IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.
Section 1: Chapters 1-4
Vocabulary
- citadel: a fortress, typically on high ground, protecting or dominating a city
- crevasse: a deep open crack, especially on a glacier
- deft: neatly skillful and quick in one’s movements
- moraine: a mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges or extremity
- porter: a person employed to carry supplies on a mountaineering expedition
- rhythmic: having or relating to rhythm; occurring regularly
- shirk: avoid or neglect a duty or responsibility
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- And there it was…The Citadel. (Ch. 1, pg. 18)
- Like all glaciers, the Blue was cut through with crevasses:… (Ch. 1, pg. 22)
- …but his feet were nimble, his balance true, and, making deft use of his self-made staff, he climbed quickly and easily. (Ch. 1, pg. 19)
- He had come to the terminal moraine of the Citadel’s glacier – the great mass of tumbled, broken rock which all ice sheets push and grind before them in their slow descent. (Ch. 1, pg. 20)
- “Are you an apprentice guide? A porter?” (Ch. 2, pg. 37)
- He walked with the slow rhythmic pace of the mountain people and though the path was now steepening sharply, he felt no strain. (Ch. 1, pg. 13)
- …How he shirks his work. (Ch. 3, pg. 42)
Comprehension Questions
- Rudi’s heart is filled with peace and joy as he was far enough along the mountain trail to no longer be stopped and questioned by people that knew him. (Ch. 1, pg. 14)
- The highest honor a man can attain in Kurtal is to be a member of the Company Guides of Kurtal. (Ch. 1, pg. 17)
- The people of the valley have decided that the mountain called Citadel will never be climbed. (Ch. 1, pg. 19)
- When hidden by snow, crevices, deep splits and chasms caused by the pressures of slow- moving ice can be the greatest hazard for climbers. (Ch. 1, pg. 22)
- Rudi rules out returning to Kurtal for help in getting out the man out of the crevasse because it would take at least five hours to go down and back up the mountain and by that time the climber would freeze to death. (Ch. 2, pg. 26)
- When Rudi finally pulls Captain Winter out of the crevasse, the man upon seeing him says, “Why – you’re just a boy.” (Ch. 2, pg. 30)
- Captain Winter thinks he may have to go over to the next valley, to Broli to find a climbing partner to climb the Citadel with. (Ch. 2, pg. 34)
- Before Rudi and the Captain come into town, Rudi asks him not to tell anyone he has been on the mountain, or that he rescued the Captain. (Ch. 2, pg. 38)
- Rudi want to be a guide because that is what his father did. (Ch. 3, pg. 44)
- Upon meeting Rudi with his family, Captain Winter keeps his promise to Rudi until it is clear his family knows Rudi was on the mountain that day. (Ch. 3, pg. 47)
- When Rudi’s mother gives her consent for him to climb the Wunderhorn, he covers her face with kisses. (Ch. 3, pg. 51)
- Rudi’s recurring dream always ends with him setting a pole with a red flannel shirt attached to it upon the summit of the Citadel. (Ch. 4, pg. 52)
- Rudi does not realize that fifteen summers ago his mother had sent Rudi’s father off to climb the Citadel, but at that time she cried. (Ch. 4, pg. 56)
- Rudi’s heart swells with satisfaction in the hut because the guides and their employer make comments to him and he feels accepted as a man among men. (Ch. 4, pg. 59)
Section 2: Chapters 5-9
Vocabulary
- amateur: a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid rather than a professional basis
- buttress: a projecting support of stone or brick built against a wall; a projecting portion of a hill or mountain
- decrepit: elderly and infirm; worn out or ruined because of age or neglect
- fondue: a dish in which small pieces of food are dipped into a hot sauce
- reconnoitre: to make an observation, often militarily of a place, region
- shame: a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the conscious of wrong or foolish behavior
- spoor: the track or scent of an animalame – a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- …for no professional would allow an amateur to go first, unless he was certain that that amateur was as capable as himself. (Ch. 5, pg. 62)
- In another half an hour they reached a second ridge: the main southern buttress of the Wunderhorn. (Ch. 5, pg. 61)
- It was a tiny and decrepit place, far different from the other, newer huts, like Blausee. (Ch. 8, pg. 103)
- Then Old Teo left him to watch a cheese fondue that was simmering on the stove, and he forgot about it and let it burn. (Ch. 7, pg. 91)
