A mountain climber starts a climb at an elevation of 453 feet above sea level. At his first rest stop he has climbed 162 feet, and by his second rest stop he has climbed another 207 feet.

Question

It's getting late in the day, so the climber starts his way down. If the climber descends 285 feet, how much does he need to ascend or descend to return to the original starting point?

Responses
A ascend 84 feetascend 84 feet
B ascend 78 feetascend 78 feet
C descend 84 feetdescend 84 feet
D descend 78 feet

Answer 1

Let's calculate the climber's elevation at each stage of the climb and descent.

1. Starting elevation: 453 feet

2. First rest stop: He climbs 162 feet. \[ 453 + 162 = 615 \text{ feet} \]

3. Second rest stop: He climbs another 207 feet. \[ 615 + 207 = 822 \text{ feet} \]

4. After descending 285 feet: \[ 822 - 285 = 537 \text{ feet} \]

Now we need to find out how much he needs to ascend or descend to return to the original starting point of 453 feet:

• The difference between his current elevation (537 feet) and the starting elevation (453 feet): \[ 537 - 453 = 84 \text{ feet} \]

Since he's at a higher elevation now, in order to return to the starting point, he needs to descend 84 feet.

Thus, the correct response is:

C: descend 84 feet.