Lost In The Ranges- By Normal Bilbrough, Questions and answers

Lost in the Ranges by Norman Bilbrough

School Journal Part 4 Number 3 1995

WALT: Skim and scan for information

Authors viewpoint - finding evidence in the text

Success Criteria: I can skim and scan the text and find key information.

I can determine and think about how the writer is feeling what going through in this article.

Answer the following questions in red:

Referring to the title of the article what do you think the text is about? I think this article is about somebody lost somewhere.

Have you ever been lost before? Yes. What are your experiences of being lost? I was scared and I panicked. Where were you, what happened? I was at the markets and my family was walking to go to some other stand, but I didn’t know so I turned around and they weren’t there. I ran around the market looking for them but I couldn’t find them. Eventually I saw them standing at the toys stand and I quickly ran straight

to them.

What type of text is this article e.g is it someone’s explanation of what happened, (refer to the first page). I think this type of text in this article is some saying/explaining where they were and what happened to them.

What does Bryan states he was the “youngest in the party”? He’s the youngest person there and tramping with all of these bigger/older people than him. He must feel pleased to be going tramping with people older than him. He also must feel cool since he’s hanging out with the older kids and bigger kids than himself.

What was Bryan’s reading for taking part in this tramp? He felt pleased, cool but maybe even nervous. He must of had all of these emotions rushing through him.

Where about is this group of boys hiking? They were hiking in Alpha Hut, which is just near Mt Alpha. What is the temperature and climate like at this place? It is very cold but the weather is fine and clear.

What had Bryan carried in his bag for this trip? He carried his group food, his clothes, his sleeping bag, chocolate chip biscuits and nibble food.

Even though the weather was fine and clear it was cold. Why is it important to keep warm in situations such as this? It is important because you could freeze to death, especially when you go through strong and cold winds. But anytime you go tramping here you’ll have to be wearing warm clothes. Also your backpack with all of you’re spare clothes in it could go missing and if your wearing not enough layers of clothing you’ll be freezing.

Bryan refers to his fall as “tobogganing”. What is tobogganing? Its a rough/bumpy ride. Why has Bryan compared his fall to this? Because he had slipped, and slid down to the cliff. He thought he was going to stop but he didn’t, he then took a tumble over the edge and somersaulted in the air. He took a rough slide/ride down the mountain.

After this fall, how do you think Bryan is feeling? I think Bryan was feeling hurt, scared, weak and he probably thought he was going to die. Is he injured? Yes he was badly injured, he had a cut above his eye and his hands were also cut and swollen. After he called out help he blacked out and was unconscious for about five hours.

Wednesday:

Do you think the situation Bryan is currently in is dangerous? Yes. Why / why not? Because first of all he’s blacked out, he has no food, he’s lost, he’s injured, he lost his backpack that had his spare clothes, food, sleeping bag and other stuff in it.

Predict what you think will happen next? He’ll probably be rescued by someone or maybe even wake up and find a place to stay, then start to find his backpack and group members.

It seems as though Bryan has now been separated from the rest of his group? He is now separated from his group/group members.

If you were Bryan would you stay put and wait for someone to rescue you? Or would you seek help? I would seek help, because probably by the time someone had come to rescue me, I would already be badly, badly injured.

How do you think the rest of the group will react to Bryan’s falling and injury? I think they’ll be shocked and look after him very well.

Refer to the map on the next page, what information does this give us about where the accident happened and where Bryan was found? There are labels that say where the accident happened, where Bryan is, Route of Southern Crossing, School party continued along Renata Ridge to raise alarm, River rescue and Ambulance pick-up.

Thursday/ Friday:

How had the group members described Bryan’s falling as?

It says in the text “he just disappeared it was like he was never there”

What had Bryan lost on his way down, how does this affect his chances of survival? And keeping safe? He lost his backpack which had his food in it, his spare clothing, his sleeping bag and group food. This affects his chances of survival because he has no food, no dry clothes and no sleeping bag. He could freeze and maybe even starve.

Bryan tries to climb back up the hill, is this a good idea? No. Why/ why not? Because he has just been injured and he might slip again and injure himself some more.

What was Bryan glad about wearing? Bryan was glad that he had put on wooly clothes, and heaps of layers. For what reason do you think he was glad about this? It kept him warm so he didn’t get really, really cold.

Bryan had no food with him, what are his chances of survival? Very small. What do you think he should do to keep himself energised? Drink plenty of water and believe that you’ll make it. Why do you think this? Because water keeps you hydrated and when you believe that you can make it, you usually do.

Where had the rest of the group disappeared to when Bryan returned to find them? Bryan climbed up to the ridge again to go to the search party’s camp, but they weren’t at their camping site.

How do you think he is feeling to reach the Site with no one there? He must feel very sad but at the same time determined to find someone that can help him.

Bryan states he wasn’t worried or scared. How would you be feeling in this situation? I would be feeling a whole lot of different emotions such as scared, frightened, hungry, weak, hopeless, but I would feel determined to find someone that could help me.

Bryan’s parents have now been notified as the rest of the group has now let the authorities know. His parent’s are waiting ‘anxiously’ how do do you think they are feeling, finding out their son is missing and injured? They must of been feeling anxious, worried, scared, very sad, depressed, heartbroken, unhappy, sorrowful and down.