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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is a central theme in To Build a Fire?
(a) Religious persecution
(b) Man versus nature
(c) Forbidden love
(d) Corrupt politics

2. How many inches of snow cover the furrow of the last runners on the old sled-trail in Part II?
(a) 9
(b) 5
(c) 3
(d) 12

3. In what year did Jack London die?
(a) 1969
(b) 1944
(c) 1916
(d) 1957

4. What word refers to “a newcomer to the land” in Part I?
(a) Nuoktuk
(b) Nenukto
(c) Chechaquo
(d) Chenutok

5. What refers to the condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions?
(a) Thermoregulation
(b) Insomnia
(c) Asphyxiation
(d) Hypothermia

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the protagonist realize he’s forgotten to do when he stops to eat his lunch in Part III?

2. The dog’s instincts tell him that walking in this cold is not good and that it is the time to do what, in Part III?

3. The narrator states in Part I, “North and south, as far as his eye could see, it was unbroken” what?

4. Where did Jack London’s family settle in 1886?

5. The protagonist is described in Part I as being “quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. At what time does the story open?Who is present in the opening paragraphs of the story?

2. What stylistic elements characterize To Build a Fire?Give examples in your answer.

3. What is the point of view of the narrative in To Build a Fire?

4. Where does the protagonist decide to eat lunch in the narrative? Why?

5. What is the setting of To Build a Fire?What clues indicate this setting?

6. How is the protagonist described by the narrator in Part I?

7. What symbolism is tied to the character of the dog in the story?

8. How does the author use symbolism to illustrate “instinct” versus “reason” in the narrative?

9. What is symbolized by the lack of a shadow cast by the protagonist in To Build a Fire?

10. What role does the old-timer play in the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

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