What does 'survivor's guilt' refer to in Krakauer's case?

• A. Guilt for surviving while others died.
• B. Guilt for not helping others survive.
• C. Guilt about telling the story.
• D. Guilt about leaving the mountain.

Answer: (A)

Survivor's guilt is the emotional aftermath of surviving a disaster when others do not. In Krakauer's account of the 1996 Everest tragedy, he happens to live while teammates and other climbers die, which can trigger feelings of guilt, self-doubt, and questions about the decisions made during the crisis. The core idea is not simply wishing you had helped more, but a sense of having survived when others did not and wrestling with why you lived. The other options describe related feelings, but they don’t capture the specific experience of carrying guilt for having survived while others perished. So the idea that fits best is feeling guilt for surviving while others died.