By the time Krakauer passed Rob Hall, how many clients had abandoned the summit?

By the time Krakauer passed Rob Hall, how many clients had abandoned the summit?

• A. Five
• B. Three
• C. Six
• D. Eight

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how to follow the progression of climbers deciding to retreat during a rapidly deteriorating storm. By the moment Krakauer passed Rob Hall, five of Hall’s clients had already abandoned the summit. The text recounts that several climbers chose to stop and descend rather than press on, and this count reaches five at that point, underscoring how quickly the situation worsened. The other numbers don’t fit that particular moment in the narrative; they would correspond to different points in the ascent or different groups, but not the moment described where five had already given up their summit bid.

The idea being tested is how to follow the progression of climbers deciding to retreat during a rapidly deteriorating storm. By the moment Krakauer passed Rob Hall, five of Hall’s clients had already abandoned the summit. The text recounts that several climbers chose to stop and descend rather than press on, and this count reaches five at that point, underscoring how quickly the situation worsened. The other numbers don’t fit that particular moment in the narrative; they would correspond to different points in the ascent or different groups, but not the moment described where five had already given up their summit bid.