Into The Wild NEHA Exam (verified 2025)
Rated A+
What was listed as the cause of McCandless's death in The New York Times article
about the unknown young hiker found in the Alaskan wilderness? - Answer ✔✔- The
cause of the death was listed as starvation.
How did Westerberg help the authorities locate McCandless's family? - Answer ✔✔-
Westerberg heard Paul Harvey radio broadcast about the unknown hiker. Westerberg
believed the hiker could be Chris, so he phones the Alaska State Troopers. Westerberg
had McCandless's correct social security number from a W-4 form McCandless
completed when he worked for Westerberg. With this information, the authorities
located Chris's half-brother, Sam.
How long after Chris's body was discovered did the author interview Walt McCandless?
- Answer ✔✔- The interview took place seven weeks later.
How did Chris's disappearance in 1990 change Walt McCandless? - Answer ✔✔- His
volatile temper subsided. He became a more tolerant man.
Describe an event from Chris's high school physics class that illustrated his
determination to follow his own path. - Answer ✔✔- Chris received a failing grade on his
lab reports, even though he correctly completed the work, because he refused to write
the reports in the teacher's prescribed format.
Identify Loren Johnson. - Answer ✔✔- Loren Johnson was Chris's adored grandfather
who had an "affinity for the wilderness."
What damaged Chris's relationship with Carine? - Answer ✔✔- Their relationship was
damaged by a musical rivalry. Although both Chris and carine were talented musicians,
Carine was a better French horn player.
Who was Buckley? - Answer ✔✔- Buckley was the family dog.
Identify Kris Maxie Gillmer - Answer ✔✔- Gillmer was Chris's closest friend in high
school.
List three social issues Chris felt passionate about in high school. - Answer ✔✔-
McCandless felt passionate about race issues, including apartheid in South Africa, the
plight of the homeless, and the need to eliminate hunger in this country.
Why did Billie McCandless describe her son as "an entrepreneur"? - Answer ✔✔- Chris
excelled at making money. At age eight, he successfully sold vegetables to the
, neighbors. He ran his own copy business at age twelve. In high school, Chris was a top
door-to-door salesman for a local contractor.
What did Chris do the summer before entering Emory University? - Answer ✔✔- Chris
drove across the country in his Datsun.
What advice did Walt give Chris after learning Chris was lost in the Mojave Desert?
How did Chris react to his father's concern? - Answer ✔✔- Walt suggested that Chris
should be careful and let his parents know his whereabouts. Chris was angered by this
advice. He thought his parents were idiots to worry about him.
What did Chris do the summer between his freshman and sophomore years at Emory
that helped his parents? - Answer ✔✔- Chris worked at his parents' business writing
computer software.
Despite his many skills, what surprising job did Chris take the summer between his
sophomore and junior years at Emory? - Answer ✔✔- Chris delivered pizzas.
What did Chris learn about Walt and Billie's past that greatly damaged his relationship
with his father? - Answer ✔✔- Chris learned that his father did not make a clean break
with his first wife. He fathered a son with his first wife after he fell in love with Billie and
fathered Chris.
What trip did Chris take the summer between his junior and senior years at Emory? -
Answer ✔✔- Chris drove to Alaska.
How did Billie and Walt react to their son's death? - Answer ✔✔- Billie lost weight but
Walt gained eighty pounds. Billie collected pictures of Chris's life and wept over them.
The author described Billie's grief as "a sense of loss so huge and irreparable that the
mind balks at taking its measure."
As a young man, what adventure did the author fantasize about undertaking?
What is the Devils Thumb? Why was the author drawn to it? - Answer ✔✔- The author
fantasized about conquering remote ascents of various mountains in Alaska and
Canada.
What is the Devils Thumb? Why was the author drawn to it? - Answer ✔✔- The Devils
Thumb is a Colorado mountain with a spectacular, glacier-sculpted peak. The north wall
of Devils Thumb had never been conquered, so this mountain was especially interesting
to the author.
What assets did the author have with him when he departed Boulder to begin his
journey to the Devils Thumb? - Answer ✔✔- He had a 1960 Pontiac Star Chief and two
hundred dollars.