- “Today we are just going to reconnoitre.” (Ch. 8, pg. 105)
- And of bitter shame (Ch. 5, pg 72)
- For a while Saxo led, then Winter, then Saxo again, threading the maze like bloodhounds on a spoor. (Ch. 8, pg. 110)
Comprehension Questions
- Rudi is filled with exhilaration when climbing as he realized that he could do what his uncle and Captain Winters could do. (Ch. 5, pg. 62)
- Right after Rudi leapt from the ledge to the platform the ledge disintegrated and plunged into the space below. (Ch. 5, pg. 67)
- Rudi feels “bitter shame” because he had committed the worst sin a mountaineer can commit; he had made others risk their lives to save his. (Ch. 5, pg. 76)
- Old Teo teaches Rudi that carrying a pack is not a load or a burden but must be considered as part of his body. (Ch. 6, pg. 78)
- Rudi’s father always wore a red shirt because he believed that he would reach the summit of the Citadel and once there he would put the shirt on a pold so every valley and city of Switzerland could see it. (Ch. 6, pg. 81)
- On the way back down the mountain Rudi’s heart sings like a bird as he knew he had done alright climbing with Old Teo and things would be alright. (Ch. 6, pg. 87)
- While Rudi is fixing his father’s shirt out on the front step, Klaus Wesselhoft comes by and taunts him, so despite Klaus being larger he attacks him and ends up with a bloody nose. (Ch. 7, pgs. 92-93)
- From his uncle’s closet Rudi takes the ax, the boots and the pack that Captain Winter had given him. (Ch. 7, pg. 96)
- Upon entering the old hut below the Citadel, Rudi finds not Captain Winter in the hut, but Emil Saxo, the guide from roli. (Ch. 8, pg. 101)
- Saxo suggests that Rudi would be useful in keeping the hut clean and having food ready for their return from climbing. (Ch. 8, pg. 104)
- Captain Winter tells Rudi that on the climb he must not make any experiments, any individual climbing, or any route finding of his own. (Ch. 8, pg. 107)
- After hearing the rumbling sound and shout from Saxo, Rudi sees a white wave tumbling and plunging down the mountain – an avalanche. (Ch 8, pg. 113)
- Franz Lerner, Teo Zurbriggen and all the other climbers realize that Rudi Matt is the third climber with Captain Winter and Saxo. (Ch. 9, pgs. 120-122)
- After Teo calls the mountaineers out on their fear of the Citadel, Franz Lerner announces he will climb up the Citadel and bring the two men and his nephew down from the mountain. (Ch. 9, pg. 124)
Section 3: Chapters 10-14
Vocabulary
- ascent: a climb or walk to the summit of a mountain or a hill
- birthright: a particular right of possession or privilege one has from birth, especially as an eldest child
- bivouac: a temporary camp without tents or cover, used especially by soldiers or mountaineers
- serac: a pinnacle or ridge of ice on the surface of a glacier
- spectre: a ghost; something widely feared as a possible unpleasant or dangerous occurrence
- surmount: to overcome a difficulty or obstacle
- taboo: a social or religious custom prohibiting or forbidding discussion of a particular practice, or forbidding association with a particular person, place or thing
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- For in that instant, for the first time since he had begun the ascent of the ridge, he thought of the hour. (Ch. 11, pg. 149)
- “It’s his birthright.” (Ch. 13, pg. 176)
- “…Tell you uncle to bring his high-climbing and bivouac equipment…” (Ch. 10, pg. 136)
- The seracs rose around him in frozen stillness. (Ch. 11, pg. 139)
- Nothing that a skilled climber could not successfully surmount. (Ch. 11, pg. 151)
- He’s superstitious; full of old taboos and traditions. (Ch. 10, pg 135)
Comprehension Questions
- The mountaineer instinct that probably saved Rudi’s life during the avalanche was to throw his bent arm over his face, and this created a tiny pocket of air so he could breathe. (Ch. 10, pg. 126)
- Winter wants Rudi to go back down to Kurtal and convince his uncle, Franz Lerner to climb he Citadel with them. (Ch. 10, pg. 133)
- At the intersection of the Blue Glacier and the upper tributary, Rudi makes the decision to turn left towards the Citadel. (Ch. 10, pg. 138)
- The movement that Rudi detects on the high cliff above him was a chamois. (Ch. 11, pg. 141)
- Rudi sees the long cleft or chimney as “the key” to pass the Fortress. (Ch. 11, pg. 148)
- After the storm passes Rudi realized that time has not stood still and now darkness was descending. (Ch. 12, pg. 156)
- While in the cold cave at night, Rudi reaches into his backpack for his extra sweater and a slice of bread and a small lump of chocolate. (Ch. 12, pg. 157)
