing a very tall mountain