Rated A+
What was listed as the cause of McCandless's death in The New York Times article
about the unknown young hiker found in the Alaskan wilderness? - Answer ✔✔- The
cause of the death was listed as starvation.
How did Westerberg help the authorities locate McCandless's family? - Answer ✔✔-
Westerberg heard Paul Harvey radio broadcast about the unknown hiker. Westerberg
believed the hiker could be Chris, so he phones the Alaska State Troopers. Westerberg
had McCandless's correct social security number from a W-4 form McCandless
completed when he worked for Westerberg. With this information, the authorities
located Chris's half-brother, Sam.
How long after Chris's body was discovered did the author interview Walt McCandless?
- Answer ✔✔- The interview took place seven weeks later.
How did Chris's disappearance in 1990 change Walt McCandless? - Answer ✔✔- His
volatile temper subsided. He became a more tolerant man.
Describe an event from Chris's high school physics class that illustrated his
determination to follow his own path. - Answer ✔✔- Chris received a failing grade on his
lab reports, even though he correctly completed the work, because he refused to write
the reports in the teacher's prescribed format.
Identify Loren Johnson. - Answer ✔✔- Loren Johnson was Chris's adored grandfather
who had an "affinity for the wilderness."
What damaged Chris's relationship with Carine? - Answer ✔✔- Their relationship was
damaged by a musical rivalry. Although both Chris and carine were talented musicians,
Carine was a better French horn player.
Who was Buckley? - Answer ✔✔- Buckley was the family dog.
Identify Kris Maxie Gillmer - Answer ✔✔- Gillmer was Chris's closest friend in high
school.
List three social issues Chris felt passionate about in high school. - Answer ✔✔-
McCandless felt passionate about race issues, including apartheid in South Africa, the
plight of the homeless, and the need to eliminate hunger in this country.
Why did Billie McCandless describe her son as "an entrepreneur"? - Answer ✔✔- Chris
excelled at making money. At age eight, he successfully sold vegetables to the
, neighbors. He ran his own copy business at age twelve. In high school, Chris was a top
door-to-door salesman for a local contractor.
What did Chris do the summer before entering Emory University? - Answer ✔✔- Chris
drove across the country in his Datsun.
What advice did Walt give Chris after learning Chris was lost in the Mojave Desert?
How did Chris react to his father's concern? - Answer ✔✔- Walt suggested that Chris
should be careful and let his parents know his whereabouts. Chris was angered by this
advice. He thought his parents were idiots to worry about him.
What did Chris do the summer between his freshman and sophomore years at Emory
that helped his parents? - Answer ✔✔- Chris worked at his parents' business writing
computer software.
Despite his many skills, what surprising job did Chris take the summer between his
sophomore and junior years at Emory? - Answer ✔✔- Chris delivered pizzas.
What did Chris learn about Walt and Billie's past that greatly damaged his relationship
with his father? - Answer ✔✔- Chris learned that his father did not make a clean break
with his first wife. He fathered a son with his first wife after he fell in love with Billie and
fathered Chris.
What trip did Chris take the summer between his junior and senior years at Emory? -
Answer ✔✔- Chris drove to Alaska.
How did Billie and Walt react to their son's death? - Answer ✔✔- Billie lost weight but
Walt gained eighty pounds. Billie collected pictures of Chris's life and wept over them.
The author described Billie's grief as "a sense of loss so huge and irreparable that the
mind balks at taking its measure."
As a young man, what adventure did the author fantasize about undertaking?
What is the Devils Thumb? Why was the author drawn to it? - Answer ✔✔- The author
fantasized about conquering remote ascents of various mountains in Alaska and
Canada.
What is the Devils Thumb? Why was the author drawn to it? - Answer ✔✔- The Devils
Thumb is a Colorado mountain with a spectacular, glacier-sculpted peak. The north wall
of Devils Thumb had never been conquered, so this mountain was especially interesting
to the author.
What assets did the author have with him when he departed Boulder to begin his
journey to the Devils Thumb? - Answer ✔✔- He had a 1960 Pontiac Star Chief and two
hundred dollars.
