Question

Selection 1: Ice Climbing
by Bob and Paula Morrow
1 Imagine crawling up a frozen waterfall. It’s cold. It’s difficult. It’s dangerous. Patti Poulis, of Ouray, Colorado, climbs frozen waterfalls for fun. “It’s a beautiful sport,” she says, “and it’s a challenge.” The climber has to stay focused, because ice changes all the time. It might be sticky (good) or brittle (not good). If it’s brittle, the climber has to move sideways, looking for a better spot. “Sometimes, I feel like a bug on a wall,” Poulis adds.
How Ice Climbing Began
2 For centuries, mountain climbers who encountered ice used axes to hack out steps, one by one. Two inventions changed that. Crampons (spikes that attach to boots) were invented in 1908. In 1966 came the curved ice pick. Now climbers could scale vertical ice, and a new sport was born. Today, ice climbing is popular around the world. The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation organizes World Cup and International Championship competitions. Waterfall-climbing events are judged on speed and difficulty.

Two photographs. One photograph shows an ice climber in a helmet. He is climbing up a sheer, straight up and down wall of ice using two ice picks, one in either hand. The climber has embedded the tip of each pick in the ice, allowing him to cling to the ice without falling. The second photograph overlaps the first. It shows an ice pick close up. The ice pick handle is straight. The head has two sides, one curved and serrated, the other straight, shorter, and blunter looking. A knotted rope is threaded through holes in the head.
3 Ouray, Colorado, has the world’s premier ice park. Faucets installed along the cliffs create waterfalls that freeze into 200 routes, from beginner to advanced.
How to Get Started
4 Because it’s a dangerous sport, ice climbing requires preparation and training. In some years, Ouray Ice Park has offered a free “Kids Climbing College” during the three-day Ouray Ice Festival in January. Beginners can also learn at indoor training centers. Here, new climbers can practice on artificial ice (foam walls) and learn the proper use of ropes, axes, and other tools.
Low Impact, High Gain
5 Waterfall ice climbing leaves no trace on the Earth. In spring, the dimples left in the ice from climbing tools simply disappear in a torrent of water tumbling down. Sure, ice climbing is a challenge, but as Patti Poulis says, “The places it takes you are gorgeous.”

Which detail from Selection 1 best supports the central idea that safety is an important part of ice climbing?
A. “For centuries, mountain climbers who encountered ice used axes to hack out steps, one by one.” (paragraph 2)
B. “The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation organizes World Cup and International Championship competitions.” (paragraph 2)
C. “Faucets installed along the cliffs create waterfalls that freeze into 200 routes, from beginner to advanced.” (paragraph 3)
D. “Here, new climbers can practice on artificial ice (foam walls) and learn the proper use of ropes, axes, and other tools.” (paragraph 4)

Answer 1

D. “Here, new climbers can practice on artificial ice (foam walls) and learn the proper use of ropes, axes, and other tools.”

This detail shows that beginners are taught and trained in proper techniques and equipment use, emphasizing safety.