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Question
How did the firm snow at the higher regions fill them with hope?
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Solution
They were a little perturbed by slippery soft snow. But as they reached firmer snow higher up, they felt better. As one bottle of oxygen got exhausted, their load was now less. As Hillary’s ax bit into the first steep slope of the ridge, his high hopes were realized. The snow was crystalline and firm. They were able to make comfortable belays to haul themselves up slowly.
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Para 1
We started up our cooker and
drank large quantities of lemon juice and
sugar, and followed this with our last tin of
sardines on biscuits. I dragged our oxygen
sets into the tent, cleaned the ice off them,
and then rechecked and tested them.
Para 2
I had removed my boots, which
had become wet the day before, and they
were now frozen solid. So I cooked them
over the fierce flame of the Primus and
managed to soften them up. Over our
down clothing, we donned our windproof
and onto our hands, we pulled three pairs
of gloves – silk, woollen, and windproof.
Para 3
At 6.30 a.m. we crawled out of that
tent into the snow, hoisted our 30 lb. of
oxygen gear on to our backs, connected
up our masks and turned on the valves to
bring life-giving oxygen into our lungs. A
few good deep breaths and we were ready
to go. Still a little worried about my cold
feet, I asked Tenzing to move off.
How did Hillary and Tenzing prepare themselves before they set off to the summit? (Para 1, 2, and 3)
Para 18
My first feelings were of relief–
relief that there were no more steps to
cut, no more ridges to traverse, and no
more humps to tantalize us with hopes
of success. I looked at Tenzing. In spite of
the balaclava helmet, goggles, and oxygen
mask – all encrusted with long icicles–that
concealed his face, there was no disguising
his grin of delight as he looked all around
him. We shook hands, and then Tenzing
threw his arm around my shoulders and
we thumped each other on the back until
we were almost breathless. It was 11.30
a.m. The ridge had taken us two and a
half hours, but it seemed like a lifetime
To the east was our giant
Describe the feelings of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing as they reached the top of the Summit. (Para 18)
Para 15
For a few moments, I lay regaining
my breath, and for the first time really
felt the fierce determination that nothing
now could stop us from reaching the top. I took
a firm stance on the ledge and signaled
to Tenzing to come on up. As I heaved
hard on the rope, Tenzing wriggled his
way up the crack, and finally collapsed at
the top like a giant fish when it has just
been hauled from the sea after a terrible
struggle.
Para 16
The ridge continued as before:
giant cornices on the right; steep rock
sloped on the left. The ridge curved away
to the right and we have no idea where the
top was. As I cut around the back of one
hump, another higher one would swing
into view. Time was passing and the ridge
seemed never-ending.
Para 17
Our original zest had now quite
gone, and it was turning more into a grim
struggle. I then realized that the ridge
ahead, instead of rising, now dropped
sharply away. I looked upwards to see a
narrow snow ridge running up to a snowy
summit. A few more whacks of the ice-ax
in the firm snow and we stood on top.
The ridge had taken us two and half hours, but it seemed like lifetime. Why? (Para 15 to 17)
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