Will Wi-Fi Ruin Mount Everest?

In paragraph 8, the word exhilarating means something that —

• creates happiness and excitement

• prompts a longing to return home

• provokes a fear of the unknown

• gives assistance and comfort

In 2008, what did the author notice about how the new technology was affecting those who work near Mount Everest?

• They did not have the means to take advantage of the new technology.

• They were becoming much more efficient in their jobs.

• They preferred to stick with traditional forms of communication.

• They were embracing the new technology rapidly.

What is the most likely reason the author wrote the article?

• To recall how his love of trekking in the Himalaya in Nepal developed

• To show readers that bringing broadband service to the Himalaya is dangerous

• To convince readers that Internet service has changed the experience of trekking the Himalaya

• To criticize the growing popularity of Mount Everest with climbers and tourists

How does the author try to convince readers of his point in paragraph 9?

• He fondly describes his past experiences.

• He provides expert testimony from other climbers

• He acknowledges that his experiences may have been rare.

• He provides an emotional appeal for change.

Read this sentence from paragraph 14: "Because being connected—really connected, with the place you’re in and the people you’re with—requires disconnecting, at least temporarily, from everywhere else." Based on this sentence, the reader can conclude that —

• the Himalaya is a difficult place for disconnecting from the modern world

• making a real connection in the modern world demands effort

• the impulse to be connected to others is a modern phenomenon

• modern society does not value connectedness

In which sentence does the author seem to accept that technology on Mount Everest is inevitable?

• This was what many travelers were looking for: places so hard to get to, and so different from the world we knew, that their very existence seemed almost miraculous.

• When I first trekked the Everest route, in October 1983, it felt as though I’d entered a world completely detached from the familiar.

• Sitting in a cozy inn, immersed in conversation, was far more seductive than surfing the Web.

• We are far past the time when we can expect to find a Shangri-La, anywhere, beyond the reach of the Internet

The photograph and its caption make the use of technology atop Mount Everest seem —

• challenging

• elitist

• normal

• whimsical