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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. What does the narrator refer to the dog as in Part III?
(a) A toil-slave
(b) A dumb beast
(c) A loyal companion
(d) A primal hunter

2. At what pace has the protagonist been making his journey when he looks at his watch at 10:00 a.m. in Part II?
(a) 4 miles per hour
(b) 1 mile per hour
(c) 2 miles per hour
(d) 7 miles per hour

3. In literature, what refers to the author's providing of some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme?
(a) Foreshadowing
(b) Rising action
(c) Exposition
(d) Climax

4. What does the protagonist do after finishing his lunch in Part III?
(a) Watches the clouds
(b) Drinks some whiskey
(c) Takes a nap
(d) Lights a pipe

5. The narrator states in Part I that the protagonist is used to the lack of what?
(a) Stars
(b) Warmth
(c) Sun
(d) Birds

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the principle form of conflict faced by the protagonist in To Build a Fire?

2. What refers to an incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result?

3. The Yukon lay hidden under how many feet of ice, according to the narrator in Part I?

4. The protagonist experiences a pang of regret that he had not devised what object that Bud wears in cold snaps in Part II?

5. The narrator claims in Part I that fifty degrees below zero means what degrees of frost?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does the narrator describe the protagonist’s experience of the cold in Part III?

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

4. How does the protagonist act in the face of the obstacles at Henderson Creek?

5. What were Jack London’s experiences like during the Klondike Gold Rush?

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

7. How does the narrator describe the setting at noon in To Build a Fire? What is the protagonist’s state of mind at this time?

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

9. What advice did the old-timer give to the protagonist?

10. What does the protagonist do after eating his lunch in Part III? How does the dog respond?

(see the answer keys)

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