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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. After falling through the ice, the protagonist believes this mishap will delay him for how long in reaching his destination?
(a) 1 hour
(b) 45 minutes
(c) 20 minutes
(d) 2 hours

2. According to the narrator in Part IV, “The old-timer had been very serious in laying down the law that no man must travel alone in the Klondike after” what?
(a) 0 degrees
(b) Thirty below
(c) Fifteen below
(d) Fifty below

3. What simile occurs to the protagonist regarding his behavior in panicking in Part VI?
(a) Like shooting fish in a barrel
(b) Burning like a meteor
(c) Going dark like a grand eclipse
(d) Running around like a chicken with its head cut off

4. The strings of the protagonist’s shoes are described as being like what in Part IV?
(a) Stiff vines
(b) Fencing wire
(c) Rods of steel
(d) Caribou intestines

5. The protagonist thinks to himself in Part IV, “Any man who was a man could” do what?
(a) Mine gold
(b) Build a fire
(c) Travel alone
(d) Survive a storm

Short Answer Questions

1. What thought puts the protagonist in a panic as he tries to light his second fire in Part V?

2. Which word, describing the dog in Part V, means sadly pensive, especially about something yearned for?

3. What kind of weapon does the protagonist carry?

4. Which of the following is a central theme in To Build a Fire?

5. Part V of the story marks what point in the plot structure?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the protagonist respond when the fear of death begins to overtake him in Part VI?

2. How does the narrator describe the protagonist’s journey when he departs from lunch in Part IV?

3. Why does the protagonist curse the dog in Part VI? What last effort does he make before accepting his fate?

4. How are the protagonist’s socks and shoes described as he tries to remove them in Part IV by the fire?

5. How is the protagonist able to separate the matches in Part V? How does he attempt to light a match once he does?

6. Is the protagonist aware of the danger he is in after falling through the ice? What is the danger?

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

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

9. How does the protagonist respond after falling through the ice in Part IV? What happens when he falls?

10. How does the protagonist react when the fire is extinguished in Part V?

(see the answer keys)

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