Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Who were Andy Harris and Anatoli Boukreev?

2. For whom was Mount Everest named?

3. Who was the first confirmed European to summit Everest?

4. Who is Fiona McPherson?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What mistake does Andy make with Jon’s oxygen tank during the descent from the summit?

2. What other significant event coincided with the first successful summit of Everest by a European?

3. Why does Jon feel more comfortable with Doug Hansen than the other climbers in his group?

4. What is notable about the village of Lobuje?

Paired Resource

“Everest Through the Eyes of a Sherpa: Climbers Need to Wake Up”

• This 2019 article from the BBC records a Sherpa’s perspective of guiding people up the highest peak on earth.
• This source pairs well with the themes of The Commercialization of Everest and The Immense Power of Nature and the Frailty of Man.
• How is The Commercialization of Everest making attempts to summit Everest even more risky?

Chapters 6-10

Reading Check

1. What terrifying geographical terrain do the climbers have to climb through to reach Camp One? 

2.