- When Emil Saxo sees all of the packs in the hut, he immediately thinks the climbers are plotting something. He believes they are going to try and stop them from climbing. (Ch. 13, pg. 165)
- After Rudi appears at the doorway of the hut, he says several times, “I have found the way.” (Ch. 13, pg. 171)
- Captain Winter says Rudi already has the two most important things to be a climber, the will, and the heart. (Ch. 13, pg. 176)
- To end the fighting over who will climb the Citadel first, Captain Winter proposes that the men of Kurtal and Broli , and himself climb together as a team. (Ch. 13, pgs. 180-181)
- As gratitude fills Rudi’s heart toward Winter, Old Teo and his uncle, he resolves to not fail them and to become worthy of their trust. (Ch. 14, pg. 186)
- When the climbers reach the Fortress, Saxo insists it can be climbed by turning to the right rather than the left as Rudi went the day before, he states he is tired of following Kurtalers. (Ch. 14, pg. 191)
- After climbing all day, Franz and Saxo agree that the shoulder cannot be climbed that day, that they need to stop for the night. (Ch. 14, pg. 198)
Section 4: Chapters 15-19
Vocabulary
- abyss: a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm
- altitude: the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level
- catwalk: a narrow walkway or open bridge
- chasm: a deep fissure in the earth, rock, or other surface
- labyrinth: a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze
- paroxysm: a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity
- precipice: a very steep rock face or cliff, especially a tall one
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- For one sickening moment he swung like a pendulum over the abyss.” (Ch. 15, pg. 214)
- The way was steep and exposed, and at the altitude they had now reached even straightforward climbing was no simple matter. (Ch. 16, pg. 223)
- For perhaps a hundred feet that was all there was: a saw-edge of rock, a catwalk in the sky. (Ch. 17, pg. 252)
- Below them was only chasms of space. (Ch. 15, pg. 209)
- Whereas here there was a whole labyrinth of ways – or, rather, possible ways… (Ch. 15, pg. 203)
- …for several minutes sat with his head to his knees, while paroxysms wracked his body. (Ch. 15, pg. 205)
- He was moving slowly up the rocks between the precipices of the north and east faces. (Ch. 18, pg. 259)
Comprehension Questions
- As the climbers are arguing about which way to go, Winters determines no one can see which is right, it will be a matter of trial and error. (Ch. 15, pg. 204)
- After exploring the tunnel both Saxo and Franz conclude that the tunnel is too narrow and no one will be able to get through. (Ch. 15, pg. 211)
- After the three climbers were unsuccessful climbing the needle, Rudi proposes that he try crawling through the tunnel and pass a rope through and over the needle so they can climb the needle using the rope. (Ch. 15, pg. 216)
- After realizing that it took much longer for the climbers to reach the shoulder than they had anticipated, Rudi realizes that they will have to camp another night. (Ch. 16, pg. 223)
- Rudi had been preeminent in guiding the climbers over the needle, now that Winter was sick, the decision as to whether to continue or go back down was not his decision to make. (Ch. 16, pg. 227)
- When Rudi pulls back the flap of Saxo’s tent in the early morning hours, he finds Captain Winter asleep under his blanket, but Saxo was gone. (Ch. 16, pg. 235)
- Paul Tauglich lied to Frau Matt, telling her that Franz had gone to climb the Citadel, but Rudi had stayed at the hut with the support party. (Ch. 17, pg. 240)
- After discovering that Rudi and Saxo are gone, Franz has the moral dilemma of deciding whether to stay with Winter or go find Rudi, his nephew. (Ch. 17, pg. 248)
- As Franz and Winter are traversing the spine they come upon Rudi’s knapsack and staff. (Ch. 17, pg. 254)
- When Saxo reacts in anger to Rudi’s touch, he trips and falls over the precipice and lands on a ledge more than twenty feet down the face. (Ch. 18, pgl 261)
- When Saxo notices Rudi looking at the pyramid, he tells him to go on and claim his victory, to climb the top. (Ch. 18, pg. 267)
- When Saxo slips and falls, he pulls Rudi down too and they slide down the rocks to a flat landing not too far down. (Chapter 18, pg. 271)
- When Teo Zurbriggen grabs Rudi on the platform below the Fortress, he holds him in his arms and cries. (Chapter 19, pg. 279)
- As Saxo and Rudi shook hands, Saxo says, “You could have climbed to the top, but instead you saved my life. I thank you. I salute you.” (Ch. 19, pg. 280)