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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The protagonist moves on to feed the fire with branches the size of what in Part IV?

2. Which word from Part IV means to be grateful or thankful?

3. The protagonist thinks to himself, “those old-timers were rather” what, in Part IV?

4. How does the ending of the earlier version of To Build a Firediffer from the later and more popularized version?

5. What kind of weapon does the protagonist carry?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the mental state of the protagonist as he builds his fire after falling through the ice in Part IV?

2. How does the protagonist go about starting his second fire in Part V? What obstacles does he face in the process?

3. What does fire symbolize in the story? What message does the author convey through this symbol?

4. How does the protagonist’s body respond when he begins to build a fire after falling through the ice in Part IV?

5. What does the dog do as the protagonist attempts to build his second fire in Part V? What obstacle does the protagonist face in getting the tinder going?

6. What idea comes to the protagonist after his second fire is a failure in Part V?

7. Why does the protagonist resume running after he has fallen down in Part VI?

8. What does the protagonist envision of his family in Part VI? How does he envision the old-timer?

9. How does the theme of “survival” apply to Part IV of To Build a Fire?

10. What obstacle does the protagonist face with gathering twigs for his fire in Part IV?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the element of fear in the narrative. What causes the protagonist to first feel fearful of his situation? How does he cope with this fear? What effect does the protagonist’s fear have on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the effects of hypothermia. What causes hypothermia? How is it treated? Where are the effects most often felt first? How do they progress? How are these effects illustrated in To Build A Fire?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the character of “the man” in To Build A Fire. What characteristics does the man embody? What are his physical characteristics? How old is he? What is his objective in the beginning of the story?

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